Most college football coaches say stealing signs during a game is not a problem. It’s just part of the sport. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian called it “a defining factor in college football.”
Every team tries to gain an advantage over its opponent, but when it goes beyond the consensual competitive nature that coaches consider crucial to the sport, it can have a widespread effect on the systems currently in place in college football .
A sign-stealing scandal emanating from Michigan football has received a lot of attention in the football community since it was announced Oct. 19 that the NCAA was opening an investigation into the program.
According to reports from ESPNMichigan staffer Connor Stalions allegedly purchased tickets to more than 30 games against numerous Big Ten and non-conference opponents and passed them to others who attempted to record the call signals.
ESPN reported that the NCAA would receive video evidence that “illegal technology” was used for reconnaissance purposes related to tickets purchased by the Stallions. Stalions has been suspended without pay by the school as the investigation progresses.
As the conversation about the role of sign stealing in college football intensifies, Rhett Lashlee, SMU coach spoke on the subject during a weekly press conference on Wednesday.
“There is a game; it’s quite fair. Like, if you can pick up on someone’s cues, they’re trying to pick ours, you’re trying to pick theirs in the game,” Lashlee said. “It’s no different than baseball, right? Back then, the third base coach did all the signals. If you find out the indicator, like, “Hey, they’re stealing, I’m going to throw it out.” “It’s part of the game.”
“But the other things I want to say is that you’re not allowed to scout live opponents. We haven’t been able to do that since I’ve actually been coaching. So, I don’t know, that’s really all I have to say. We all know that in every game there are live signal thefts that are not against the rules; it’s just part of the game. And I don’t know if there are many opportunities where I feel like it really directly affects the outcome of the game, but everyone probably has their own experiences.
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The state has had its share of off-campus testing problems, including a 2016 case in which a Baylor assistant coach attended a future opponent’s game and said the coach received a suspension from half a match imposed by the school.
Former TCU coach Gary Patterson frequently spoke and inferred that the Horned Frogs’ signs were spotted by coaches of other teams – and even Mayfield Baker – over the years, however he never offered any legitimate proof.
“I think some teams depend on it a lot more than others and so you have to design it,” Sarkisian said Monday. “That’s why we have different colored signs, flaggers and jerseys on the sidelines and every way we try to get our players to play the game. …No one wants to stage a play when they know what play is coming. It’s like you go to bat and try to throw your best pitch and the hitter knows what’s coming. He has a better chance of succeeding. So we try to hide it as best we can.
Many comparisons are made between football and baseball in this area. MLB has recently implemented more countermeasures against illegal sign stealing after scandals both within the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox which involved the use of unauthorized technology. The addition of PitchCom now allows pitchers and catchers to communicate without physical signs.
In the NFL, quarterbacks wear helmets with radios inside, allowing them to easily communicate with coaches on the sidelines and receive play calls.
Some coaches had long opposed their use in college. However, the NCAA Rules Committee is giving teams the option to use head-mounted coach-player communication during the upcoming 2023-24 bowl season, a decision made over the summer.
Prominent coaches such as Alabama’s Nick Saban, LSU’s Brian Kelly and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule have embraced the idea in the past week.
Lashlee also expressed interest in better options when it comes to technology on the sidelines.
“I don’t know why they can do it in the pros and we can’t do it in college. I know they’re looking at other things and, whatever, if you’re going to do it, let’s do it like what they’re doing in the NFL,” Lashlee said. “I also agree, in the NFL and high school you can have the TVs and technology aside; you can’t at university. It does not mean anything. But they don’t ask me.
The college football community will wait until more information is released on the scope of Michigan’s scouting efforts. However, it could signal a change in how field communications will be handled in the future.
With all the recent changes in college football, coaches are getting used to making adjustments and learning how to operate in a new-look sport.
“Every year, just like the portal and NIL and everything else,” Lashlee said, “whatever they tell us the rules are, we’ll figure out the best way to follow the rules.”
