Dabo Swinney made headlines after accusing Pete Golding and Ole Miss of tampering with former Tigers transfer commit, linebacker Luke Ferrelli. After Swinney’s comments, several prominent figures, including Syracuse head coach Fran Brown, also voiced concerns and allegations about tampering across the sport.
New Receipts Surface as Dabo Swinney’s Ole Miss Accusations Gain Serious Attention
Following Swinney’s tampering rant, NCAA VP of enforcement Jon Duncan confirmed that there is an “ongoing investigation” into claims involving Pete Golding’s Ole Miss program. Meanwhile, Fresno State has also stepped forward with its own tampering allegations against the Rebels.
Sources cited by reporter John Canzano indicate that NCAA investigators contacted Fresno State’s athletic department this week regarding receiver Josiah Freeman. The investigation stems from claims that an Ole Miss staff member made improper contact with Freeman and attempted to influence his decision to transfer.
“Fresno State has receipts,” a source told Canzano.
Freeman, who holds a 71.4 score in the PFSN College Football WR Impact Metric, had entered the transfer portal following the 2024 season but ultimately chose to remain with Fresno State. He did not enter the portal this past season and was recently granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA after suffering a season-ending injury in 2024.
Meanwhile, Virginia Tech defensive lineman Kemari Copeland shared a video on Thursday, detailing a firsthand example of tampering. He said the incident occurred during the 2025 season, shortly after Hokies head coach Brent Pry was fired.
“From my experience, the tampering was after the fourth game,” Copeland said. “Our coach got fired, so there was a bunch of stuff going on. There was one specific incident that was insane. We get to Week 8, and there was one specific school that kept attempting to hit me up, coaches and that.
“We get into the eighth game, I look into the crowd, and the team that was tampering – they’re in the crowd watching me play. Like, they’re evaluating me. It looked like a recruiter. He had his hat on and stuff. It was crazy. There’s no way a fan is wearing that logo to a Virginia Tech game and sitting right in the front.”
Copeland received a text message from the same school a few days later, which he partially revealed in his video. Portions of the message were scratched out, but it strongly proved that a financial offer was tied to a potential move in the fall transfer portal.
Copeland ultimately chose to remain with Virginia Tech and will enter his third season with the program in 2026, using his final year of eligibility with the Hokies. His return is significant for Virginia Tech, as he finished the season as the No. 17 in the nation in PFSN College Football DT Impact Metric with an 82.4 score.
Copeland started all 12 games along the defensive line last season. Before arriving at Virginia Tech, he spent one season at Army and another at Iowa Western Community College.
