Former Michigan offensive lineman pushes back on Stalions narrative

Chris Breiler | Aug 5, 2024

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines offensive lineman Trente Jones (53) walks in confetti after beating the Washington Huskies in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

We've heard plenty of folks outside of the Michigan Football program sharing their thoughts on the never-ending Connor Stalions saga, but we really haven't received much insight from those who were impacted by it the most: the players. After all, it was the players who were putting in the work to turn Michigan into a championship-level program, and now that hard work was being dismissed by many within the college football world as accusations of cheating became the main story.

As it turns out, the news surrounding Connor Stalions and the sign-stealing scandal did come as a surprise to the players on the team. Although there were initial feelings of confusion and anger about the entire situation, that quickly turned to concern that their hopes of competing for the biggest prize in all of college football would be taken away by something that was out of their control.

Trente Jones, who was part of the 2024 National Championship team, shared with Michigan Wolverines on SI what the vibe was like within the locker room when it all came to light back in October.

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines offensive lineman Trente Jones (53) against the Washington Huskies during the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

"After it all came out, we were all confused and upset about it," Jones said. "Generally, most of us just pushed it to the side because all we could do was keep winning. Like a 'said and done', put it behind us type situation. But most of us didn't get super bummed by it, we just didn't want to get kicked out of a big game because of it.

"It's all about the team wanting to go out there and win without anything being tampered with, and none of us knew until the day he [Stalions] got fired, which was the day the world knew."

The concern among the team was certainly a valid one, particularly after the Big Ten notified Michigan that it could be facing disciplinary action in early November. The Big Ten's letter to the university suggested evidence of an illegal signal stealing scheme, which they say compromised competitive integrity and other principles of the leagues sportsmanship policy. The Big Ten had also conducted an hour long conference call with coaches from around the league, who were all reportedly urging commissioner Tony Petitti to take immediate action.

By that point, Connor Stalions had already resigned after refusing to cooperate with any internal or external investigations or discussions, according to a school source. But in spite of his resignation, the damage had already been done. The Michigan football program was the center of the college football news cycle and for all of the wrong reasons.

Regardless of the negative press, the impact to Michigan's football season was relatively minimal in terms of any punishment from the conference. Former U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh would ultimately receive a three-game suspension that would prevent him from coaching in the final three games of the regular season, including road contests at Penn State and Maryland, and the home matchup against Ohio State. But even with all of that noise taking place, Michigan continued to win week after week.

No Stalions, no Harbaugh, no problem.

The Wolverines would go on to put together a perfect 15-0 season that resulted in capturing the 2024 National Championship. Following Michigan's championship win, NCAA president Charlie Baker pushed back on any claim that the victory wasn't legitimate. "And at the end of the day, no one believes at this point that Michigan didn’t win the national title fair and square," Baker said.

Unfortunately, Baker's statement didn't prevent rival fans and even some members of the media from praying for Michigan's downfall. Most of those folks have spent the last seven months anxiously waiting for the NCAA to vacate Michigan's wins and strip the Wolverines of their National Championship. It's worth noting that the NCAA and the College Football Playoff are two separate entities, meaning the NCAA has no authority when it comes to any decisions that would be made regarding Michigan's National Championship. Either way, it seems highly unlikely at this point that any of Michigan's wins will be vacated - including the National Championship win.

As for Jones, he's well aware that Michigan's success is legitimate because he was one of the guys who worked for it. He spent five seasons with the program, appearing in 41 games with 12 starts at the right tackle position during his career in Ann Arbor. He was there during the awful 2020 season that resulted in a 2-4 record, and he was there when the culture shift took place that eventually led Michigan to its greatest season in program history. For Jones, the idea that one man would be responsible for all of that success is a ridiculous assertion.

"I just think it's nonsense to think that Connor could be the reason for all of our success," Jones said.

Based on his recent Twitter activity, it doesn't look like Jones is losing any sleep over the latest news cycle surrounding the Connor Stalions saga.

💤💤💤 pic.twitter.com/AoOwUfGciu

— trentejones (@trentejones01) August 4, 2024

- Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI -

More Michigan News:

Latest ESPN report surrounding Michigan football leaves more questions than answers

REPORT: NCAA has evidence Connor Stalions was on sideline for CMU, Michigan State game

Joel Klatt has Michigan inside top 10 of preseason rankings, ahead of perennial power