The NCAA opened an investigation into Ole Miss as a result of Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney accusing Rebels boss Pete Golding of tampering with linebacker Luke Ferrelli, according to David Hale and Mark Schlabach of ESPN.
In January, Swinney said that there was "blatant tampering" from Ole Miss' coaching staff to influence Ferrelli to flip from the Tigers to the Rebels. He re-entered the transfer portal on Jan. 16 - just 10 days after originally committing to Clemson - before agreeing to join Ole Miss six days later. Ferrelli played at Cal in 2025.
NCAA associate director of enforcement Scott McDonald emailed Ole Miss senior associate athletic director for compliance Taylor Hall on Jan. 23, according to documents obtained by Hale and Schlabach. In the email, McDonald requested that Golding's university-issued and personal cell phones be forensically imaged.
The same was requested from Ole Miss general manager Austin Thomas and other members of the Rebels' staff as well as Ferrelli. The NCAA also asked that phone records from December 2025 to January 2026 be submitted to enforcement staff, according to Hale and Schlabach.
Swinney said that Golding texted Ferrelli during class and sent him a photo of a $1-million revenue-sharing contract.
Golding responded to Swinney's allegations in late March, saying, "There's two sides to every story." The 42-year-old is entering his first season as the Rebels' full-time head coach to replace Lane Kiffin.
