logo
Michigan's sign-stealer, Conor Stalions, says he knew most signals in 7 games over 2 seasons

Michigan's sign-stealer, Conor Stalions, says he knew most signals in 7 games over 2 seasons

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan football staff member Connor Stalions, whose actions triggered an NCAA investigation into sign-stealing, says he knew almost every signal opponents used in seven games over two seasons.
Stalions shared those details Saturday on social media, responding to TCU coach Sonny Dykes telling On3 that his team changed some signs in advance of its
win over the Wolverines
in the 2022 College Football semifinals.
'We got some favorable matchups because of that and, yeah, there was some big plays in the game,' Dykes said in the On3 report.
Stalions bristled at the latest attempt to suggest Michigan won or lost games because of his sign-stealing role with the team.
'There were 7 games in my time at Michigan where I knew almost every signal the whole game: 2021 MSU, 2022 MSU, 2022 PSU, 2022 OSU, 2022 TCU, 2021 Georgia, and 2021 Wisconsin,' Stalions wrote in his post. 'We lost 3 of those games because we didn't tackle well, and Georgia was historically good. We won the four other games because we dominated the line of scrimmage & tackled well. Blocking, ball security, tackling, run fits & coverage tools.
'That's football. This is not rocket science.'
Nearly a year ago, the NCAA alleged in a notice relating to Michigan's sign-stealing investigation that current coach Sherrone Moore violated rules as an assistant under
former coach Jim Harbaugh
, who served a three-game suspension in exchange for the Big Ten dropping its own investigation into the allegations after the two ended up in court.
Moore also was accused of deleting text messages with Stalions, before they were recovered and provided to the NCAA. Moore has said he has and will continue to cooperate with the NCAA's investigation.
Michigan is prepared to suspend Moore for two games during the coming season. The NCAA will decide if that self-imposed sanction is enough to address allegations that Moore failed to cooperate in an investigation that rocked college football during the 2023 championship season with Harbaugh on the sideline.
The school had a hearing with the NCAA's Committee on Infractions last month. The governing body takes three months on average for contested cases to make a final decision.
The Wolverines open the season on Aug. 30 at home against New Mexico State and then go to Oklahoma, where Moore was an offensive lineman, on Sept. 6.
The NCAA
does not have rules against stealing signs
, but it does prohibit schools from sending scouts to the games of future opponents and using electronic equipment to record another team's signals. Records from other Big Ten schools showed that
Stalions
bought tickets to games involving future opponents, sending people to digitally record teams when they signaled plays.
Stalions initially was placed on leave by Michigan and later resigned. He did not participate in the NCAA investigation.
The NCAA previously put Michigan on three years of probation, fined the school and implemented recruiting limits after reaching a negotiated resolution in a recruiting case and banned Harbaugh from coaching college football for four years.
___
AP college football:
https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
and
https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

World No. 1s Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner headline 2025 Cincinnati Open player field
World No. 1s Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner headline 2025 Cincinnati Open player field

Yahoo

time20 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

World No. 1s Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner headline 2025 Cincinnati Open player field

The player fields for the 2025 Cincinnati Open were announced on Tuesday, July 8, with the top 65 players from the women's and men's tennis tours set to compete at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason (Aug. 5-18). Headlining the preliminary fields are the world's No. 1 players, Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner. Both of the top-ranked players will defend their titles in Mason. Advertisement Last summer, Sabalenka, then-ranked No. 3, beat No. 6 Jessica Pegula in the first Cincinnati Open women's singles final featuring two top 10 opponents since 2017. Sabalenka and Pegula are tied for the most WTA titles this season with three each. Aryna Sabalenka won the Rookwood Cup in 2024 after defeating Jessica Pegula in the finals at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. Sinner beat Frances Tiafoe for his second ATP Masters 1000 title of the year last August in Mason. Six other previous Cincinnati Open champions are in the field, including three-time champion Novak Djokovic (2018, 2020, 2023), Coco Gauff (2023), Madison Keys (2019), Alexander Zverev (2021), Daniil Medvedev (2019) and Grigor Dimitrov (2017). "We look forward to welcoming the world's best tennis stars to compete for the Cincinnati Open title in August," Tournament Director Bob Moran said in a statement. "We have received a lot of excitement from the players about coming back to see our transformed campus and experiencing the new player amenities. Players and fans alike will enjoy the re-imagined venue and world-class atmosphere as the sport's best compete for the title." Advertisement Every player who has won a title this season is in the Cincinnati Open field, including Carlos Alcaraz, who has five wins on the year and fell to Djokovic in the 2023 Cincinnati Open finals in the longest match in the tournament's history (3 hours, 49 minutes). World No. 1 Jannik Sinner won the 2024 Cincinnati Open. Cincinnati Open singles field increases to 96 There are 96 players in each singles field this year, compared to 56 in 2024. There are a total of 119 players who have won a title during their career. The initial entrants include players from 37 nations. The United States leads the way with 24 players, including six in the top 10 of their tour's rankings in Gauff (No. 2), Pegula (No. 3), Keys (No. 8), Emma Navarro (No. 10), Taylor Fritz (No. 5) and Ben Shelton (No. 10). Advertisement There are 16 players with college experience, including a few of local interest in University of Kentucky product Gabriel Diallo and Mason native Peyton Stearns, who won NCAA singles and team titles for the University of Texas. Twelve players will be added to each field through a two-round qualifying event that take place Aug. 5-6, and additional players will earn wild cards to the tournament. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 2025 Cincinnati Open: Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner headline field

