Every alleged photo of Connor Stalions on the CMU sidelines during Michigan State game

Was that mysterious man on Central Michigan's sidelines in the season opener against Michigan State football actually suspended Michigan assistant Connor Stalions?

That is the question dominating the college football world this week after pictures emerged of a man on the Central Michigan sidelines for the Sept. 1 season opener against MSU resembling the Michigan football staffer at the center of the Wolverines' alleged sign-stealing scandal.

The man in question was wearing a Central Michigan team polo, sunglasses and a Central Michigan hat and had a pass that was marked "VB," which stands for Visitors Bench.

The picture showed enough of a resemblance to Stalions in broadcast screenshots to prompt an investigation.

Central Michigan confirmed it is aware of the photo and opened an investigation. A spokesperson for Michigan declined to comment due to the ongoing NCAA investigation.

Central Michigan head coach Jim McElwain addressed the photos with media Tuesday night following the Chippewa's 37-31 win over Northern Illinois, saying the school would get to the bottom of the man's identity.

"We obviously are aware of a picture floating around with the sign-stealer guy," McElwain said. "Our people are doing everything they can to get to the bottom of it. I certainly don't condone it in any way, shape or form.

"I do know that his name was on none of the passes that were let out. We'll just keep tracing it back, and tracing it back. And try to figure it out."

As more photos continue to emerge, it has led social media on a Zapruder film-esque search to figure out if this in fact Stalions.

The main source of the emerging photos of the man in question is the Fox Sports 1 broadcast of the game.

In the screenshots below taken from the broadcast, you can see someone who resembles Stalions holding a clipboard and standing with other coaches and players while the action is going on.

In another video of the broadcast uploaded to social media, you can see the man in question appear to duck his head, pull down his hat, and turn when the camera pans to his area of the CMU sideline.

The Athletic obtained more photos of the mystery man later on Tuesday from various angles, showing the man who is allegedly Stalions holding a clipboard and celebrating on the Central Michigan sidelines.

The Central Michigan coaching staff has multiple former Michigan football staffers, including McElwain, who was the Wolverines' wide receiver coach in 2018. Defensive backs coach Michael Zordich worked for Michigan in the same position from 2015-20 and quarterbacks coach Jake Kostner, who was a four-year student assistant for Michigan under Harbaugh from 2015 to 2018.

Michigan suspended Stalions with pay pending the NCAA investigation into whether or not the Wolverines were actually scouting future opponents in-person and using technology to do so. He has been reported as the main person of interest in the investigation for allegedly buying tickets to future opponents' games and sending others to film coaching staff signals to allegedly help the Wolverines decipher plays.

Stalions joined the Michigan coaching staff in a full-time role in May of 2022. The former Marine captain previously served as a voluntary assistant for the Wolverines from 2015 to 2022, according to his-now deleted LinkedIn, and would fly from California, where he was stationed, to Ann Arbor to assist the coaching staff.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: All the alleged photos of Connor Stalions on Central Michigan sideline