Former Florida football coach Steve Spurrier to Dabo Swinney: ‘No rules anymore’
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Updated Feb. 9, 2026, 5:08 p.m. ET
Steve Spurrier has never shied away from speaking his mind.
In the 1990s, as Florida football coach, Spurrier quipped Florida State should be re-named “Free Shoes University” after the rival school was being investigated by the NCAA for players receiving improper gifts.
So, Spurrier didn’t hold back during a conference call on Feb. 9 celebrating his induction into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame. Spurrier was asked about Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s claims of tampering by Ole Miss coach Pete Golding and offered a blunt response.
“I thought by now, somebody would’ve told Dabo, ‘Dabo, there ain’t no rules anymore,’” Spurrier said on the call, according to Jon Blau of the Charleston Post and Courier.
Swinney alleged that Golding reached out to linebacker Luke Ferrelli after he had already signed with Clemson after transferring from California. Ferrelli had already enrolled in spring semester classes at Clemson and signed paperwork with the Tigers.
“They’re still on the books, I guess, back there (at Clemson) about you can’t do it after this date or that date,” Spurrier said. “… I don’t know if they’re going to ever enforce any rules now or not, but I think Dabo has learned now, he’s got to start paying his players just like everybody else is, or you’ll get left behind. … You can complain but I don’t know how good it’s going to do.”
The 80-year-old Spurrier, who led the Florida Gators to six SEC titles and its first national title in school history in 1996, also had a successful run as head coach of the Gamecocks. In 11 seasons as South Carolina from 2005-15, Spurrier went 86-49, leading the Gamecocks to three straight 11-win seasons from 2011-13 and the SEC East Division title in 2010.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
