The speed of Moore’s fall is breathtaking. On December 10, the university announced his dismissal, citing “credible evidence” of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Minutes later, police in Pittsfield Township detained him during an assault investigation. By nightfall, Moore was booked on charges of felony home invasion and misdemeanor stalking. The man who once led Michigan into battle now faces a courtroom instead of a sideline.

Moore’s record was respectable—17 wins in two seasons, a 9–3 mark this fall, and a Cheez-It Citrus Bowl berth against Texas. But his tenure was never free of turbulence. He served a suspension tied to Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal earlier this year, a reminder that the program’s off-field shadows were growing longer. Now, those shadows have swallowed him whole.

The timing could not be worse. Interim coach Biff Poggi inherits a team preparing for a marquee bowl game amid chaos. Recruiting momentum is at risk. Alumni and fans are left wondering how a program that prides itself on tradition and integrity keeps finding itself in scandal’s grip. Athletic Director Warde Manuel, already under fire for his handling of past controversies, faces renewed scrutiny.

Moore’s personal life adds another layer of tragedy. Married with three daughters, his alleged misconduct has shaken not only the Michigan community but also his own family. The university’s leadership has emphasized accountability, but the damage is already done. The Wolverines must now rebuild trust while their former coach fights for his freedom.

In the end, Moore’s story is a cautionary tale: in college football, success on Saturdays means little if off-field conduct cannot withstand the spotlight. Michigan thought it had found stability after Harbaugh. Instead, it has another scandal, another interim coach, and another reminder that reputations can collapse faster than a pocket under blitz pressure.

The post From Jim Harbaugh’s Heir To Headline Scandal appeared first on Saturday Glory.

The Michigan program will receive “three years of probation for the school, a fine and recruiting restrictions in alignment with the Level I-Mitigated classification for the school,” and “one-year show-cause orders consistent with the Level II-Standard and Level II-Mitigated classifications of their respective violations,” according to a release.

READ: Kalen DeBoer says Crimson Tide learned ‘so many things’ from Alabama A-Day Game

According to the NCAA, “Michigan and five individuals who currently or previously worked for its football program” were involved in reaching the agreement. The violations stemmed from “impermissible in-person recruiting contacts during a COVID-19 dead period, impermissible tryouts, and the program exceeding the number of allowed countable coaches when noncoaching staff members engaged in on- and off-field coaching activities (including providing technical and tactical skills instruction to student-athletes).”

A Committee on Infractions panel “has approved the agreement,” according to the NCAA.

This agreement is separate from the NCAA’s investigation into Michigan’s in-person scouting and sign-stealing over the past several seasons involving former staff member Connor Stalions, according to Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press.

READ: UNLV’s Barry Odom agrees to extended contract through 2028

Here is Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel’s statement after the NCAA’s announcement via the AP.

“We are pleased to reach a resolution on this matter so that our student-athletes and our football program can move forward. We have no additional information and cannot comment further on other aspects of the NCAA’s inquiries,” Manuel stated via the AP.

According to the NCAA, Michigan agreed “that the underlying violations demonstrated a head coach responsibility violation and the former football head coach failed to meet his responsibility to cooperate with the investigation.”

The portion of the case involving the former coach “will be considered separately by the Committee on Infractions, after which the committee will release its full decision,” according to the NCAA.

Although he isn’t named by the NCAA, former head coach Jim Harbaugh’s involvement in the case is clear, according to the AP. Harbaugh served a self-imposed suspension the first three games of the 2023 season over recruiting violations.

The post Michigan, NCAA reach agreement over recruiting violations; former coach ‘did not participate’ appeared first on Saturday Glory.

According to a release, Manuel will replace NC State athletics director Boo Corrigan who served in the role the past two years.

READ: Reports: Colorado hires Cincinnati Bengals’ Robert Livingston as DC

“My first two years on the committee have been a great experience,” Manuel stated in a release. “I have so much respect for the time and effort each committee member puts in each week because of their commitment to the game. I’m honored to be asked to serve as committee chair.”

Manuel will begin his term at the start of the 12-team Playoff beginning next season. The CFP will expand and include 12 teams with the top four seeds receiving first round byes to the quarterfinal round. 

The CFP also announced the Management Committee “has appointed Patrick Chun, athletics director at Washington State University; Randall McDaniel, former All-American defensive lineman from Arizona State University; Gary Pinkel, longtime head coach at the University of Toledo and University of Missouri; Mack Rhoades, athletics director at Baylor University; Carla Williams, athletics director at the University of Virginia; and Hunter Yurachek, athletics director at the University of Arkansas, to the CFP Selection Committee.”

