Golding Defends Ole Miss Against Swinney Tampering Claims
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- Pete Golding made his first SEC Media Days appearance in Tampa as Ole Miss head coach, promoted after Lane Kiffin left for LSU during the Rebels' College Football Playoff run last season.
- Dabo Swinney alleged Ole Miss tampered with linebacker Luke Ferrelli, claiming Golding texted Ferrelli during an 8 a.m. class and sent a photo of a $1 million contract offer after Ferrelli had signed with Clemson.
- Golding dismissed the allegations, saying the NCAA investigation should target every school that contacted Ferrelli, not just Ole Miss, and noting Ferrelli was 'an All-American freshman at Cal, and they sucked.'
- Golding retained QB Trinidad Chambliss — who needed a preliminary injunction from a Mississippi state court to gain another season of eligibility — and RB Kewan Lacy, both of whom had weighed following Kiffin to LSU; Lacy agreed to re-sign during a 3 a.m. call.
- Golding revealed he purchased one of Kiffin's houses in Oxford, Mississippi, and said of their relationship: 'Lane and I are great, man. I can't wait for him every morning to call me or text me.'
- Ole Miss hosts LSU on Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC in what Golding called one of the most anticipated games of the season.
Why it matters: The NCAA's tampering investigation into Ferrelli could bring sanctions against Ole Miss while the program is built to contend for an SEC title, and the Sept. 19 LSU game is the first direct on-field test of Golding's program against the coach he replaced. Chambliss's pending eligibility fight signals how vulnerable transfer-era rosters remain to legal barriers.
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