Matt Luke alerted Ole Miss that Lane Kiffin was working behind the scenes to help Clemson coach Dabo Swinney build a case against the Rebels, according to a forthcoming book by CBS Sports writer John Talty.
In “Lane Being Lane: The Story of Lane Kiffin, College Football’s Agent of Chaos,” set for release Sept. 15, Talty wrote that Kiffin passed information to Swinney during the recruitment of linebacker Luke Ferrelli. Talty wrote that Ferrelli, the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year for the 2025-26 season, initially enrolled at Clemson before transferring to Ole Miss.
Swinney alleged in a January news conference that Ole Miss coach Pete Golding made impermissible contact with Ferrelli by texting a photo of a $1 million contract and that former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart and current signal-caller Trinidad Chambliss encouraged the player to re-enter the transfer portal, Talty reported. Talty quoted multiple sources saying, “Kiffin even passed along information … to help Swinney in his crusade against Golding and Ole Miss.”
Talty wrote that Matt Luke, who played at Ole Miss from 1995-98 and served as the Rebels’ head coach from 2017-19, reached out to Ole Miss to warn the program that Kiffin was gathering material. Talty identified Luke as Clemson’s offensive line coach and noted that his brother, Tom, is Ole Miss’ associate athletic director for player development.
Swinney ultimately referred the matter to the NCAA, and Golding has told league officials he has evidence involving other programs, including an implication of tampering by LSU with former Rebel linebacker T.J. Dottery, Talty wrote. The NCAA has not taken action related to Ferrelli’s transfer, and Golding said the program remains focused on its upcoming game against Louisville in Nashville.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
