Earlier, the tampering accusations centered solely on Lane Kiffin. Now, Ole Miss appears to be flipping the script. After TJ Dottery entered the transfer portal just 24 hours ago amid internal tension over leaked NIL contract details, the Rebels are reportedly turning to the same portal playbook. Their target: Cal transfer and current Clemson commit Luke Ferrelli, whom they see as a potential replacement.

Even though Ferrelli has already locked in with Clemson, schools keep pushing to recruit him. Some programs are testing just how firm NIL deals really are, and Ole Miss is clearly taking that gamble. Losing Dottery hurt badly. He finished 2025 with 98 tackles, and even Lane Kiffin reportedly wants him, which says plenty about his value. Dottery was already visiting LSU yesterday.

That in turn only added fuel to the fire and sparked more shots at Kiffin for stirring chaos in the Ole Miss roster. In response, new head coach Pete Golding quickly reached out to Ferrelli. The reigning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year piled up 91 tackles, five tackles for loss, and a sack at Cal. The resume made him one of the hottest names on the portal. Analysts estimated Ferrelli’s NIL value at around $316,000 when he committed to Clemson.

But Ole Miss was reportedly willing to go seven figures to land an instant replacement. Still, this feels like a long shot. Sources say Clemson feels no concern; Ferrelli has already enrolled, signed his deal, and secured strong financial backing. At Clemson, he’ll also play for Dabo Swinney. He is one of college football’s most proven coaches, with two national titles and multiple championship game appearances on his résumé.

Ferrelli is set to make his Clemson debut next season, opening with a September 5 matchup at LSU. Clemson is also slated to face Cal in Berkeley later in the year, though the exact date hasn’t been announced yet.

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Lane Kiffin’s hostility towards former workplace

Coming back to Lane Kiffin, he’s clearly not letting old loyalties get in the way of his future at LSU. Kiffin has gone straight after Ole Miss talent, targeting names like offensive tackle McKale Boley, linebacker Luke Ferrelli, edge rusher Jordan Renaud, and outside linebacker Blake Purchase. Offensive lineman Devin Harper, who had recommitted to Ole Miss, even visited LSU alongside TJ Dottery. That in turn set off flip rumors after weeks of stalled contract talks.

Things got ugly when star EDGE rusher Princewill Umanmielen, who posted 45 tackles and nine sacks in 2025, left Ole Miss and entered the portal. As expected, Kiffin quickly turned that into an opportunity. Tensions hit a boiling point this week when Kiffin allegedly leaked sensitive Ole Miss NIL contract details through agents tied to portal players. That move reportedly caused Dottery to pause his signing altogether.

Program sources didn’t sugarcoat it: Ole Miss is now in “hand-to-hand combat” with Kiffin and LSU. Kiffin’s staff also took a swing at Rebels running back Kewan Lacy, making it clear that this was a full-fledged war. Both LSU and Ole Miss have stacked portal classes, but the difference is how Kiffin is playing the game. The same “transfer portal king” tactics that once helped Ole Miss are now being used directly against them.