Sign Stealing ‘Certainly Happens’ ‘A Lot’ in NCAA Football, Wants Resolution Amid Michigan Scandal

But when asked for his thoughts on the allegations, Narduzzi declined to comment specifically on Michigan. Instead, he pushed the NCAA to take serious action across the country for a problem he sees as widespread in college football.

“It definitely happens, and it would be nice if someone would put a stop to it,” Narduzzi said of sign stealing during his news conference Thursday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “It’s not good for the match. …I’ll throw it out there. Maybe the NCAA will read your article today on this issue.

A report Thursday from Yahoo Sports said the NCAA is investigating Michigan for alleged rule violations related to efforts to steal signs from opponents to predetermine their play calls. This was confirmed by Big Ten officials Conference who received notice of investigations into the Wolverines.

But to Narduzzi, the issue of such sign-stealing violations in college football is a much larger problem than just one program.

“I think what’s happening is ridiculous,” Narduzzi said. “It doesn’t shock me if it happens, and I’m not accusing anyone (in particular), but it’s been happening (in sports) for a while. It can happen when people go to games, watch and steal signals. You can sit right at Acrisure Stadium, take your camera and film the sideline the whole time.

“I’ve heard of people doing this,” Narduzzi continued. “They’ll match the video of the Play 1 signals with (the tape of) Play 1, and then match the video of the Play 2 signals with (the tape of) Play 2. Then they can say, ‘If it touches the nose, it is an external zone. If he touches his ear, it’s an outside area. There’s a lot of stuff going on like that. »

Narduzzi, who is in his ninth season as Pitt’s head coach, has made several efforts over the years to conceal Pitt’s signs from any opponents who might try to understand the Panthers’ system.

“We worry about our signals all the time,” Narduzzi said. “We are changing our signals. This is why we use offensive bracelets. And that’s why (former offensive coordinator Mark) Whipple used to bring our players in and explain the game to them. It’s harder to steal a bracelet.

Pitt was known as the only team in the ACC that had its quarterback run from the field to the sideline before every play in order to directly hear the offensive coordinator’s play call, as radios are not allowed in quarterback helmets at the college level. This was a common practice during the three seasons that Whipple coordinated the Panthers’ offense while Kenny Pickett was the starter.

Recent discussions within the NCAA have indicated that there is potential for change to this rule, which Narduzzi seemed to welcome as he continued to discuss the issue.

“Now this year they are talking about the possibility of using headphones during bocce matches,” Narduzzi said. “Any time you call plays at a fast pace, they steal your signals. They want to line up very quickly so they can see who is giving the signal. If you have guys giving three different signals, they find out who the dummies are because two guys’ signals are fake and one is real.

For Narduzzi, the problem of illegally filming an opponent’s signs goes back decades, even when he coached as defensive coordinator at Cincinnati between 2004 and 2006.

“When I was in Cincinnati, we played a team from the Big East Conference that we thought was filming during the game,” Narduzzi recalled. “When you play – I don’t want to name anyone, so let’s say Chris State – they can be in the press box for a game with a camera (pointed at their sideline), so that the next year they play, (they ‘d) all have their (signals). I’ve heard of this sort of thing. A number of teams have been eliminated for this. It’s crappy sportsmanship.

While Narduzzi didn’t offer any solutions or name specific programs, it was clear that he believed there was a culture of illegal efforts to steal call signs in college football — and that he would like that something be done about it.