Pete Golding explodes, fires off excuses over Ole Miss-Clemson tampering

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Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding didn’t have much interest in revisiting Clemson’s tampering allegations during SEC Media Days on Wednesday, but once the conversation shifted to the transfer portal, he made his feelings on the current system crystal clear.

Golding is still at the center of an NCAA investigation after Clemson accused him of tampering with former Tigers linebacker Luke Ferrelli earlier this year. Head coach Dabo Swinney alleged in January that Golding contacted Ferrelli while the linebacker was already enrolled at Clemson, attending classes and participating with the team before ultimately transferring to Ole Miss just before the portal closed.

When asked directly about the investigation, Golding declined to discuss the specifics.

“I don’t get into feelings, to be honest with you. We’ve got a compliance department, and they get paid to do their job,” Golding said. “They do a really good job. So, it’s our responsibility to recruit really good players, right, coach them extremely hard and get them ready to win football games. We’re going to continue to recruit really good players, both in the high school market and in the portal market, and we’ll continue to do it how we’ve done it.”

While Golding avoided addressing Clemson’s allegations head-on, he became far more animated when discussing tampering across college football. He argued the current transfer portal structure encourages behavior many coaches criticize, calling the entire model “broken.”

“The model obviously has been broken,” Golding said. “I’m all for everybody being on the same playing field and doing the same things. I get it, but I think that’s in any job. Coaches, we’re under contract — you don’t think other ADs are calling us during the year? Same ones that are bitching about all this stuff are the same ones calling coaches to come to other schools. It’s everywhere, it’s in every profession. So I’m not saying I’ve got all the answers.”

Golding compared tampering to keeping pace with traffic on the interstate, suggesting coaches who refuse to operate the same way as everyone else risk falling behind.

“When you’re on the interstate and people are flying by you, what do you start doing? [Speed up.] Damn right, or you’re gonna get hit. In this profession, you’re gonna get fired.”

He also questioned whether the portal’s current rules are practical, pointing to the “do not contact” designation as an example of a system that forces coaches and players into difficult situations.

“Let me put it to you this way. You’re a reporter, right? Would you quit your job before interviewing for another job or being offered another job? No, nobody would. But we have a portal that you can go in with a do-not-contact [tag]. I’m going to quit my job, where I’m getting paid, and I’m going to go in saying I need a new job, in which nobody can call me to interview?” Golding said. “What have we created? We’ve created, on top of representation for these players, it’s their responsibility to make sure they get paid really well and they also have opportunities. So by design, it’s put a lot of people in bad positions.”

Golding finished by arguing that recruiting has never been a perfectly clean business, pushing back against the idea that tampering is a new problem.

“Let’s not act like recruiting in college football for the last 100 years is the most moral thing that’s ever existed,” Golding said. “What are we talking about here?”

The NCAA launched its investigation after Clemson provided evidence alleging Golding contacted and negotiated with Ferrelli while the linebacker was still with the Tigers. Swinney was asked last week at ACC Kickoff whether he had received any update on the case and said Clemson has heard nothing from the NCAA.

“I did my part,” Swinney said. “The NCAA does not give us an update, so I have no idea.”

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Pete Golding explodes, fires off excuses over Ole Miss-Clemson tampering

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