READ: Nick Saban joins ESPN College GameDay

The six new members will start three-year terms “starting this spring,” according to a release. They’ll replace since-expired term members Mitch Barnhart, Mark Harlan, Gene Taylor, Joe Taylor, Rod West and Corrigan.

Additionally, the CFP announced it has “extended the term” of former Nebraska All-American lineman Will Shields for a year.

“The additions of Pat, Randall, Gary, Mack, Carla and Hunter will bring some great new voices to the selection committee as we enter our 11th season,” Executive Director of the CFP Bill Hancock stated in a release. “Their knowledge, passion and character, along with their understanding of college football, will allow them to make the transition seamlessly with the returning members. And it is great to have Will returning. His understanding and wisdom will be a real benefit. We are delighted that Warde will serve as chair. He has been a valuable member of the committee last two years and that experience will serve him well in leading the group. As a former student-athlete, he will also be a good spokesperson to let fans know how the committee reached its rankings.”

The post Michigan’s Warde Manuel becomes Chair of CFP Selection Committee; 6 named new members appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Moore succeeds Jim Harbaugh, who took the head coaching position with the Los Angeles Chargers.

READ: Reports: Missouri to hire South Alabama’s Corey Batoon as next defensive coordinator

“I want to thank Coach Harbaugh for the faith that he has displayed in me over the past six years and for supporting my growth as a football coach during that time,” Moore stated in a release. “I also want to thank Athletic Director Warde Manuel, President Santa Ono and members of the Board of Regents for putting their faith and trust in me to be the next leader of this football program. I am excited to reward that trust.

“I have been preparing my entire coaching career for this opportunity and I can’t think of a better place to be head coach than at the University of Michigan. We will do everything each day as a TEAM to continue the legacy of championship football that has been played at the University of Michigan for the past 144 years. Our standards will not change. We will be a tough, physical, disciplined, hungry, championship-level team that loves football and plays with passion for the game, the winged helmet and each other. We will also continue to achieve excellence off the field, in the classroom and in our communities. I am excited to start working in this new role with our players, coaches and staff.”

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Moore agreed to a five-year contract with the Wolverines. The agreement runs through the 2028 season.

READ: Reports: Arizona to hire Dino Babers as offensive coordinator

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Moore’s contact is at $5.5 million per year.

Moore will enter his seventh year at Michigan in 2024. He spent the first six as an offensive coach and the past three in a coordinator role.

Moore is the first African American head coach in Michigan program history.

“Sherrone has proven to be a great leader for our football program, especially the offensive line and players on the offensive side of the football,” Manuel stated in a release. “He is a dynamic, fierce and competitive individual who gets the best out of the players he mentors. The players love playing for him and being with him in the building every day.

“Sherrone stepped up this fall and served as the interim head coach when the program and especially the team needed him. Sherrone handled that situation in a way that sealed my already-growing confidence in him. He didn’t make it about him, it was always about the team! We are thrilled to have Sherrone and his wife, Kelli, and the entire Moore family step into this new role for our football program and university community.”

Moore also spent time coaching at Central Michigan from 2014-17 and Louisville as a graduate assistant from 2009-11 then as tight ends coach from 2012-13.

The post Michigan names Sherrone Moore next head coach appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Wolverines athletics director Warde Manuel and university president Santa Ono released statements on social media Wednesday night upon the news of Jim Harbaugh’s departure for the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL.

READ: Reports: Will Rogers withdraws from transfer portal, to remain at Washington

Here is Manuel’s full statement, including a mention that Michigan made an effort to “make Jim the highest paid coach in college football.”

“I want to thank Jim for everything he has done for our football program, athletic department and the University of Michigan over the past nine years,” Manuel stated. “Every day, he has worked extremely hard to elevate the stature of Michigan across the world, with the goal of winning championships and developing young men on and off the football field.

“Jim did exactly what he sought to do at Michigan, build our program to consistently win Big Ten Championships and compete for national championships, culminating with a record three straight outright conference titles and the national championship this year. He did the same off the field by graduating his players and providing life experiences through mentorships, internships and team trips around the globe.

“We have been discussing a new contract that would make Jim the highest paid coach in college football. In the end, he wanted to explore and ultimately decided to pursue a return to coaching in the NFL. We can’t thank Jim enough for all that he has done for our student-athletes, staff and Michigan Football. He will always be a huge part of our rich history, and will be remembered as an all-time great Wolverine, as both a championship player and coach.

