Ole Miss Tampering Probe Reportedly Opened by NCAA After Dabo Swinney Remarks on Luke Ferrelli

The NCAA opened an investigation into Ole Miss' recruitment of linebacker Luke Ferrelli the same day Clemson coach Dabo Swinney accused the Rebels of tampering to flip him, ESPN's David Hale and Mark Schlabach reported Friday.

Clemson announced Ferrelli's signing on Jan. 7. By Jan. 22, he had re-entered the transfer portal and committed to join Ole Miss.

Swinney accused Ole Miss coach Pete Golding and general manager Austin Thomas of "blatantly tampering" with his program in a Jan. 23 press conference.

Hours before that press conference, an NCAA representative emailed Ole Miss to confirm the organization was "opening an investigation into the football program," according to documents obtained by ESPN and described by Hale and Schlabach.

The NCAA requested forensic imaging of the phones belonging to Ferrelli, Golding and Thomas as part of the organization, according to Hale and Schlabach.

The organization also requested information from the phones of Ole Miss linebackers coaches and other front office members, Hale and Schlabach reported.

According to Hale and Schlabach, the NCAA investigation "remains in the early stages" as of Friday.

Swinney provided a detailed timeline regarding Ferrelli's flip from Clemson to Ole Miss during his January press conference.

According to Swinney, Ferrelli verbally accepted the Tigers' offer on Jan. 6, signed his financial aid offer with Clemson on Jan. 7 and moved to Clemson on Jan. 11.

Three days later, Swinney said that Ferrelli's agent Ryan Williams called Clemson general manager Jordan Sorrells and told him Ole Miss had been "coming hard" after his client.

Swinney said Sorrells reached out to Thomas following that call and warned him Ole Miss would report the Rebels to the NCAA if they didn't cease communication with Ferrelli.

After that point, Ferrelli told his agent he had received communication from Ole Miss representatives including Golding, Trinidad Chambliss and Jaxson Dart, according to Swinney.

Those messages described by Ferrelli included a text from Golding showing Ferrelli "a picture of a $1 million contract," Swinney said.

Swinney said Sorrells had at that point informed Thomas that Clemson planned to "pursue all options to hold them accountable for tampering."

"I'll say this, this shouldn't be a three-year or a three-month investigation," Swinney said in January. "This might take three days... all you've got to do is get the phone. This is not complicated."

Golding is currently preparing for his first regular season as Ole Miss' head coach after stepping in for Lane Kiffin ahead of last winter's College Football Playoff.

Ole Miss could receive a Level II violation should the NCAA prove they contacted Ferrelli after he was enrolled at Clemson.

That could escalate to a Level I violation depending on other factors, including whether the NCAA finds the Rebels provided Ferrelli with money during that time, according to USA Today's John Leuzzi and Sam Sklar.

NCAA discipline for Level I or II violations includes fines, suspensions and recruiting and scholarship limitations, according to Leuzzi and Sklar.