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The Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Miami Hurricanes last week to cap the college football season.
With one day left before the trade window for players who entered the national championship, Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney expressed concern about what he sees as a lack of sports governance.
During a wide-ranging news conference, Swinney expressed concern about Ole Miss quarterback Pete Golding’s repeated, unauthorized contact with Clemson linebacker Luke Ferrelli. Swinney suggested that Golding was working to put Ferrelli’s name on the transfer window.
On Tuesday, the NCAA contacted Clemson about Swinney’s allegations and began an investigation into the matter.
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Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney details portal events involving quarterback Luke Ferrelli while sitting next to athletic director Graham Neff during a news conference at the Smart Family Media Center in Clemson, South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
“The NCAA will investigate any allegations of fraud and expects full cooperation from all parties as required by NCAA rules,” NCAA vice president Jon Duncan said in a statement obtained by The Athletic. “We cannot comment further on the ongoing investigation.”
The newly adopted 15-day window for some FBS and FCS athletes, including transfers, now opens the day after the CFP quarterfinals. There is a built-in exception for players who experience a change of head coach.
2026 COLLEGE FOOTBALL TRANSFER PORTAL: OVER 10 PLAYERS REMAINING AVAILABLE
“This is another level of harassment,” Swinney said of Ole Miss’ alleged contact with Ferrelli. “It’s total hypocrisy. … This is a really sad state of affairs. We have a broken system, and if there are no consequences for fraud, we have no rules and no governance.”
Ferrelli, a highly sought-after employer, was selected to enter the portal in January. He actually visited Ole Miss, but eventually accepted the contract and enrolled in classes at Clemson. However, shortly after classes began at Clemson, Swinney said the football team’s general manager Jordan Sorrells said, “Ole Miss was going hard” after the quarterback.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney looks on during the NCAA college football game against Louisville on Nov. 2, 2024, in Clemson, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Sorrells later asked Ole Miss officials to have the school cut off all contact with Ferrelli. According to Swinney, the Ole Miss official has made it clear that he does not condone fraud. On Jan. 15, Ferrelli requested to be placed on the portal with the intention of transferring to Ole Miss.
The next day, Clemson filed a complaint with the NCAA detailing the alleged “blatant” fraud. As of last Friday, Clemson athletic director Graham Neff has made it clear that legal action is not off the table.
“I’m not trying to fire anyone, but when is enough enough?” Swinney said. “If we have laws, and abuse is a law, there should be consequences for that. And shame on adults if we don’t hold ourselves accountable.”
Pete Golding watches during warmups before Ole Miss’ game against the Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Peter Thomas/USA TODAY Sports)
Swinney expressed concern about the message an unstoppable distraction could send to future college football players.
“This is not about the quarterback at Clemson,” he said. “I don’t want anybody on our team who doesn’t want to be here. But it’s about the next kid and the next kid and the message that’s being sent by just messing around and allowing it to happen without consequences. This isn’t about our program. It’s about college football.”
Swinney said the current state of college football invites misconduct and needs to be fixed. The two-time national championship-winning coach sponsored the transfer window from January to spring. He also called for spring football to resemble an NFL team’s OTAs and proposed restrictions on free agency.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ole Miss’ athletic department for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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A record 4,900 FBS players and more than 3,200 FCS student-athletes entered the transfer zone during the 2024-25 academic year.
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