Six months ago, Dabo Swinney accused Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding and general manager Austin Thomas of what he called “blatant” tampering. He alleged that the Rebels repeatedly contacted Clemson Tigers linebacker Luke Ferrelli after he’d already enrolled in classes and signed his financial aid agreement with the Tigers. According to Swinney, Golding allegedly texted Ferrelli asking about his buyout number, then followed up with a photo of a $1 million check. Clemson filed a formal complaint, and an investigation had started. But nothing has come out of that investigation, and Swinney has now called for strict action.

At ACC Kickoff on Thursday in Charlotte, Swinney made clear that nothing about his complaint has actually been resolved, and he wants fines, suspensions, and even firings to battle tampering. The Clemson head coach provided the NCAA with a timeline, evidence, and receipts, and heard nothing back from the governing body.

“We’re probably gonna need some congressional help for that,” Dabo Swinney said during his speech at the ACC Kickoff. “There has to be some type of order put in place. The tampering is a problem. So there needs to be consequences or you just say to heck with it, don’t worry about it, and let’s just call it like it is — the wild, wild west.”

“There is lots of things that can be put in place. [Tampering] is rampant because there haven’t been consequences, and I don’t know if there has been much fear of consequences. So you’ve got to get some order.”

What actually happened to Clemson’s complaint is still unknown. The NCAA hasn’t issued a public update or even acknowledged where its investigation currently stands. Luke Ferreli changed his commitment from Clemson to Ole Miss, two weeks after agreeing to play for Dabo Swinney.

Although the NCAA has been silent, Pete Golding hasn’t ignored the accusation. Back in April, he directly pushed back on the narrative.

“There are two sides to every story,” Golding said.

As Ole Miss hasn’t said much publicly, Dabo Swinney’s side of the story is the one still shaping the conversation. Despite that, it is astonishing that the NCAA has not been able to punish Ole Miss or fully clear it of the allegations. This has led a few others, besides Swinney, to speak out publicly and ask for solutions to the issues surrounding college football transfers.

Dabo Swinney receives support from other coaches

Back in March, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey called the NCAA’s tampering rules “archaic,” though he didn’t go as far as saying investigations should end.

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips used his turn at the podium Wednesday to encourage coaches and administrators to speak up publicly if they witness potential tampering. He praised the approach Swinney took in January before there was any indication it would lead anywhere. Meanwhile, Louisville’s head coach, Jeff Brohm, backed Swinney outright.

“He should have been upset,” Brohm said as per a report by ESPN. “He should have been upset. To me, that type of tampering shouldn’t happen. It goes back to there needs to be more guardrails. There needs to be a system in place where there’s consequences for doing things you’re not supposed to do, and that’s not in college football right now.”

Syracuse coach Fran Brown believes tampering won’t ever fully stop, no matter Swinney’s fight. But how Swinney has called for strict action and taken the fight on his own might force the NCAA to change its rules. Until then, we will have to wait to see if any results emerge from the investigation.