Pete Golding could face penalties as he enters his first full season as the Ole Miss football coach in 2026.
Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney stirred things up Jan. 23 when he accused Golding of tampering and said information had been turned in to the NCAA.
Cal linebacker Luke Ferrelli transferred to Clemson out of the portal before committing to Ole Miss. Swinney detailed the allegations, including that Golding texted Ferrelli while he was in class at Clemson.
Additionally, Fresno State has been in contact with the NCAA about Ole Miss potentially tampering, per a report on Jan. 29. The report said an Ole Miss staffer made “improper contact” with Fresno State wide receiver Josiah Freeman.
Tampering is a Level II violation. It is not allowed, according to NCAA bylaw 13.1.1.4, which prohibits teams from contacting players who are on other teams.
The NCAA rates violations on three levels, with Level I being the most severe. Here are some recent punishments the NCAA has levied for tampering violations.
Could Pete Golding be suspended for tampering?
Southern Utah and the NCAA agreed that football coach DeLane Fitzgerald impermissibly contacted two players from other schools who were not in the transfer portal. Fitzgerald engaged in a 17-minute call with a player. Four days later, that player entered the transfer portal and wound up enrolling at Southern Utah, per the NCAA.
Fitzgerald also texted a player on another team to ask for game film, according to the NCAA. The player replied that he was not interested in transferring.
Fitzgerald was suspended one game the 2023 season. His penalties included:
- One year of probation.
- A $5,000 fine.
- A two-week prohibition on all recruiting activities for the football program during a permissible recruiting period in 2024. One week took place April 15-21 during the spring transfer window for football.
- A two-year show-cause order for Fitzgerald. During the show-cause order, any employing member school shall impose a two-week off-campus recruiting ban for Fitzgerald, including one week during the spring transfer window. Fitzgerald will also be suspended from all recruiting communications for one week during the 2025 transfer window.
What are the punishment options for tampering?
SMU women’s swimming coach Ozzie Quevedo was punished in 2024 for communicating with a swimmer at another school, and the swimmer’s father, while knowing the swimmer had not entered the transfer portal.
Quevedo called the swimmer and emailed her father to offer the prospect of financial aid, according to the NCAA.
Quevedo self-reported the violations to his school’s compliance office. He received a variety of penalties, including:
- One year of probation.
- A $5,000 fine.
- A 10% reduction in paid official visits for the women’s swimming and diving program for the 2024-25 academic year.
- A one-week prohibition against unofficial visits in the women’s swimming and diving program.
- A four-week prohibition in recruiting communications in the women’s swimming and diving program.
- A one-year show-cause order. During the show-cause order, Quevedo was restricted from attending practice for 15 consecutive days for the 2024-25 championship season and had to attend the 2025 NCAA Regional Rules Seminar at his own expense.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
