How did Jim Harbaugh meet Connor Stalions? Former Michigan staffer narrates the story of his appointment
To say that Jim Harbaugh's final season at Michigan was filled with scandals would be an understatement. Truth be told, Harbaugh spent half the season sidelined from the sidelines. On Aug. 2023, the school prevented him from coaching the first three games of the season due to a self-imposed ban related to an NCAA investigation into improper recruiting tactics during the pandemic.
In the final three games of the regular season, he was once again forced away from the sidelines, this time by the Big Ten. The ban was due to revelations that a member of his staff, Connor Stalions, had been scouting teams ahead of their games against the Wolverines to steal their signals.
Sign stealing is allowed during games, but premeditated scouting that Michigan was practicing is forbidden in college football. Although there was no proof Jim Harbaugh himself was connected to this scheme, he was penalized for not having proper control over his coaches' actions.
In a new documentary on Netflix, called "Untold: Sign Stealer," Stalions opened up about his coaching career and his time at Ann Arbor.
Among the situations he described in the documentary was how he met Harbaugh. According to Stalions, it was shortly after Harbaugh was hired by Michigan in 2018. He and his father attended a clinic by the coach at an unspecified date. During the meeting, he met Chris Partridge, the linebackers coach, and allegedly told him:
“I asked, ‘Is there any way I can help out next week?' He said, 'Yeah, show up on Monday. We’ll find something for you to do.’”
According to the documentary, Stalions told Patridge and the staff that he deciphered signals at the Naval Academy, and Patridge told him he could do the same for Michigan. It wasn't specified if said conversation included Jim Harbaugh.
Watch the documentary's trailer down below:
Did Jim Harbaugh know about the sign-stealing scheme?
Whether out of loyalty or genuine sincerity, Connor Stalions maintains that Jim Harbaugh didn't know anything about the sign-stealing that was happening under his nose at Ann Arbor. Shortly after Stalions resigned from the University of Michigan, his agent, Brad Beckworth told The Athletic:
“He hopes his resignation will help the team and coaching staff focus on tomorrow’s game and the remainder of the season, Connor also wants to make it clear that, to his knowledge, neither Coach Harbaugh, nor any other coach or staff member, told anyone to break any rules or were aware of improper conduct regarding the recent allegations of advanced scouting.”
The reality is that, whether or not Jim Harbaugh knew, it is unlikely that he will be back in college football anytime soon. Harbaugh is now with the nfl/los-angeles-chargers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">LA Chargers in the NFL and has already been effectively banned from college athletics until 2028 by the NCAA in connection to his recruitment tactics during COVID-19.