Sign-stealing allegations against the University of Michigan are heating up. Currently, the NCCA is expected to rule against the University of Michigan at any time. It sent Michigan a notice of allegations of sign stealing, led by Assistant Coach, Connor Stalions in 2024. Stalions is accused of stealing signs at the behest of then-Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. He is now in the National Football League as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
What is happening right now is that Michigan is fighting the allegations, accusing the NCAA of “grossly overreaching” and “wildly overcharging” without credible evidence that other staff members knew of Stalions’ illegal sign stealing. Do you think that knowledge of sign stealing was widespread at Michigan?
The Sign Stealing Scandal At Michigan
The nuts and bolts of the sign-stealing scandal at the University of Michigan are these. Stallions, at the University of Michigan, is accused of using technical and non-technical means to steal the signs of opponents and give the University of Michigan an unfair competitive advantage. Michigan is further accused by the NCAA of failure to control its program.
The University of Michigan does not plan to enter into a negotiated resolution with the NCAA. That means the case will soon be bound for a hearing before the Division I Committee of Infractions, and Michigan could face severe penalties, maybe even the so-called “death penalty.” That hearing is likely to happen soon, though any penalties assessed against the Wolverines may still not be announced for some time after the hearing. That would frustrate people who want a quick decision.
The NCAA moves at the pace of the NCAA. The University of Michigan is also requesting a “pre-hearing conference” to discuss the origins of the whistleblower and his or her role in the charges brought to the school.
Michigan also refuted three of four NCAA allegations that Stalions hampered the investigation. The four allegations from the NCAA in this instance are:
- Stalions declined to produce his phone for personal imaging
- Stalions withheld or removed hard drives from his office
- Stalions put the relevant information into a backpack and instructed a staff member to bring it to an unpaid intern’s house where Stalions could pick it up
- Stalions instructing a student intern to delete potentially relevant information
What Will Happen Next?
The University of Michigan’s response to the NCAA was 137 pages long. College football fans can expect that prehearing conference and then an NCAA ruling. After the ruling, the University of Michigan can appeal, but these appeals are seldom successful. After that process plays out, the Michigan football team will face whatever penalties that are still left, probably in the 2026 football season.
Connor Stallions, the Cat With 9 Lives
Connor Stallions is currently the defensive coordinator at Detroit Mumford High School. He also starred in a Netflix movie about his alleged sign-stealing escapade. He has, unfortunately, profited from this mess, and could be penalized by the NCAA to never coach in college football again for sign stealing.
Conclusion
The University of Michigan is also accused by the NCAA of failing to monitor its football program. These are serious allegations. However, it does not make sense to strip scholarships or enforce a bowl ban, things the NCAA has done in the past. It would punish the current coaches and players, who had little to nothing to do with the sign-stealing scandal. Every college football program needs a rival and so fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes, oddly, do not hope the penalties against Michigan for sign stealing will be too harsh.