What should have been a day of celebration for head coach Hugh Freeze and the Ole Miss football program instead became a mortal wound. As someone close to former Rebels offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil’s tried to ruin his draft day by leaking videos and cell phone texts, it also put a dagger in any plans Ole Miss had to fight the NCAA Notice of Allegations (NOA) they were presented with back on January 22.
Of the 28 accusations of rule violations, 13 were aimed directly at the football program including eight “Level 1” charges, which are the most serious. No longer able to field a legal defense, Ole Miss did the only thing they could do. Much like the Rebels they are named after, they surrendered.
Ole Miss docked itself 12 scholarships over three seasons. That might seem like a lot, but NCAA teams have 25 scholarships they can use every season and not every school uses all 25 anyway. The Rebels also banned “unofficial visits” over the spring, will only do 90 percent of their usual off-campus scouting and will lower that number to 87.5 percent across all of 2016.
Is the NCAA considering a postseason ban for Ole Miss?
"I don't think there is any question" – @DanWolken pic.twitter.com/HJMhZa3ERs
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) June 13, 2016
Will it be enough? Well, let’s take a look at what the allegations against Ole Miss.
1. An Oxford, Miss. car dealership (Cannon Motors) “loaned” cars to at least two players, one of them being Laremy Tunsil. If you’re curious, Tunsel was “loaned” a Nissan Titan, a truck that retails for right around $60,000. Needless to say that’s a Level 1.
2. A booster gave Lindsey Miller, Tunsil’s stepdad, $800. Yep, it’s a Level 1.
3. A hotel in Oxford gave Miller and Tunsil’s mom a free room for 12 nights. Level 1.
4. A booster gave four recruits illegal benefits like free transportation, free meals, paid phone bills, bought clothes and other stuff. Ole Miss assistant coach Maurice Harris is alleged to have facilitated the gifts. And that’s a Level 1.
5. Before Freeze was hired, former head coach Houston Nutt assistants David Saunders and Chris Vaughn actually altered ACT tests for three recruits. Level 1.
6. Vaughn, Saunders and Derrick Nix, who still works for Freeze, helped players get illegal housing, meals and transportation in 2010. Level 1.
7 and 8. The NCAA says that both Vaughn and Saunders lied to them in 2013 and 2014 about what they did. Those both count as individual Level 1 accusations.
There are just two Level II accusations. The first is that Ole Miss says it didn’t know Tunsil was driving a loaner Nissan Titans and that current Rebels assistant coach Chris Kiffin set up free meals and hotels for Tunsil’s family. Yes, that’s Lane Kiffin’s brother.
And finally, there are three Level III violations that are almost downright adorable. Kiffin let Tunsil hang out at his house for a couple of nigthts. Kiffin had not one, but two short off-campus conversations with recruits. Lastly, someone videoed Ole Miss recruits wearing Ole Miss swag in the indoor practice facility and then showed the video to the recruits and their families.
Wolken: I think it’s a safe bet that the NCAA COI will impose more penalties on Ole Miss than the Rebels imposed on themselves.
— Bo Mattingly (@SportsTalkwBo) June 14, 2016
The Rebels took their time addressing all this as Freeze and the program was celebrating an historic draft class for them that included three first round picks. Instead, it all turned into a nightmare when someone close to Tunsil began trying to sabotage his draft day by releasing videos of Tunsil smoking pot and texts of him asking an assistant coach (John Miller) for rent money and to pay his mother’s power bill . Tunsil ended up getting drafted at No. 13 by the Miami Dolphins, falling out of the Top 10.
Ole Miss has tried to fall on its sword, but I’m afraid they missed. Four scholarships amounts to four three and two-star recruits that may or may not ever see the field. The Rebels will lose some depth and probably shut down their JuCo recruiting for a while, but all the big star players they’re after will still be on the table.
Freeze and his coaches have turned Ole Miss into a factor, not only in the SEC, but in the national rankings. His team has improved every year and went 10-3 in 2015 and won the Sugar Bowl. The Rebels have made a Bowl in every season under Freeze and are 3-1. The University isn’t going to do anything to him. Plus, it looks like he’s kept enough distance from all the shenanigans to be safe. His assistant coaches are toast, for sure.
HURRY UP COLLEGE FOOTBALL! 73 days away! Ole Miss has beaten Alabama two straight years, will they make it three? pic.twitter.com/8lopCqhuCg
— ESPNU (@ESPNU) June 20, 2016
The NCAA just perpetually looks bad and inept in everything it handles. That makes them dangerous because with a layup like the case against Ole Miss, they might bring the hammer down hard. Certainly that Bowl streak may be out the door for a couple of years with a postseason ban. I wouldn’t surprised to see a few more scholarships cut from the program too.
