Michigan Football: The Latest On The Sign-Stealing Saga

You would think that Ann Arbor would be full of excitement at this point in the college football season, but that excitement has largely been replaced with anxiety and confusion surrounding the NCAA investigation into sign-stealing by the Michigan football program.

The Michigan Wolverines are a perfect 8-0, ranked No. 2 in the country, and look like the current favorite to win the national championship. You would think that Ann Arbor would be full of excitement at this point in the season, but that excitement has largely been replaced with anxiety and confusion surrounding the NCAA investigation into sign-stealing by the Michigan football program. 

Slow leaks from anonymous NCAA and Big Ten officials to national media outlets have created the expected response on social media, where fans and analysts from across the country have spent the last week serving as judge, jury and (in some cases) executioner. 

At the heart of the NCAA's investigation is Connor Stalions, a "low-level" staffer who is accused of running an illegal scouting scheme that reportedly dates back to 2021. It is against NCAA regulations for any staff member to conduct in-person scouting of future opponents, and although Stalions didn't technically attend the games himself, the allegations suggest he used what has been described as a "vast network" of individuals to attend games on his behalf.

Here's a quick summary of some key elements of what's been reported so far:

• Connor Stalions attended the Naval Academy from 2013-16 and was stationed at a military base in California from 2015-22. During this time (2015-22), Stalions reportedly served as a voluntary assistant for the Michigan Football program, assisting the defensive coaching staff.

• Stalions was officially hired by Michigan in May of 2022 as an off-field analyst.

• According to multiple reports, the NCAA has evidence that Stalions purchased tickets to more than 30 games over a three year period. Those tickets included games for future Big Ten opponents and potential opponents in the college football playoff. 

• Although there are no credible reports of Stalions attending the games himself, there is reporting that he would transfer the tickets to various individuals around the country who would attend the games for the sole purpose of gaining intel. 

• It is also being reported that some folks within the Big Ten were aware of this prior to the 2023 season, although it's not clear who. What's also unclear is what prompted the NCAA's investigation, although well known Michigan insider John U. Bacon recently suggested that it may have something to do with Jim Stapleton. 

• Stapleton is Michigan alum, a minority owner with the Minnesota Vikings, and is also a part of the NCAA infractions committee. According to Bacon, Stapleton "hates" Jim Harbaugh, and there's a strong belief that he is responsible for leaking select parts of the current NCAA investigation to national news outlets. 

• The case against Stalions and Michigan seems to rest on whether or not there was explicit instructions given from Stalions to those he purchased tickets for to gain intel. If the NCAA has evidence of that, it stands to reason that some sort of punishment would follow. 

What this ultimately means for Stalions, head coach Jim Harbaugh, and the Michigan football program as a whole remains to be seen. The NCAA is still in the midst of its investigation, and it's not exactly an organization that has a reputation of moving quickly on anything. With the Wolverines already two-thirds of the way through their regular season schedule, it's hard to imagine any punishment being handed down from the NCAA - assuming there is one - that would impact the current season.

That being said, the damage to the current Michigan football team is already done, at least as far as the public perception is concerned. Regardless of what the NCAA investigation uncovers, this current group of Wolverines have already been labeled as cheaters by a large segment of the college football world. Over the last week, there's been no shortage of faux outrage and pearl-clutching from fans, analysts, and "journalists" who want nothing more than to see Michigan's season derailed, and Michigan's silence in the midst of all the noise has allowed the narrative to spin further out of control. 

Perhaps the worst part of this entire ordeal is that none of it was necessary to achieve Michigan's success. The Wolverines feature a quarterback that is currently the betting favorite to win the Heisman trophy, a running back who was a Heisman frontrunner last season, an NFL-caliber offensive line, and a defense that is loaded with future draft picks.  There's very little doubt that the Wolverines would be exactly where they are right now without Connor Stalions as part of the equation, but that's not the current headline.