“I will look for you. I will find you. …”
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney didn’t quite go full-blown Liam Neeson from Taken … but it was pretty close!
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Swinney detailed how Ole Miss Rebels head coach Pete Golding contacted Tigers linebacker Luke Ferrelli while he was in an 8 a.m. class. Ferrelli had recently transferred to Clemson from California but later re-entered the portal and committed to Ole Miss.
Swinney claimed that Golding said “I know you’re signed, [but] what is the buyout?” in a textual content message to Ferrelli and later despatched a photograph of a $1 million contract. Former Ole Miss quarterbacks Trinidad Chambliss and Jaxson Dart had cellphone calls with Ferrelli to steer him to affix the Rebels.
Need extra? Swinney revealed that Ferrelli’s agent advised Clemson basic supervisor Jordan Sorrells that he was “hesitant” at hand over Golding’s textual content messages to the Tigers. Nonetheless, Ferrelli’s agent additionally advised Clemson that in the event that they “have been so as to add a second yr at $1 million to the already agreed-upon cope with Luke, then they might gladly give us no matter we want with a purpose to flip Ole Miss in.”
Dabo Swinney particulars alleged tampering between Ole Miss and LB Luke Ferrelli
Ferrelli later entered the switch portal and finally went to Ole Miss.
“There’s tampering, after which there’s blatant tampering. Tampering 1.01 is whenever you’re speaking to children who aren’t within the portal. Tampering 2.01 is whenever you’ve already negotiated the deal when the child’s not within the portal. Tampering 3.01 is whenever you’ve bought a child who’s going within the portal, signed someplace, moved there, goes to courses, and also you’re texting them whereas they’re in school,” Swinney mentioned about Ole Miss. “That is like one other degree of tampering, and it is complete hypocrisy as a result of all this is occurring whereas they, on the opposite facet, try to battle their defensive finish from going within the portal.
“They’ve accused, publicly, others of tampering with their roster and their gamers whereas they’re over right here tampering. That is only a actually unhappy state of affairs. To me, now we have a damaged system. If there are not any penalties for tampering, then now we have no guidelines and now we have no governance. It is actually simply that easy.”
Clemson directors and coaches have been compiling proof that pertains to tampering concerning Ferrelli and are ready to pursue allegations “to the fullest extent,” in keeping with Yahoo Sports activities.
“I’m not going to let somebody flat out tamper with my program. In case you tamper with my gamers, I will flip you in,” Swinney mentioned. “There’s much more I can say, however I will let the NCAA do its job.”
Dabo Swinney breaks down alleged tampering in Faculty Soccer
So, who’s Ferrelli? Final season, the redshirt freshman linebacker — who appeared in all 13 video games for the Golden Bears — totaled 91 mixed tackles, one sack, one interception and one go defended.
As for Clemson, the Tigers are coming off a 7-6 season (4-4 in ACC play). In the meantime, Ole Miss reached the semifinal spherical of the Faculty Soccer Playoff and went a mixed 13-2 regardless of head coach Lane Kiffin leaving Oxford to turn out to be the brand new head coach of the LSU Tigers after the 2025 common season; Golding was promoted to full-time head coach after Kiffin’s departure.
Swinney’s approach of summarizing the scenario? “[It’s] like having an affair in your honeymoon.”
What a sport.
