Former Michigan football staffer Connor Stalions made headlines once again by claiming he provided stolen signals to Ohio State in the past. Stalions, who resigned last year amid a sign-stealing scandal that shook the college football world, admitted to passing along signs in hopes of aiding Ohio State during a critical matchup.
Stalions became infamous for his role in a scheme that involved purchasing tickets to games featuring Michigan’s future opponents, allowing the Wolverines’ staff to scout and steal signals from rival teams. His actions led to one of the most publicized cheating scandals in recent college football history.
Ohio State fans were among the most vocal critics of Michigan’s alleged misconduct, but in a surprising twist, Stalions revealed that he once helped the Buckeyes by feeding them stolen signals from another team.
During an appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, Stalions recounted a pivotal moment during the 2021 season, when there was a tight race at the top of the Big Ten East. Michigan had lost to Michigan State earlier in the season, leaving their chances of winning the division dependent on Ohio State defeating the Spartans.
“I gave Michigan State’s signals to a buddy of mine,” Stalions said, as reported by Sports Illustrated. “I changed all of the logos. I made it look like it came from a different school. I didn’t want to give Ohio State something that looked like it came from Michigan—they might not use it, who knows. But we needed Ohio State to win, and I know they steal the crap out of defensive signals, so here you go.”
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Stalions explained that he passed the signals to a friend, who then passed them on to someone with ties to Ohio State. “I gave it to a buddy, who may have given it to another buddy, who then gave it to Ohio State, saying, ‘I got this from so and so at Name Your School University,’” Stalions elaborated. “I’m sure they probably already had them, but it just confirmed everything.”
The plan appeared to work. Ohio State went on to demolish Michigan State 56-7, led by a standout performance from quarterback C.J. Stroud, who threw for 432 yards and six touchdowns with only three incompletions.
That victory gave Michigan a clear path to the Big Ten title game, where they later beat Ohio State and went on to win the conference with a dominant victory over Iowa. The Wolverines ultimately secured a berth in the College Football Playoff that season.
In his podcast appearance, Stalions shed light on what he called a “giant circle” of “intel guys” within college football, suggesting that signal-stealing and information-sharing between teams are more widespread than many realize.
According to Stalions, these networks operate in the shadows, with staff members trading crucial intel across programs, complicating the ethical landscape of college football.
Stalions’ latest revelations raise further questions about the extent to which sign-stealing practices have permeated the sport.
As the controversy continues to unfold, it casts a shadow not only over Michigan’s program but also over the broader culture of competitive intelligence-gathering in college football.
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