The transfer portal has become a cornerstone of modern college football, reshaping rosters and redefining program-building strategies. But as it grows in influence, so does the controversy surrounding how it’s being used - and misused. This offseason, the conversation around tampering has hit a new gear, with accusations now being aired not just behind closed doors, but out in the open.
Last week, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney didn’t mince words when he pointed a finger at Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding, accusing him of tampering. The spark?
Ole Miss landed former Cal linebacker Luke Ferrelli - a player Swinney says had already signed a financial aid agreement with Clemson back on January 7. In a college football landscape where backchannel conversations have become part of the recruiting game, this kind of public callout is rare.
Swinney’s move marked one of the first high-profile instances of a coach directly accusing another program of crossing the line.
Tampering isn’t a new gripe among coaches. For years, there’ve been whispers about programs reaching out to players already committed elsewhere - especially as Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals have added a new layer of complexity to the process. But Swinney’s public stance signals a shift: coaches are no longer content to keep these concerns behind the scenes.
Auburn’s new head coach, Alex Golesh, weighed in this week during a media session at Senior Bowl practices in Mobile. Having coached previously at South Florida, Golesh has seen the portal from the Group of Five perspective - where Power Four programs are often accused of poaching talent.
But according to Golesh, the reality at USF wasn’t as chaotic as some might think.
“At South Florida, I would tell you, not as crazy as you would think,” Golesh said. “If you had relationships with guys and were running a program based on authentic things.”
Still, he acknowledged that tampering isn’t limited to one tier of the sport. Swinney’s frustrations at Clemson, a blue-blood program with national championship pedigree, underscore that this is a widespread issue - and one that doesn’t discriminate based on conference or ranking.
Golesh made it clear that he believes the system needs structure.
“There eventually needs to be guardrails on this thing. I think we all want guardrails.
I think we all want to know the rules in which you can operate,” he said. “The truth is, right now there aren’t any.
So, you operate ethically, as with what you feel like is right. Is it right to call a kid that’s on somebody else’s roster to go get him?
It’s not.”
That ethical gray area - where some programs may see opportunity while others see overreach - is exactly what’s fueling tension across the sport. Without clear-cut rules, it’s become a game of interpretation. And with the pressure to win, especially in the SEC, it’s easy to see how some programs might blur the lines.
Still, Golesh is taking a measured approach as he settles into his role at Auburn.
“I think in a lot of ways, what goes around comes around. In the fall, you gotta go line up and play. And I’m a strong believer in the football guys will find you at some point.”
He’s not pointing fingers, at least not yet. Golesh emphasized that he’s not here to judge how others run their programs, acknowledging the intense expectations that come with coaching in the SEC.
“Maybe as I establish myself in this conference, I’ll have more vocal opinions,” he said. “Right now, I’m just the new guy on the block trying to build a program here at Auburn and do it the right way.”
The message from coaches like Swinney and Golesh is clear: the portal isn’t going away, but the Wild West era can’t last forever. Until there’s a rulebook everyone agrees to play by, expect more friction - and more fireworks - as programs navigate the murky waters of modern college football.