The NCAA has an inquiry into the USF football program looking into the Charlie Strong era, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

USF athletic director Michael Kelly confirmed the inquiry; however, he didn’t get into specifics.

“The University of South Florida acknowledges that the NCAA enforcement staff is currently conducting an inquiry to determine whether violations of NCAA legislation occurred with the university’s athletics program,” Kelly said.

“The university is working cooperatively with the NCAA enforcement staff and will continue to do so. In order to protect the integrity of the investigation, the university will provide no details or make further comment at this time.”

FootballScoop.com is reporting that USF is interviewing former Strong assistants to see if any quality control personnel or analysts conducted any impermissible hands-on coaching. The website’s sources thought the university was attempting to get out of paying Strong’s buyout. USF agreed to pay Strong $3.1 million after firing him in December.

Strong was hired by Nick Saban in an analyst role this offseason.