“Jim has always been extremely upfront with his communication regarding NFL opportunities and has been helpful with this transition in leadership. We had a great conversation tonight when he informed me of this decision to return to the NFL and offered his assistance in helping identify the needs for the program moving forward.

“We are working quickly to hire the next head coach for the program and will do everything possible to keep this current staff and team together.

“We appreciate Jim’s dedication and passion for Michigan, the university and Ann Arbor, and I wish Jim and the entire Harbaugh family much success with the Los Angeles Chargers.”

READ: Reports: LSU to name Cortez Hankton, Joe Sloan co-offensive coordinators

Ono described Michigan’s recent pursuit of a contract extension for Harbaugh and thanked him for his contributions to the program.

“We have been in talks with Jim Harbaugh for the last several weeks and have tried our best to retain him as our football coach,” Ono stated. “Jim called me (Wednesday) and let me know that he has made the difficult decision to leave Michigan and join the Los Angeles Chargers in pursuit of his NFL dreams.

“For the fans, the players, and for me personally, we are sad to hear of Jim’s departure. His drive and ambition turned our program around, delivered our first national championship in a quarter century and maintained Michigan as the all-time winningest team in the history of college football.

“I thank Jim for all he has done for the University of Michigan and respect his decision. He has been an extraordinary leader and a friend. I will be cheering for Jim as he embarks on this next adventure.”

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Wolverines offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore is “the favorite” to be named next head coach.

The post Michigan AD Warde Manuel, President Santa Ono make statement’s on Jim Harbaugh’s departure appeared first on Saturday Glory.

According to Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press, the Wolverines “officially received an allegation of wrongdoing” regarding a draft notice of allegations around alleged Level II recruiting violations.

READ: National Signing Day creates buzz around college football

Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel received the first warning of these allegations 11 months ago, according to the Detroit Free Press.

What Michigan is alleged to have violated is “impermissible Level II violations” that include “analysts serving in on-field coaching capacities, coaches watching players work out over video chats, and messaging recruits during a COVID-19 dead period,” according to the Detroit Free Press.

Michigan and university president Santa Ono have 90 days to respond in writing to the NCAA notice of allegations, according to the Detroit Free Press. After that, the NCAA will have 60 days to respond.

Michigan had already placed a self-imposed suspension toward head coach Jim Harbaugh for the first three games of this season after “hurdles arose” in the agreement between the Wolverines skipper and the NCAA over consequences related to Harbaugh’s false statements to investigators.

READ: Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer named AP coach of the year

The notice of allegations also pertain to a Level I violation that Harbaugh is accused of and the Level II infractions, according to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.

Harbaugh was also suspended an additional three games this season after the Big Ten Conference’s investigation into in-person scouting.

The NCAA notice of allegations does not pertain to the in-person scouting scandal.

The post Reports: Michigan receives notice of allegations from NCAA; unrelated to sign-stealing investigation appeared first on Saturday Glory.

The Wolverines were without Jim Harbaugh, who served the first of a three-game suspension as a result of the Big Ten Conference’s discipline of the Wolverines program for in-person, advanced scouting. Moore was emotional after the victory. 

“I want to thank the Lord,” Moore said. “I want to thank coach Harbaugh. I f—ing love you, man. I love the s— out of you, man. We did this for you, for this university, the president, our AD. We got the best players, best university, best alumni in the country. Love you guys. These f—ing guys right here. These guys right here man. These guys did it. These guys did it man.” 

PODCAST: November crowns champions and who will step up in week 11?

Moore and the Wolverines rolled to 10-0 amid a season in which investigations and suspensions have loomed over the team. 

So when Moore had an opportunity to talk up the Michigan program and the state of the Wolverines, he took it. 

“I’m a pretty calm guy but there’s a lot of emotions,” Moore said. “Being here six years, I feel like this place is home. What coach Harbaugh has done for me just giving me the opportunity to be here and this whole university and these players, these fans, I mean, this place is like home to me. Home to my family. So it’s very deep, and I wear my heart on my sleeve. I work extremely hard as we all do so that meant a lot for us to get this win in this situation. To show that and make it about players, the players are — we have elite players, elite university, and just so happy for them.” 

In the days and weeks leading up to the Big Ten’s announced suspension of Harbaugh following in-person scouting, Michigan supporters asked conference commissioner Tony Petitti for due process in investigating the Wolverines program. 

Michigan university president Santa Ono wrote a letter last week to Petitti encouraging due process. After Harbaugh’s suspension was announced, athletics director Warde Manuel released a statement Saturday criticizing the Big Ten and NCAA. 

Playing without Harbaugh, Moore said the message rang a similar tune as usual to the Wolverines players. 

