The Ole Miss Rebels are still under the NCAA investigation that began back in January after Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney publicly accused coach Pete Golding and the Rebels of tampering with linebacker Luke Ferreli.
According to a new report by ESPN’s David Hale and Mark Schlabach, sources said this investigation is still ongoing and remains in the early stages.
TOP NEWS
On Jan. 23, Swinney spoke for nearly eight minutes and called out Golding and the Rebels for allegedly texting and recruiting Ferreli after he had already transferred to Clemson. Shortly after transferring, Ferreli changed his mind and joined Ole Miss instead.
“There’s tampering, and then there’s blatant tampering,” Swinney explained. “Tampering 101 is when you’re talking to kids who aren’t in the portal. Tampering 201 is when you’ve already negotiated the deal with the kids not in the portal. Tampering 301 is when you’ve got a kid who’s going in the portal to sign somewhere, move there, going to classes, and you’re texting them while they’re in class. That’s like a whole other level of tampering.”
According to Swinney, Golding texted Ferreli during an early morning class and asked what his buyout with Clemson was before sending him an image of a $1 million contract offer.
The NCAA opened an investigation into Ole Miss on the same day as Swinney’s accusations.
Documents obtained by ESPN reveal an email from an NCAA associate director of enforcement, requesting a forensic analysis of any phones used by Golding as well as a number of other Ole Miss coaches and players.
A few months later, Golding was clear when addressing the allegations.
“Obviously there’s two sides to every story,” Golding said. “I’m not going to sit up here and use the podium as a grandstand and all that. That’s why there is enforcement. That’s why we have a compliance office, that they do all that.”
It’s currently unclear how long the NCAA’s investigation will last, but it will likely have major consequences regardless of the outcome.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
