CLEMSON — Earlier in the year, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney caused quite the stir when he came out and publicly accused Pete Golding and Ole Miss of tampering with transfer linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
Not only did Swinney make the accusations, but he brought receipts and handed those over to the NCAA. A month later, the head coach is still awaiting word from the NCAA.
“There is no update or anything like that,” Swinney said on Wednesday from the Smart Family Media Center.
“It is what it is. If nothing else, I think we sparked a lot of conversation.”
Ferrelli signed with the Tigers during the portal window, was attending class and taking part in team activities. Swinney says that is when Golding started texting the linebacker directly. With just hours remaining in the portal window, Ferrelli informed Clemson he was heading to Ole Miss.
“It is not about a player or anything like that,” Swinney added. “It is really just about what we can and can’t do. And just trying to create some clarity on what that is. It is not about getting people in trouble. It is about what can we and can’t we do.”
“Like, how many times can you go in and out of the portal in a two-week period? Can you go in three times? Can you sign with three schools?”
At Cal last season, Ferrelli was the ACC Defensive Freshman of the Year after tying for second on his team with 87 tackles, while adding five tackles for loss, one sack, one interception that he returned two yards, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. He tied for eighth in the ACC in total tackles and tied for ninth in tackles per game (7.3), earning All-ACC honorable mention.
More than wanting to punish Ole Miss or Golding, Swinney is just looking for some clarity on what the rules are and if they will actually be enforced.
“There are just a lot of things that we need to get some answers from a coaching standpoint,” Swinnewy said. “Some things we got to do better from a coaching. I think everybody understands that.”
When asked if he’d spoken to Golding directly, Swinney was clear.
“No.”