As the Michigan Wolverines jogged off their home field in Ann Arbor following a 52-7 beatdown over Indiana on October 14, Coach Jim Harbaugh displayed a grin visible from the nosebleeds. It was the 20th straight home win for U of M, their longest streak in over two decades. However, their celebration would soon be cut short. The ongoing high of a still-perfect season would get interrupted just days later.
On October 18, 2023, the NCAA delivered a notice of allegations to U of M and the Big Ten conference. The allegations claimed that Michigan had been stealing play-call signs from opponents to give themselves a competitive advantage in games. It is important to remember that, technically, sign-stealing is a legal and part of the game. Any team can look out across the field and write down what signs the other team made and what play followed. Coaches/team personnel can even look at television replays and do the same thing. The allegations didn’t ruffle the NCAA’s feathers because Michigan was simply stealing signs. They ruffled them because they were (allegedly) doing it in a manner that clearly violated the rulebook.
Connor Stalions, a low-level staffer at Michigan, describes his main role for the team as “signal deciphering”. For someone who was, for lack of a better term, a “no-name”, Stalions name was mentioned a surprising number of times in the notice of allegations. As it turns out, Stalions had purchased tickets to more than 30 college football games throughout his time at U of M in 2021. Almost all of these games were against B1G opponents. “What? It’s illegal to buy tickets for your friends now?” Stalions remarked when questioned. However, the NCAA dug deeper. It seemed at first that there was no pattern to the games he paid for – no common teams, different people, different locations. But suddenly, it clicked: all the games included a team that Michigan was slated to face later in the year.
Furthermore, the allegations dispute the idea that Stalions is just a super generous, giving guy who spends his money on tickets for fellow fans of the sport. It appears that the beneficiaries of these “gifts” had a bit of a job to do while they were enjoying themselves on the 50-yard line, some of the best seats in the house. The claims accuse Stalions of directing his friends to spend some time recording the opposing teams’ sideline while they attended the game and send him the film after, seemingly so he could review and note signals. This is what’s known as advanced scouting, which is indeed illegal. Soon, a photo went viral of a man who looked almost identical to Stalions on the sidelines of the Central Michigan game the week they played MSU, dressed in CMU gear head to toe. Stalions laughed and said “I don’t even think it looks like me,” when he was presented with the photo in an interview. Also, in an official NCAA hearing, he replied “I do not recall being at that game.” when questioned about the photo. It sure would seem that he would remember being there or not, but maybe he’s got a bad memory.
In August of 2024, long after Stalions and Harbaugh had left their respective positions on the Michigan staff, the NCAA slapped Jim Harbaugh with a one-year suspension and a four-year show-cause order. He would go on to dispute the charges and refuse to apologize for any wrongdoing in a press conference. Stalions, on the other hand, accepted a coaching job at Mumford High School in Detroit.
While the investigation was ongoing as of September 9, 2024, it isn’t looking good for Stalions or Harbaugh, and the Wolverine’s new head coach, Sherrone Moore. Moore is wondering if he inherited a program in decline. Meanwhile, many are wondering if he had any involvement. Following a national championship season, the future may be dark for the U of M football program.
