Amid Michigan Wolverines cheating scandal, 34% of college football coaches make startling sign-stealing confession
The Michigan Wolverines are being investigated by the NCAA. The investigation is centered around suspended staffer Connor Stalions, who has been accused of purchasing tickets to at least 35 games, involving 12 of the other 13 Big Ten schools, over the past three years.
The Athletic recently surveyed 50 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) coaches. The Twitter account College Football Report shared the results, tweeting:
"Stats from a recent survey done by The Athletic: • 34% of CFB Head Coaches have a signal stealer • 84% of CFB Head Coaches want Coach-to-Player Tech • 100% of CFB Head Coaches think UM’s scheme is worth 10+ points P/G • 94% of CFB Head Coaches think UM should be punished"
Check out College Football Report's tweet here.
In addition to the 94% of coaches who believe the Wolverines should be punished, an additional 4% were unsure about potential punishment. Only one of the 50 coaches said they should avoid punishment. When asked how serious the allegations were on a scale of 1-5, the average score was 4.2 with only two coaches ranking the seriousness as a 1 or 2.
Furthermore, 70% of those surveyed do not believe Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has plausible deniability, with an additional 18% sharing that they are unsure. Seventy-four percent of coaches believe the program's success since 2021 is due to sign-stealing, while 4% claimed they are unsure. Finally, 34% noted that they had a sign stealer on their staff when they responded to a question about legal sign stealing.
What have the Michigan Wolverines been accused of?
The Michigan Wolverines have been accused of illegally stealing opponents' signs. Suspended staffer Connor Stalions has been accused of purchasing tickets to scout future opponents in person. He reportedly made purchases for, at least, three other people who were caught on in-stadium surveillance video filming the sideline throughout the game.
Each of the games attended featured, at least, one, if not two, future opponents of the Wolverines. Furthermore, the tickets were allegedly purchased near the 45-yard line and angled with a clear view of the sideline. The NCAA banned in-person scouting in 1994 because not every program had the financial means for such scouting.
It remains to be seen how the Michigan Wolverines will be punished and if it will affect their College Football Playoff hopes. Michigan was ranked third in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.