“Play for yourselves, play for the team and play for Michigan. That’s the constant message,” Moore said. “We did make it about him. Just play for everybody that you’ve always played for. Think about this game as you’re in the backyard with the boys, with your friends, and you’re just going to have to win. This was a tournament game for us, a playoff game for us, so we knew we had to do whatever we needed to do to win. So it’s been a crazy 24 hours but at the same time our team is built for this. Our staff is built for this, and we’re all built for it.” 

READ: Big Ten issues penalty to Michigan after violation of sportsmanship policy over in-person scouting

Michigan beat Penn State on the ground, rushing for 227 yards which are the most allowed by the Nittany Lions this season. 

Running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards each had a rushing touchdown, and the former had two, while the team carried the rock for 4.9 yards per run. 

“We got two of the best backs in the country so at the end of the day we do whatever it takes to win,” Moore said. “Sometimes it’s throwing more, sometimes it’s punting more, and we’re going to do whatever we can in that game to win. We thought as we got into the game obviously the run game became priority, and I think our guys up front really asserted themselves to be dominant and those backs ran super hard so I was really excited about that.” 

The Wolverines FaceTimed Harbaugh after the victory. Moore said Harbaugh “always alluded to” him potentially serving as acting head coach if a suspension was announced in the week leading up to the Penn State game. 

Moore said he leaned on defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and running backs coach Mike Hart among members of the coaching staff against the Nittany Lions. Amid tumultuous times for the Michigan program, the Wolverines led themselves to a top-10 win despite the news. 

“They were ready. It’s crazy,” Moore said. “This team is different. They’re built very different, and we let them know that coach wasn’t going to be there. And they knew that there was possibly that he wasn’t, and then when we told them here, they were ready to go. They didn’t flinch.” 

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Big Ten athletic directors and coaches have met on video calls in recent weeks, and Thursday struck a bit of a different tune according to multiple reports.

PODCAST: Calculated Risk: Previewing a week 10 with plenty of intrigue

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Big Ten athletic directors “met with commissioner Tony Petitti on a video call Thursday” and “the athletic directors left the call with the notion that Petitti is taking the Big Ten’s ability to punish Michigan over the allegations more seriously than before.”  

The Thursday meeting “took on a distinctly different tenor than when they met a week ago,” according to Thamel, and the athletic directors left with the message that “the conference needs to step up.” The meeting also took place without Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel present. 

The NCAA launched an investigation in October into Michigan regarding alleged sign stealing, and staff member Connor Stalions was suspended with pay. 

READ: CFP Chair Corrigan talks top-six, Michigan investigation after first rankings

According to Thamel, Stalions bought tickets to at least 30 games at least 11 Big Ten schools in the past three seasons, and tickets were also bought for the 2021 and 2022 Southeastern Conference championship games. 

Petitti and the Big Ten could look into whether Michigan violated the conference’s sportsmanship policy amid allegations of sign stealing. 

Purdue head coach Ryan Walters spoke during The Ryan Walters Show about the alleged Michigan sign stealing, and he brought up an interesting perspective that his team has had to take on. 

“It’s unfortunate, and what’s crazy is they aren’t allegations, like, it happened,” Walters said. “There’s video evidence. There’s ticket purchases and sales that you can track back, and we know for a fact that they were at a number of our games. And so we’ve had to teach our guys a new language in terms of some signals, and we will operate differently offensively like you might see us in a huddle for the first time this season so it is it is what it is, but we’re excited to go play and I think it’ll make for a great story.” 

READ: Preview Thursday: Week 10

Walters and the Boilermakers will face No. 3 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, and Purdue already seems to have taken steps as a result of reports surrounding the sign stealing investigation. 

No potential punishment was discussed among Big Ten athletic directors, according to Thamel. Petitti has spoken with the NCAA about its own investigation. 

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Ohio State stood atop at No. 1 in the first CFP rankings, its highest CFP rank since the 2019 season. No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Florida State rounded out the playoff-bound top-four. 

PODCAST: Calculated Risk: Previewing a week 10 with plenty of intrigue

Corrigan spoke about the reasoning behind the Buckeyes’ No. 1 ranking, saying Ohio State’s play on both sides of the ball ultimately gave it the edge. 

“The win against Penn State, to win at Notre Dame, to win at Wisconsin,” Corrigan said. “They’re proving they can do it at home. They’re proving they can do it on the road. They have explosive plays, down a receiver, Marvin Harrison, Jr. is clearly one of the top players in the country. And as we’ve looked at it, as we evaluate it, it is part of the overall evaluation, but a top-five defense that’s giving up about 10 points a game really does play into it as well. So to pick on completely on one side when the other side is so dominant, and by the way, the offense is really, really good so we got to take all of that into account as we’re looking at it, and we came to the conclusion as a committee that they deserved the No. 1 ranking.” 

