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BREAKING: Michigan suspends football analyst at center of sign-stealing allegations

University of Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel suspends U-M football staffer at the center of the NCAA's on-going investigation into in-person scouting and sign stealing...

Matthew Lounsberry

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The University of Michigan has suspended the analyst at the center of the NCAA's on-going investigation into alleged in-person scouting and impermissible use of technology in order to sign steal for the football program.

On Friday, U-M athletic director Warde Manuel announced the university had suspended analyst Connor Stalions, with pay, pending the conclusion of the college athletics governing body's investigation.

According to a report by ESPN, Stalions is a low-level staffer with a military background who has emerged as a person of interest in the investigation, the goal of which is to determine whether the Wolverines violated NCAA rules by scouting future opponents in-person at game.

Several reports indicate the NCAA has seized Stalions' computer as part of the investigation. Stalions is a retired captain in the United States Marine Corps who works in Michigan's recruiting department, but the ESPN report suggests "he spent much of his time deciphering opponents' signals, often watching television copies of opponents' games" via an unnamed source.

Deciphering opponents' signals and pouring over game footage is not against NCAA rules. However, if the NCAA finds that Michigan used illicit methods to decipher signals, like the alleged opponent scouting in different venues, the Wolverines will have violated NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which states: "Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited."

Sign stealing is not strictly prohibited by the NCAA, unless a team uses electronic equipment to decipher signals and relay the information to players and coaches. According to the 2023 NCAA football rule book, "any attempt to record, either through audio or video means, any signals given by an opposing player, coach or other team personnel is prohibited."

After ESPN identified Stalions in its report, Yahoo! Sports said this about the Michigan staffer in a subsequent article: "According to LinkedIn, Stalions served as a student assistant for the Navy football program while in school there in 2013-2016 and was a graduate assistant on the staff. In his LinkenIn bio, Stalions described himself as being adept at 'identifying the opponent's most likely course of action and most dangerous course of action' and 'identifying and exploiting critical vulnerabilities and centers of gravity in the opponent scouting process.'"

Spartan Nation will continue to monitor this story as it develops. Michigan State will host No. 2 Michigan at Spartan Stadium this Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC).

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Matthew Lounsberry
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