Dabo accuses Ole Miss of 'blatant tampering' after flipping transfer LB
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney accused Ole Miss' coaching staff of tampering, claiming their actions influenced linebacker Luke Ferrelli to flip his commitment from the Tigers to the Rebels.
Ferrelli, who played at Cal in 2025, initially committed to Clemson on Jan. 6. However, he re-entered the transfer portal on Jan. 16 - the last day for non-national championship players to enter - before committing to Ole Miss six days later.
On Friday, Swinney outlined what he described as deliberate tampering by Ole Miss to lure Ferrelli to the Rebels.
"There's tampering, and then there's blatant tampering," Swinney said, according to ESPN's Andrea Adelson. "Tampering 101 is when you're talking to kids when they're not in the portal. Tampering 301 is when you've got a kid who's gone in the portal, signed somewhere, and you're texting them while they're in class."
Swinney noted that Ferrelli verbally accepted an offer from Clemson and signed a financial aid agreement, according to The State's Chapel Fowler. He added that Ferrelli's agent informed Clemson general manager Jordan Sorrells that Ole Miss was "coming hard" for Ferrelli. Swinney further claimed that Rebels general manager Austin Thomas told Sorrells that head coach Pete Golding "just does what he does."
Swinney also said that Ferrelli told Clemson's brass that he received a text message from Golding during an 8 a.m. class and had sent him a photo of a $1-million revenue-sharing contract, per Fowler.
The 56-year-old added that the Tigers increased their offer to Ferrelli on the last night of the portal window, submitting a two-year, $2-million contract.
Additionally, Swinney highlighted what he called hypocrisy, per Adelson, pointing to Ole Miss' previous complaints about other schools tampering with its roster. The Rebels were concerned about losing players to the transfer portal after head coach Lane Kiffin left for LSU on Nov. 30, as several staff members were splitting their time between the two schools during the Rebels' playoff run.
Swinney said he contacted Clemson athletic director Graham Neff and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips about the allegations, and that the Tigers notified Ole Miss of its intent to pursue all options for reporting the Rebels for tampering, reports Fowler.
"We have a broken system," Swinney said. "If there are no consequences for tampering, then we have no rules, and we have no governance. It's that simple. This is not about a linebacker at Clemson. I feel sorry for the young man. I blame the adults."