Crisis Brews for Sherrone Moore as Costly Consequences Confirmed Amid Calls for Jim Harbaugh’s Head for Sign-Stealing Controversy

The 2023 Wolverines were the talk of the town. From their flawless 15-0 championship run (with that asterisk) to some seriously eyebrow-raising rule-bending, Michigan did everything short of starring in their own Netflix doc—oh wait, they did that too! Fifty years ago, sign-stealing was no biggie, but Connor Stalions changed the game. He and several Wolverines staffers got caught, and even then-HC Jim Harbaugh got slapped with a three-game suspension. While the legality of sign-stealing is a gray area in college football, did Michigan’s off-campus scouting of opponents violate NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1? That’s the million-dollar question, and the red tape is flying as the NCAA investigation casts a long shadow over their championship season.

For now, Sherrone Moore’s carrying the weight of it all as the plot thickens in Ann Arbor. And it looks like the 2023 sign-stealing saga might land Moore in hot water, as he’s seemingly the only one left in the crosshairs. RJ Young broke it all down on The Number One College Football Show. “Connor Stalions is no longer part of Michigan. The person that you probably want after would be Jim Harbaugh, who was the head coach, but he’s not in the NCAA, so he is out of your jurisdiction. So who’s left? Sherrone Moore, who deleted some text messages, recovered some text messages, and then said, ‘Cool, there’s nothing in the text messages. Have at it. Do what you want,'” RJ Young said.

Well, Stalions is no longer in Ann Arbor, but he is still close to football. He now works with Belleville High School, from which Moore even recruited his prized 2025 five-star quarterback, Bryce Underwood. Meanwhile, Harbaugh has taken the LA Chargers head coaching job in the NFL, so whatever the NCAA decides is now irrelevant to him.

Harbaugh didn’t exactly waltz out gracefully. He reportedly stonewalled the NCAA, refusing to hand over his messages and phone records. This could land him a show-cause penalty if he ever decides to return to the college game. Apparently, there’s no proof he knew anything about Stalions’s alleged sign-stealing scheme—Stalions supposedly bought tickets to future opponents’ games and sent people to record their signals.

But Michigan has officially received its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA. Stalions, Denard Robinson, former assistant coach Chris Partridge, and former head coach Jim Harbaugh were all tagged with Level I violations. Even though the NOA didn’t directly link Harbaugh to Stalions’ operation, it did say he failed to monitor for those “red flags.” Now, Moore’s the one feeling the heat for this costly mistake, as he’s one of seven members from the 2023 program named in the allegations. According to ESPN, Moore deleted 52 text messages with Stalions (a Level II violation), though they were later recovered.

Still, the deletion itself has raised some serious eyebrows about potential attempts at a cover-up. With Sherrone Moore now at the helm, all eyes are on him as the NCAA investigation looms. He even tried to explain deleting the texts, saying, “So, (I) deleted all the information — all Connor, on my personal phone,” he said in Michigan’s response. “And it wasn’t to hide anything, it was just that — I was just extremely angry of, you know, the type of person that would do that to this program and these kids.” However, those messages were recovered via “device imaging,” and Moore later handed them over to the enforcement staff.

But Moore seems pretty chill about the recovered texts, saying, “I’ll just say this… I look forward to them being released.” That definitely doesn’t sound like someone sweating anything. But it looks like Sherrone Moore isn’t the only one feeling the pressure.

This ex-Charger just went off on Jim Harbaugh and Co.

Looks like the Michigan sign-stealing saga just found new fuel, and this time, it’s coming from an unexpected source. And that’s former Chargers linebacker Joshua Perry. He’s out there demanding justice on The Bobby Carpenter Show.

Jim Harbaugh’s “never lie, never cheat, never steal” mantra might sound good, but it’s not going to win everyone over. Perry, for one, has made it crystal clear: he wants Harbaugh and Co. to face real consequences if they’re found guilty. “I know the NCAA doesn’t like to punish current players for mistakes made in the past. But I missed out on a chance to win a national title in 2012. I do not care. We are grown; we can handle it. There should be scholarship reductions. I think there should be financial fines as well,” Perry said. His words further compounded the weight of the NCAA’s ongoing litigation, potentially nudging them closer to a final decision.

But Michigan is standing firm, refusing to back down. In response to the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations, the Wolverines launched a strong counterattack, vehemently denouncing the charges against their staff as “grossly overreaching” and “wildly overcharging” the program. They specifically contend that the allegations against Jim Harbaugh lack any merit.

The NCAA claims that he “failed to cooperate” between October 20 and January 24, 2024, by not surrendering his text and phone records before departing for the NFL. However, Michigan’s comprehensive 137-page response presents a different narrative. Their defense claims investigators seized Harbaugh’s phones to collect data as part of a broader investigation.

However, concerns over personal, sensitive, and attorney-client information prompted the withholding of those images. Since the NCAA did not receive them by the deadline, they deemed Harbaugh to be non-compliant. Nevertheless, as Perry pointed out, Michigan’s unwavering determination to clear their name suggests genuine apprehension about facing severe consequences if found guilty.

The final ruling’s ultimate impact on Sherrone Moore or Jim Harbaugh is uncertain, but, with his collegiate football career ending, Harbaugh focuses solely on the future, leaving Michigan to handle the aftermath.