The Michigan native and team Wolverine, Connor Stalions, became the center of a scandal when the Netflix documentary Untold: Sign Stealer showcased his involvement in sign stealing. At the age of 28, this puts the entire life and career of Connor Stalions in jeopardy.
Connor Stalions had a lifelong ambition of coaching a college football team, and he set his sights on this path during high school. He attended Lake Orion High School and was on the National Honor Society.
He specialized in powerlifting, basketball, and football teams; however, he later opted to attend the U.S. Naval Academy after realizing that successful coaches have military connections or backgrounds.
Growing up, Stalions dreamed of being the head coach at the University of Michigan. He began working as a volunteer assistant coach at the campus while flying back and forth from San Diego to Michigan, working full-time as a Logistics Officer.
Breaking news: Connor Stallions Decoded the signs and told Donovan Edwards the precise play to score on Ohio State’s soft ass defense. pic.twitter.com/vEyF0ViRQ8
— illeserass (@OwnedByNix) October 24, 2023
Even before the scandal, he had an eye for field tactics. He was adamant about learning ways to defeat opponents by analyzing their games on TV, and he even wrote a manual on the topic.
Later, as the off-field analyst for Michigan, Stalions allegedly violated rules that prohibited scouting potential future opponents. The college and the coach were accused of stealing the opponent’s signals by secretly attending their games.
After news about Connor Stalions surfaced online, many were in disbelief that a person of such a young age was behind the plotting, which helped Michigan win several games this season.
Connor Stalions bought tickets for people to video the opponent’s sidelines!
The NCAA’s initial investigation on Stalions began in October 2023, when authorities stripped the coach of his laptop, phones, and other official belongings.
After looking at his folders, it was revealed that he purchased tickets to more than 35 games at 17 college stadiums, including the colleges where Michigan participated in the playoffs and future contenders.
Likewise, Stalions filmed himself making at least 2,000 gestures and developed a database to memorize the pictures, which he used on match day to decipher the opponent’s signals.
The interview featured in the Netflix documentary revealed the true nature of Stalions as he claimed, “I don’t always break the rules. In fact, I’d argue that I don’t break the rules. I just walk a very fine line in the gray. I exploit the rules.“
Watch Conor Stalions address the allegations surrounding the Michigan football sign-stealing scandal for the very first time.
— Netflix (@netflix) August 27, 2024
Untold: Sign Stealer is now playing. pic.twitter.com/wWcF3BpZPE
Stalions went on to express that he doesn’t regret anything he’d done for the Michigans and would do the same thing again if necessary.
Additionally, he tried to portray his involvement in the opponent’s game as pure coincidence, as he didn’t admit to taking videos or paying someone to do the same to learn more about Michigan’s competition and to improve their game.
Following the controversy, Stallions resigned from the analyst position, as the NCAA has yet to confirm the penalties associated with the case. Meanwhile, Michigan won the national championship after a record-breaking season.
Currently, he is a volunteer assistant at Detroit Mumford High School, bracing himself to kiss his lifelong dream of returning to college coaching goodbye, as the NCAA could hit him significantly in the coming days.
Additional Information
- Connor Stalions was born into a sports-loving family with father, Brock, and mother, Kelly, who have been hardcore fans of the Michigan football team.
- The NCAA rules don’t prohibit stealing signs, but the organization does ban scouting of opponent team members, which Connor Stalions was involved in.
- The Netflix documentary Unfold: Sign Stealer didn’t reveal the other parties in Michigan who aided Stalions during his tactical visits.
