The NCAA’s ongoing probe into alleged “blatant” tampering by Ole Miss has reportedly expanded beyond last week’s accusations from Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. According to veteran columnist John Canzano, NCAA investigators contacted Fresno State earlier this week regarding allegations that a member of the Rebels football staff had “improper contact” with Bulldogs leading receiver Josiah Freeman.

While both Fresno State head coach Matt Entz and athletic director Garrett Klassy declined comment, Canzano added a source told him Freeman has already provided NCAA investigators with screenshots of communications from Ole Miss.

“Fresno State has receipts,” the report stated. Freeman, a rising sixth-year senior, led the Bulldogs with 52 receptions for 642 yards and six touchdowns last season.

Last Friday, Swinney raised eyebrows around the sport when he publicly accused Ole Miss and first-year head coach Pete Golding of “blatant tampering” with former Clemson linebacker signee Luke Ferrelli, who left the Tigers after a week in school to re-enter the portal and sign with the Rebels on Jan. 22. Swinney and Tigers AD Graham Neff reported Ole Miss to the NCAA, providing a detailed timeline and receipts of the Rebels’ conversations with Ferrelli, which included text message while the former Cal linebacker was attending classes at Clemson.

“There’s tampering. And then, there’s blatant tampering,” Swinney said during a nearly two-hour press conference Friday. “Tampering 101 is when you’re talking to kids who aren’t in the portal. Tampering 201 is when you’ve already negotiated the deal with the kids not in the portal.

“Tampering 301 is when you’ve got a kid who’s going in the portal to sign somewhere, move there, going to classes and you’re texting them while they’re in class. That’s like a whole ‘nother level of tampering.”

NCAA VP of enforcement Jon Duncan confirmed there was an “ongoing investigation” into allegations involving Ole Miss in a statement to On3’s Pete Nakos later Friday: “The NCAA will investigate any credible allegations of tampering and expect full cooperation from all involved as is required by NCAA rules. We will not comment further on any ongoing investigation.”

Urban Meyer claims Ole Miss tampering probe ‘should be a one-week investigation’

Reaction to Swinney’s accusations has been strong in the days following, with most around the sport applauding the Clemson coach’s direct call-out. At the same time, there’s also an overwhelming sense of resignation that an already neutered NCAA won’t have what it takes to levy any significant consequences.

“If this is all true, and it sounds like Dabo has the goods right there, … this should be a one-week investigation,” former Florida and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said in Wednesday’s episode of The Triple Option podcast. “You go on the campus (at) Ole Miss, you meet with the athletic director and the coach and say … ‘We have facts here, you can’t lie to the NCAA, and if you (do) you can’t coach.’ The investigation is then over. But then they’ll hire Tom Mars, that (famed sports) attorney, they’ll fight it and I guess they’ll win. It really bothers me.

“If nothing happens, there’s no governance, there’s no rules, and it’ll be the most chaotic … which it already is. So I’m disappointed.”