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Michigan football staffer Connor Stalions texted about stealing signs, per report

Connor Stalions, the Michigan football staff member at the heart of the Wolverines' sign-stealing investigation, detailed in text messages with a friend his relationship with Michigan football coaches and how he stole signs, according to a Sports Illustrated report.

The report, published Wednesday afternoon, said that Stalions bragged about his "close" relationships with members of the Wolverine coaching staff, such as linebackers coach Chris Partridge and running backs and assistant special teams coach Jay Harbaugh, son of head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Stalions also claimed over text to be part of a small group of people, including college football staffers at other schools, who were collaborating on something called "The Michigan Manifesto" — a 550-to-600 page document for a long-term plan to run the Wolverines' football team. He also claimed to have developed a recruiting tool using test scores and GPAs of hundreds of Navy football players while he attended the Naval Academy, according to the report.

Michigan football analyst Connor Stalions on the sideline during the Wolverines' 31-7 win over Rutgers, Sept. 23, 2023 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.
Michigan football analyst Connor Stalions on the sideline during the Wolverines' 31-7 win over Rutgers, Sept. 23, 2023 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

The Big Ten confirmed Michigan was under investigation by the NCAA for allegedly scouting future opponents in person, a violation of NCAA rules. A day after the investigation was announced, Stalions emerged as the main person of interest in the investigation.

Michigan announced that Stalions was suspended with pay pending the completion of the NCAA investigation. He was hired in a full-time role as an off-field analyst in 2022 after voluntarily helping the Wolverines for years. According to an ESPN report, he bought and distributed tickets to games of Michigan's future opponents for the purpose of filming the coaching staff's signals for the Wolverines' use.

The Sports Illustrated report features texts from 2021 between Stalions and a former college student looking for advice to make it in the college football industry. The student shared the texts with Sports Illustrated anonymously.

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Stalions described the process over texts as deciphering signals using TV copies of game footage, then relaying those signals in-person to then-offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, according to Sports Illustrated. The process described in the texts is not prohibited — only in-person scouting or using technology to film signs is.

The NCAA outlawed in-person scouting of future opponents in 1994. The use of technology to scout opponents is also prohibited by the NCAA rulebook, which states: "Any attempt to record, either through audio or video means, any signals given by an opposing player, coach or other team personnel is prohibited."

Michigan will not comment due to the pending investigation, but athletic director Warde Manuel said last week "that U-M Athletics will offer complete cooperation to the NCAA in this matter."

Harbaugh denied the allegations in a statement last week, saying he had no knowledge of it and did not direct anyone on staff to do so. After the Wolverines beat Michigan State 49-0 on Saturday, he reiterated the claim and called the outside noise a "target" on the team's back.

"Uh yeah, I think success does that," Harbaugh said postgame. "There's people who don't like to see people be successful. You know? And there's a target? Yeah. Everybody's pointed that out from the beginning of the season."

Michigan is already under NCAA investigation for alleged impermissible recruiting and coaching penalties during the COVID-19 dead period, for which Harbaugh served a three-game school-imposed suspension at the start of the season.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Connor Stalions, Michigan staffer, texted on sign-stealing, per report