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USA Today via Reuters
May 29, 2024; Costa Mesa, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh during organized team activities at Hoag Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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USA Today via Reuters
May 29, 2024; Costa Mesa, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh during organized team activities at Hoag Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Hey, we aren’t Christopher Nolan, but we bet someone out there can create a movie based on the Jim Harbaugh-Michigan sign-stealing scandal. 50 years ago, no one worried too much about sign stealing but boy, Connor Stalions rocked the boat big time, and suddenly Jim Harbaugh got suspended for three games. Here’s the thing: While sign-stealing isn’t prohibited, questions were raised about whether Michigan violated NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which prohibits “off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season).”
With that, almost no one wanted the Bluebloods to win the National Championship. But did the NCAA investigation bring anything to fruition? Not exactly. Sure, Stalions had to walk off, but Michigan still dominated the games without having Harbaugh next to them (that alone says a lot). Eventually, the team won the natty. You would have thought conversations surrounding the scandal would have ended, but no, we have some new revelations.
Michigan alumni Mike Saintristil was on the ‘Kickin It With Dee’, where he disclosed some new information. Initially, he explained every school comes up with its own signals and how players then start using them on the field, but with regards to the scandal specifically, he stated:
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“I think the problem was he [Harbaugh] worked a lot harder at doing what everybody else was doing, so when he was having success doing it, they tried finding a way to make it seem like we’re cheating. Because realistically, everybody does the same exact thing. Everybody has a person who signals deciphers. It’s just, he really took time and put effort into wanting to be the best at it.”
Don’t blame the player; blame the game. For the layman, sign-stealing may look like a major deal, but what most people tend to forget is that every school on the horizon pulls this stunt. However, there was more to the allegations on Michigan. Reports stated that their sign-stealing operation included the use of electronics which is prohibited by the NCAA.
But when we talk about the investigations, nothing around Harbaugh ever came up. “NCAA takes forever to do anything. I don’t think it’s (case) going anywhere. NCAA is powerless,” was something Paul Finebaum had pointed out. But one thing the NCAA did was accuse Sherrone Moore of deleting as many as 52 text messages between him and Connor Stalions.
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USA Today via Reuters
Dec 30, 2023; Pasadena, CA, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh during Rose Bowl media day at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Regardless, let bygones be bygones. Michigan Wolverines couldn’t even crack the playoffs this year, so people can take that as karma hitting the bluebloods. However, 2025 is looking really spicy for Moore and Co.
Are the Michigan Wolverines making a comeback?
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The key to it lies in the quarterback. See, if we look at 2024 as the staple, then it won’t be fair. J.J. McCarthy was off to the draft, and Moore was left juggling with a broken team. In a few months, Michigan lost almost all of its heavy hitters, and the 2024 run pretty much proved it.
What stood out the most was the lack of depth in the QB room. It was either Alex Orji or Davis Warren—neither of them on the same level as McCarthy. But for 2025? Well, let’s just say the Michigan Wolverines’ deep pockets paid off.
With that $10.5 million deal (one of the largest NIL campaigns in history), UM secured the No.1 QB for the 2025 class. This instantly changes the game for Moore. Bryce Underwood isn’t someone to be taken lightly. The NIL experts back in Michigan shelled out millions for a reason. He has everything going for him—pocket presence, arm strength, accuracy. If you pair that up with the rest of Michigan’s 2025 class, you pretty much get the perfect recipe for disaster (for the rivals).
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Initially, he was committed to LSU, but Michigan successfully flipped him. The QB announced his commitment to the latter in a video on November 21. But here’s where things get a little interesting!
Underwood is from Belleville, Mich. It is a quick 30-minute drive from the Wolverines’ campus in Ann Arbor. Interestingly, Connor Stalions is now an assistant coach at Belleville High School—the same school Underwood went to.
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Debate
Is Michigan's success proof that sign-stealing is just smart strategy, not cheating?
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Top Comment by Billy Collier
How stupid can you be ,he filmed all play callers .I hope NCAA STRIPS THEM OF THERE WINS . They...more
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