The head coach at Ole Miss is raising questions about fairness in NCAA enforcement after his program came under investigation for tampering violations involving linebacker Luke Ferrelli’s recruitment, while he believes other schools deserve similar scrutiny.
During the Southeastern Conference meetings in Miramar Beach, Florida on Wednesday, Pete Golding addressed the tampering allegations and suggested inconsistent enforcement by investigators.
When discussing the Ferrelli situation, Golding referenced how the linebacker served as a replacement for another player who left through the transfer portal under questionable circumstances. He appeared to reference former starting linebacker TJ Dottery, a three-year starter who transferred to LSU on the portal’s final day.
“The kid we’re talking about with tampering was on an official visit that weekend,” Golding stated regarding Ferrelli, before shifting focus to Dottery. “We’re not comparing that to a guy that was a three-year starter somewhere, that wasn’t in the portal that’s at a new school now? What are we doing?”
Golding continued his criticism, saying: “There’s an enforcement on this that just took an OV, but there’s not an enforcement of this, that he just ruined his brand over three years, who’s been tampered with his entire time?”
The tampering allegations emerged after Clemson’s head coach Dabo Swinney held a January press conference accusing Ole Miss of improper contact with Ferrelli. The linebacker had initially committed to transfer from Cal to Clemson and had already arrived on campus before switching to Ole Miss.
Dottery, who started for Ole Miss the previous two seasons, became the fourth player to follow former coach Lane Kiffin to LSU after Kiffin was hired away during Ole Miss’s 2025 playoff campaign.
Golding, who assumed control when Kiffin departed, extended his criticism to coaching tampering as well, referencing congressional efforts to address the issue through legislation dubbed the “Lane Kiffin Rule” designed to restrict coaching movement during seasons.
“My thing when they talk about tampering, you don’t think the coaches get tampered with?” Golding asked. “You don’t think ADs meet with head coaches? I mean we’re talking about this new Kiffin rule and this s—, who do you think’s meeting with these guys and offering them the job before?”
“So, I’m not getting into all of that, but holy cow,” he concluded.
The two programs will face each other when Ole Miss hosts LSU in Oxford, Mississippi on September 19.
