Miami's tampering accusations from coaches reflect a broader college football problem

Miami's offseason quarterback recruiting drew public criticism from ACC coaches, but the Hurricanes are not the only program facing questions about improper contact with players.

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi alleged that Miami pursued his quarterback in the final days of the January transfer window, and Duke coach Manny Diaz has also addressed the subsequent move of Darian Mensah.

Those comments come as Clemson coach Dabo Swinney filed a formal NCAA complaint against Ole Miss, and Ole Miss coach Pete Golding questioned LSU's pursuit of one of his players.

Miami's quarterback questions

At ACC Kickoff on July 17, Narduzzi said Miami attempted to lure Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel into the portal shortly before the window closed.

"Miami tried to get Mason Thursday before (the portal closed Friday), and we were able to hang on to him and shut them down," Narduzzi said.

Narduzzi added that he called Diaz that afternoon to warn him that Miami could next pursue Mensah. Mensah, who had previously announced he would return to Duke, later entered the portal and transferred to Miami. Duke then filed a lawsuit over Mensah's contractual obligations before the sides reached a settlement that allowed the move.

Diaz discussed the situation at ACC Kickoff, but declined to go as far as accusing Miami of tampering.

"It's an unanswerable question because ultimately what it comes down to, and this is why it was never an issue for us, is you can only say what you can prove," Diaz said.

Narduzzi and Diaz recently commented on Miami

Both coaches recently commented on Miami's recruiting tactics in the transfer portal and that has brought a renewed interest to a debate that was big in the offseason.

During his Monday press conference before Pitt's matchup with Miami, Narduzzi was asked about Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes' alleged offseason pursuit of Heintschel.

"If the NCAA can't get a hold on it and Congress can't get a hold on it, there's nothing you can do. He's playing by his rules and we'll try to play by our rules."

During an appearance on On3's Andy & Ari show, Diaz advocated for a transfer-fee system similar to European soccer.

"If you sign a bunch of great recruits and you develop them and they go somewhere else, I'll go back to European soccer. You should receive a transfer fee."

Diaz also criticized the lack of regulation in college sports, saying, "What we're doing right now, if we don't have some way to control it, is not good."

Clemson's complaint against Ole Miss

On Jan. 23, Swinney accused Ole Miss coach Pete Golding and general manager Austin Thomas of tampering with linebacker Luke Ferrelli. Ferrelli had transferred from California, signed with Clemson, moved to campus, enrolled in classes and participated in team activities.

Swinney said Golding later contacted Ferrelli about a buyout and that Ole Miss offered a two-year deal worth $2 million. Ferrelli ultimately left for Ole Miss.

Clemson submitted evidence to the NCAA and filed a formal complaint. "We have a broken system, and if there are no consequences for tampering, then we have no rules and we have no governance," Swinney said.

The NCAA confirmed it was examining the allegations, but as of early September, Swinney said he had received no update.

Ole Miss questions LSU

Golding later raised similar concerns about another program. At the SEC spring meetings in late May, he questioned LSU's recruitment of linebacker TJ Dottery, who had indicated he would return to Ole Miss before following former coach Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge.

Golding suggested the investigation into Ferrelli's recruitment stood in contrast to the lack of comparable scrutiny involving Dottery.

"There's an enforcement of [Ferrelli]... but there's not an enforcement of [Dottery], who was here for three years, and he's been tampered with the entire time? What are we doing?" Golding said.

Enforcement and the broader debate

On April 14, the NCAA announced findings involving Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and assistant Jon Budmayr. The violations occurred in November 2022, when Budmayr participated in 13 telephone calls with a student-athlete (as well as his father) who remained enrolled at another school and had not entered the portal, along with two text messages.

The case resulted in penalties that included probation and the vacation of four wins from the 2023 season.

The growth of player compensation agreements and the role of agents have complicated the line between authorized recruiting and prohibited contact. As of today, there are not many examples of violations receiving punishment.

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