Tampering Storm: Trei Oliver’s Explosive Accusation Against Virginia Tech Coach
In a stunning post-game revelation that has sent shockwaves across the college football landscape, North Carolina Central head coach Trei Oliver launched a pointed accusation against a member of Virginia Tech’s coaching staff. Speaking to reporters in a tense, emotionally charged press conference following NCCU’s narrow win over Howard University, Oliver claimed that a Virginia Tech assistant coach illegally attempted to recruit one of his players during the game.
“Let me be clear,” Oliver said, his voice sharp with frustration, “a coach from Virginia Tech approached one of my players on the sideline — during our game against Howard. That’s not just unethical. That’s tampering, and it’s a disgrace to the game.”
The incident, according to Oliver, took place in the third quarter at Greene Stadium in Washington, D.C. As NCCU huddled during a timeout, Oliver said he noticed a man wearing Virginia Tech gear speaking with one of his starting defensive backs near the edge of the sideline. “I thought it was strange — it wasn’t media, it wasn’t a scout — and then I see him hand the kid a card. That’s when I lost it,” Oliver recounted.
Sources close to the team later confirmed the player involved was senior cornerback Malik Johnson, a standout in the MEAC conference and a potential NFL Draft prospect. Johnson, who finished the game with two interceptions and a forced fumble, has reportedly been on the radar of several Power Five programs after entering his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal weeks ago — a move Oliver had not publicly acknowledged until now.
“This ain’t the NFL, and even they don’t pull stunts like this mid-game,” Oliver said. “This was deliberate. This was disrespectful to our program, our kids, and the integrity of college football.”
Virginia Tech has yet to release an official statement, but insiders suggest that Hokies head coach Brent Pry was blindsided by the allegation. One source indicated that the assistant in question may have attended the game under the pretense of “recruiting reconnaissance” — a common, if controversial, practice during transfer season — but may have crossed the line by initiating direct contact.
The NCAA’s rulebook clearly forbids any form of in-person recruiting contact with players not currently in the transfer portal unless prior arrangements are made. Even for portal players, any in-game or sideline contact is viewed as a severe violation.
Oliver has already contacted the NCAA Compliance Office and the MEAC Conference Board, calling for a full investigation. “We work too damn hard to build these young men up,” he said. “If other programs think they can just swoop in, mid-game, and pluck talent without consequences, then we’ve got a bigger problem than just one coach in a polo shirt.”
As fallout continues and details emerge, college football observers are bracing for possible sanctions, an official investigation, and what might become a defining moment in the ongoing debate over recruitment ethics in the NIL and transfer portal era.
