Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is one of the most stubborn leaders in college football. He famously refuses to adapt to the new landscape of NIL and the transfer portal but one former rival is putting his tactics on blast.
Before he was inducted into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame, former South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier was asked by reporters about Swinney's program being spurned by a potential transfer for Ole Miss.
Steve Spurrier talked to reporters today on a Zoom ahead of his induction into the SC Athletic Hall of Fame.
— Jon Blau (@Jon_Blau) February 9, 2026
He was asked by @MarcWYFFNews4 about Dabo Swinney’s calling out of Ole Miss for tampering.
Spurrier says “Someone has to tell Dabo there are no rules now.” pic.twitter.com/qLifbBNcqe
“Somebody would’ve told Dabo by now there ain’t no rules anymore," Spurrier said. “There’s no rules! … I don’t know if they’re going to enforce any rules now or not. I think Dabo has learned now that he’s got to start paying his players like everyone else is or you’ll get left behind. You can complain, but I don’t know how good it’s gonna do. There’s no rules. Just, somebody tell Dabo there’s no rules.”
Spurrier won a national championship with the Florida Gators in 1996 and six SEC championships, largely on the back of talent that was likely paid for under the table in an era when such tactics were commonplace yet illegal.
Steve Spurrier's jab should be a wake up call for Dabo Swinney in transfer portal era
Spurrier's retort comes after Swinney accused Ole Miss of tampering with potential transfer linebacker Luke Ferrelli, claiming he had ample reason to believe the Tigers had already earned his commitment.
“There’s tampering. And then, there’s blatant tampering,” Swinney ranted in a press conference earlier in the week. “Tampering 101 is when you’re talking to kids who aren’t in the portal, Tampering 201 is when you’ve already negotiated the deal with the kids not in the portal.
“Tampering 301 is when you’ve got a kid who’s going in the portal to sign somewhere, move there, going to classes and you’re texting them while they’re in class. That’s like a whole ‘nother level of tampering.”
Now, no matter how obvious Swinney feels the tampering was, Spurrier is right. This is the new reality of college football until there's a revamped governing body with actual regulatory teeth.
Granted, Swinney deserves credit for actually utilizing the portal more than in previous seasons. The Tigers are expecting nine new faces for the 2026 season which is a significant increase.
Indiana, the latest national champion, is exhibit A of how the transfer portal, when properly utilized, can help a coach build a successful roster. Head coach Curt Cignetti had exactly zero five-star prospects but when he put the right pieces together, coaching and chemistry built to a trophy-winning crescendo.
Clemson may have participated in the College Football Playoff in 2024, but the program hasn't been a true contender for half a decade now at least. Swinney isn't on the hot seat yet either but if he can't catch up with the rest of the sport, the school may need to have a hard conversation about finding a leader that can.