What the charges mean for Michigan football, Jim Harbaugh

A junior officer with military training has became one of the pillars of the NCAA investigation in the alleged University of Michigan sign-stealing operation, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

Harbaugh already served a three-game suspension imposed by the university this season due to alleged recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period and for failing to cooperate with NCAA investigators.

Here are some answers to questions based on what we know about the ongoing investigation.

What is Michigan accused of?

The NCAA informed Michigan officials and the Big Ten Conference on Wednesday that it was investigating allegations that the Wolverines stole signs. According to a Yahoo report, Michigan has had people attend future opponents’ games – as well as those of potential College Football Playoff opponents – to gather information on teams’ signals for offensive plays and defensive players sent from the sidelines. The NCAA investigation also includes games prior to the 2022 season, sources told ESPN.

If the Wolverines sent people to games to steal signs, it would violate NCAA rule 11.6.1, which states: “In-person, off-campus scouting of future opponents (within the same season) is prohibited.” » There aren’t many details available, including what head coach Jim Harbaugh knew, if anything, about the sign stealing; how many games someone associated with Michigan has attended; how long the alleged sign-stealing scheme has been in use; which staff members, if any, attended future opponents’ games; and whether electronic devices were used to record the signals.

Who is Connor Stallions?

Stalions is a person of interest in the NCAA investigation, sources told ESPN. He has worked as an off-field analyst for the Wolverines since May 2022. According to his LinkedIn account, he was previously a volunteer coach at Michigan from 2015-2022.

The son of two Michigan alumni, Stalions attended the United States Naval Academy, where he was a student assistant on the football team. After being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 2017, Stalions worked as a graduate assistant in the Navy before beginning his military training, according to his LinkedIn account.

Stalions wrote on LinkedIn that he attempts to “use Marine Corps philosophies and tactics in the sport of football regarding strategies for staffing, recruiting, scouting, intelligence, planning and more.” .

Among the skills Stalions discussed on LinkedIn were “identifying the adversary’s most likely and dangerous course of action” and “identifying and exploiting critical vulnerabilities and centers of gravity in the process adversary detection”.

Why is in-person testing banned in college sports?

Technically, sign stealing is not against NCAA rules and is a practice that has been going on for decades. In-person opponent scouting was banned by the NCAA in 1994 as a cost-cutting measure.

The rule change eliminated any live scouting by staff members or scouting departments, which was a big change for football and men’s and women’s basketball. College presidents thought it was just as easy for coaches to spot their opponents on television or tape. They also hoped it would bring more fairness to the playing field, since schools with small athletic budgets couldn’t afford to send their coaches all over the country on scouting trips like larger schools did.

Many coaches were upset when in-person scouting was banned nearly three decades ago, especially those at smaller schools who couldn’t watch their opponents’ games on television. But the coaches have adapted by exchanging recordings of recent matches. Coaches complained about not being able to gauge an opponent’s speed on tape or pick up details like cadence and tendencies without seeing them live.

How does college football send out its plays?

College football doesn’t use one-way headset communications like the NFL does, so teams assign players and other sideline personnel to call plays. Teams typically have multiple signal callers – just one who calls the right plays – to limit sign theft. They also use large signs, often divided into four squares, that display logos, symbols and images of celebrities and pop culture references to identify certain pieces. Certain play sequences at the start of each half are scripted, so players know the general sequence of what will be called.

Why doesn’t college football use radio communication like the NFL?

Despite growing support from coaches for headset communication, college football has resisted, partly due to costs but also some liability concerns. The vastly different budgets of leagues and teams would make headset communications technology a financial challenge for the sport’s least funded programs. Steve Shaw, the national coordinator of officials, told The Athletic in 2022 that any changes to helmets could void liability and warranty language, which could then open the door to potential lawsuits for head injuries. “The main goal on this is to get permission from the manufacturers for the helmets and make sure they meet all the standards and fully support them,” Shaw said.

A Power 5 coach told ESPN on Thursday: “Sign stealing is a huge problem in college football that no one talks about. It’s the easiest thing to fix. There are handheld devices. It’s embarrassing to watch college football and see how far people go.” “to hide the signals. It’s a bad look.”

What would this mean for Michigan and Jim Harbaugh given that he is already under investigation by the NCAA?

Harbaugh already faces charges of noncooperation from the NCAA and head coach liability related to recruiting violations committed during the COVID-19 dead period. Another violation by a member of his coaching staff could trigger another head coach liability charge, which could potentially constitute a Level I violation. Per NCAA rule 19.12.5.1: “A institution will be considered a repeat offender if the Violations Committee finds that a Level I or Level II violation has occurred within five years of the start date of a Level I or Level II penalty arising from a prior case.” Since the NCAA has not adjudicated Michigan’s Tier II violation cases stemming from alleged recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period, the school and potentially Harbaugh could be considered repeat infringers.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions rejected a negotiated four-game suspension for Harbaugh in the recruiting case, and Michigan self-imposed a three-game suspension. With this case yet to be resolved, an additional charge of head coach liability based on alleged signal theft would significantly increase his exposure to additional sanctions, including a longer suspension.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions would not need to rule on the original case for the repeat offender provision to pass. The Infringements Commission is not expected to make its decision on the first case before 2024.

Will Michigan have to forfeit its games if found guilty?

Retroactive cancellation of winnings is always possible in cases of major infractions. Sources told ESPN that the NCAA is investigating allegations dating back to before the 2023 season, which reportedly impacted games won by Michigan that could be canceled. Other possible sanctions include postseason bans, scholarship reductions, fines and practice restrictions (game suspensions and off-campus recruiting privileges) for those involved.

Is there any precedent for sign-stealing accusations like this in college football?

Some coaches have been more tolerant of sign stealing than others. As Clemson’s longtime defensive coordinator, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables gained a reputation as one of the best at stealing signs during games.

Before the Tigers faced Ohio State in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day 2021, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said, “He’s l one of the best defensive coordinators in college football. He always seems to know exactly what the other team is doing in terms of the plays they are running, on every play. He often seems to be calling the right defense in this game. Why, I don’t really know, but I can tell you “He’s been doing this for a long time and it’s a good challenge.”

In 2015, Washington State coach Mike Leach, never one to mince his words, accused Arizona State of stealing signs. He doubled the lead before the teams met the following year.

“I think they’re still stealing signs,” Leach said. “We’ll have to keep an eye on it. It’s certainly the reputation. And I think they have a certain amount of technology and expertise on the subject and if they ever go to another conference or something like, I definitely wish they would. share it with us.

“But yeah, you have to keep an eye on it because they’re stealing signs and they’re pretty smart at it. And it’s like breaking the cryptic code with them. … I think they should do a complete job. an investigation to see how they do it and make sure it complies with the rules.”

Then Arizona State coach Todd Graham even admitted it.

“We definitely follow the rules,” Graham said. “There is nothing illegal about looking at someone’s signals or groupings.”

In 2016, then-Baylor assistant coach Jeff Lebby was suspended for a half for being on the sideline during a Tulsa-Oklahoma game. Lebby was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, attending a wedding, and he and his wife had been invited to the game. Someone spotted him on the Golden Hurricane sideline and told him he wasn’t supposed to be there under NCAA rules, and Lebby left. He missed the first half of Baylor’s game against Oklahoma that season.

The NCAA accepted Baylor’s self-imposed punishment for a Level III violation.