Luke Ferrelli
| No. 41 – Ole Miss Rebels | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Class | Freshman |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Carlsbad (Carlsbad, California) |
| College | California (2024–2025)
|
| Awards and highlights | |
| Stats at ESPN | |
Luke Ferrelli is an American college football linebacker for the Ole Miss Rebels. He most recently played for the California Golden Bears.
Early life
Ferrelli is from Carlsbad, California.[1] His brother, Anthony, also plays college football as a linebacker at Stony Brook University.[2][3] Ferrelli attended Carlsbad High School where he played as a linebacker, helping the team compile an overall record of 31–4 in three seasons, including a 17–0 record in conference games with Avocado League championships each year.[4] Across his sophomore and junior seasons, he posted 76 tackles, five pass breakups and three sacks.[5] As a senior in 2023, he tallied 56 tackles, 13.5 tackles-for-loss and 5.5 sacks.[4] He was ranked a three-star recruit, the 101st-best linebacker prospect and the 111th-best player in the state by ESPN.[4] Ferrelli initially committed to play college football for the Arizona Wildcats.[5] He later changed his commitment to the Stanford Cardinal, before finally flipping to the California Golden Bears.[6]
College career
Ferrelli redshirted as a true freshman at California in 2024, then became a starter in 2025.[7] In the regular season, he started all 12 games, posting 87 tackles which placed eighth overall in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[8] His 87 tackles was the best mark nationally among freshmen, and he also recorded five tackles-for-loss, a sack and an interception, being named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and a Freshman All-American by The Athletic for his performance.[9]
On December 31, 2025, Ferrelli announced that he would enter the transfer portal.[10] After initially committing to the Clemson Tigers on January 7, 2026, he changed his commitment to the Ole Miss Rebels on January 22,[11] prompting Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney to accuse Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding of tampering with Ferrelli.[12][13][14]
References
- ^ James, Donovan (June 14, 2023). "USC is highly interested in Carlsbad three-star athlete". USA Today.
- ^ https://stonybrookathletics.com/sports/football/roster/anthony-ferrelli/10151
- ^ Faraudo, Jeff (September 17, 2025). "Cal's Luke Ferrelli: 'Every Time He Goes Out There He Gets Better'". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ a b c "Luke Ferrelli". California Golden Bears.
- ^ a b Spears, Justin (April 1, 2023). "Three-star 2024 LB Luke Ferrelli commits to Arizona Wildcats". Arizona Daily Star.
- ^ Curtis, Jake (December 11, 2023). "LB/TE Luke Ferrelli Flips from Stanford, Commits to Cal". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Kroner, Steve (September 19, 2025). "How a redshirt freshman quickly became one of Cal's top defensive playmakers". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Jake, Curtis (December 3, 2025). "Cal Freshman Wins ACC Defensive Rookie Award". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "College football Freshman All-America team: Julian Sayin, Malachi Toney and more". The Athletic. December 11, 2025.
- ^ Hager, Daniel (December 31, 2025). "BREAKING: ACC award winner stunningly plans to enter transfer portal". On3. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
- ^ Berry, Zach (January 22, 2026). "Ole Miss flips Cal linebacker Luke Ferrelli away from Clemson". On3. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
- ^ "Clemson's Dabo Swinney accuses Ole Miss of 'blatant tampering' with transfer Luke Ferrelli". The Athletic. The New York Times. January 23, 2026. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
- ^ Sklar, Sam (January 23, 2026). "Could Ole Miss, Pete Golding be punished for tampering with Luke Ferrelli? Here are the rules". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
- ^ Carter, Derrian (January 23, 2026). "Dabo Swinney's detailed timeline of Ole Miss, Pete Golding tampering with Luke Ferrelli". The Greenville News. Retrieved January 26, 2026.