Bengals' Shemar Stewart takes unprecedented step toward returning to Texas A amid contract holdout
Bengals' Shemar Stewart takes unprecedented step toward returning to Texas A amid contract holdout

Yahoo

time33 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Bengals' Shemar Stewart takes unprecedented step toward returning to Texas A amid contract holdout

With each passing day, there's a bit of a stronger feeling that Shemar Stewart may somehow wind up not playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. The first-round pick from Texas A&M is holding out due to specific language demands in his contract negotiations that aren't being met. Advertisement And now, CBS Sports reporter Bud Elliott has shared that Stewart is back in College Station working out with his former Texas A&M team. There's the idea that he might go back to school and enter the draft again next year. "It may not be legal yet, but then again, everything in the NCAA is subject to litigation," Elliott said. "I didn't know you could do this. I knew you could do this in baseball... I don't know why you could do it in baseball but not football. You probably have to go to court." MORE: How good was LeBron at football? NBA legend would have been 'one of the best' in NFL Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote about this earlier in the offseason, too. Florio, though, shared a specific passage from the Collective Bargaining Agreement that essentially suggests Stewart could go back to school but then would still be considered a Bengals draft pick after the season. Advertisement Here's that Florio breakdown: "This is something that we contemplated during the 2025 draft both as to quarterback Shedeur Sanders and quarterback Quinn Ewers — Stewart could try to return to college for the upcoming season. Even though it would require an actual or threatened legal battle against the NCAA, the rule that prevents a player who has been drafted but who hasn't signed an NFL contract from returning to college football could be susceptible to an attack under the antitrust laws. "Somewhat surprisingly, the CBA contemplates the possibility that a drafted player will instead go back to college. Here's the language, from Article 6, Section 6: 'If any college football player who becomes eligible for the Draft prior to exhausting his college football eligibility through participation is drafted by an NFL Club, and returns to college, the drafting Club's exclusive right to negotiate and sign a Player Contract with such player shall continue through the date of the Draft that follows the last season in which the player was eligible to participate in college football, and thereafter the player shall be treated and the Club shall have such exclusive rights as if he were drafted in such Draft by such Club (or assignee Club).' "In English, this means that, if Stewart returns to college football in 2025, he'd be treated as a draft pick of the Bengals in 2026. Which means that he wouldn't be permitted to re-enter the draft next year." This would certainly be unprecedented by Stewart, and if he pulls it off, it could set a wild new trend that would change college football and the NFL Draft forever. At this point, that may just be what happens. MORE NFL NEWS:

'Hoosier the Bison' is Back! Indiana Announces Mascot's Return For Season Opener
'Hoosier the Bison' is Back! Indiana Announces Mascot's Return For Season Opener

Fox Sports

time43 minutes ago

  • Fox Sports

'Hoosier the Bison' is Back! Indiana Announces Mascot's Return For Season Opener

He wasn't on the field, but "Hoosier the Bison" remained in the hearts of Indiana Hoosiers fans for generations. And now, he's back. Indiana announced on Tuesday that Hoosier the Bison will return as the school's official mascot. Hoosier will be back for the 2025-26 academic season. with his first appearance coming in Indiana's' 2025 college football season opener against Old Dominion on Aug. 30. In December 2024, the Indiana University Student Body Congress passed the "Bring Back the Bison Act." A Bison has historically been a state symbol for Indiana, with Hoosier the Bison debuting in 1966 but then being asked to leave after 1969. Hoosier the Bison is returning to Bloomington at a time when Indiana sports are on the upswing. On the gridiron, the Hoosiers are coming off an 11-2 season highlighted by the program's first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff in Curt Cignetti's first year as head coach. Meanwhile, the women's college basketball team has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past five seasons, and the men's college basketball team has a new head coach in former West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries. As Hoosier the Bison looks to stick this time around, the first matter to keep an eye on is how he's greeted by the Indiana home crowd after a rocky departure in 1969. And as the college football season progresses, will he stir it up with other Big Ten mascots like The Oregon Duck, Bucky Badger and Sparty? Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience College Football Big Ten Indiana Hoosiers recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store