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WATCH: Connor Stalions explains why he was so good at deciphering signals

Chris Breiler

Connor Stalions featured in upcoming Netflix documentary; Sign Stealer
Connor Stalions featured in upcoming Netflix documentary; Sign Stealer / Netflix
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We're just over two weeks away from the highly anticipated Netflix documentary centered around former U-M football staffer Connor Stalions and sign-stealing controversy, set to release on Aug. 27. Although the initial trailer dropped weeks ago, another trailer is beginning to circulate throughout social media. The video shows Stalions walking through what he calls his "game day sheet," along with how he created it.

In the video below, you can see Stalions setting up a cellphone camera in front of a white wall in what appears to be a garage. He then proceeds to record himself going through a number of different signals.

"I propped my phone up and just recorded myself doing every possible signal I could ever imagine," Stalions says. "Any signal I've ever seen, any signal that we've done, any signal that any other team's have done, and any variation of any signal."

Stalions says that he recorded himself doing somewhere between two and three thousand different signals, before uploading those photos into a database that he says was the next evolution of his gameday sheet. "Instead of memorizing words, I was memorizing pictures," Stalions says. "I would say that is the number one reason why I became as good as I did at deciphering signals."

Of course, nobody is questioning Stalions' ability to decipher signals. He was clearly heavily dedicated to the craft and nobody can deny that he was good at what he did.

The issue, and the NCAA investigation, is centered around how he gained access to that information. NCAA bylaw 11.6.1 prohibits off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season), and reporting suggests that Stalions had enlisted as many as 65 individuals to travel to more than 30 games and use their smartphones to record the play-calling signals of future Michigan opponents. And then there is the issue of Stalions wearing a disguise on Central Michigan's sideline during a game against Michigan State in East Lansing.

Although its somewhat interesting to hear Stalions describe what he did with the information he had, the only way this documentary will provide any real value is if he also describes how he gained that information in the first place.

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

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