Much was to be seen regarding Michigan’s ranking and the ongoing NCAA investigation into alleged sign stealing. The Big Ten Conference released a statement Oct. 19 that it had been notified by the NCAA of the investigation, and Michigan has since suspended a staff member with pay. 

On Wednesday night, “a vast majority of the Big Ten coaches expressed their frustrations with the ongoing signal-stealing investigation at Michigan in a video call with commissioner Tony Petitti, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. 

Hancock said “there wasn’t any suggestion that anything changed” when talking about Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel’s position on the CFP committee, as he is a member of the selection committee, and both he and Corrigan said Manuel “was fully engaged in the meeting.” 

“To Bill’s point, (Manuel) was completely engaged in everything that was going on,” Corrigan said. “Obviously, he gets recused early in the process if you will with our ranking, but Warde was in the room, was engaged was making the points that he had seen for the teams that we were talking about, was a really good committee member as all 12 of them were.” 

The topic of the ongoing NCAA investigation into alleged sign stealing by Michigan wasn’t a big talking point, according to CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock. 

“It just wasn’t an issue,” Hancock said. “Warde brought credibility when he came to the committee, and he still had it and still has it. And as Boo and I both said he was fully engaged today so it’s just not an issue here.” 

READ: Preview Thursday: Week 10

The Wolverines have the No. 6 scoring offense and No. 1 scoring defense in college football. Hancock said Michigan has “played well all season” amid the ongoing sign stealing investigation. 

“Fact of the matter is no one knows what happened,” Hancock said. “The NCAA is dealing right now with allegations only. The committee makes its judgments based on what happened on the field, and clearly Michigan has been a dominant team.” 

Behind the top-four is No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Oregon, which both faced off against one another with the Huskies prevailing 36-33 in Week 6. 

Based on resumes, Florida State has two ranked wins, Washington has one and the Ducks have two. 

READ: Big Board: Week 10

Corrigan advocated for the Seminoles’ No. 4 ranking, and noted that the recent performances of the Huskies and Ducks — Washington has won its past two games by nine points or less — led to their positioning in the first CFP rankings of the year. 

“I think as you look at the full body of work, with Florida State being No. 4, the win over LSU, the win against Duke, kind of a frontloaded schedule if you will,” Corrigan said. “They’ve looked really good. Offensively putting up 41 points a game, their defense is ranked in the top 20, but again, as we looked at it overall and went through the process, we came out with Ohio State one, Georgia two, Michigan three, Florida State four. With regards to Washington, a huge win over Oregon, who we have at No. 6. But in looking at that, the game most recently, two most recent games at home against Arizona State and on the road at Stanford from a committee standpoint gave us some pause and put them in at No. 5.” 

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The NCAA launched an investigation into the University of Michigan football program into alleged sign stealing, and the Big Ten Conference released a statement Oct. 19 stating it was notified by the NCAA of the investigation. 

PODCAST: Who Should Be on Upset Alert This Weekend?

Athletics director Warde Manuel and the Wolverines athletics department suspended football staff member Connor Stalions with pay on Oct. 20. Stalions was named in an ESPN report as the “person of interest in the investigation into whether No. 2-ranked Michigan violation an NCAA rule by scouting future opponents in person at games,” which has been prohibited since 1994. 

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Stalions bought tickets to “more than 30 games at 11 Big Ten schools over the past three years,” and “video evidence of sideline taping is expected to be sent to the NCAA this week, caught by stadium surveillance this year.” 

According to Marc Givler of Buckeye Huddle, Stalions also “purchased a ticket to a Clemson home football game during the 2022 regular season.” This shows that the scope of the alleged sign stealing extended beyond just the Big Ten. 

Thamel also reported that Stalions bought tickets for games among at least four schools outside the Big Ten, including the 2021 and 2022 Southeastern Conference Championship games. 

According to Will Hobson of The Washington Post, “an outside investigative firm approached the NCAA with documents and videos the firm said it had obtained from computer drives maintained and accessed by multiple Michigan coaches.” 

Furthermore, “Among the pieces of evidence the firm presented, those people said, was a detailed schedule of Michigan’s planned sign-stealing travel for the rest of this season, listing opponents’ schedules, which games Michigan scouts would attend and how much money was budgeted for travel and tickets to scout each team,” according to The Washington Post. 

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh released a statement Oct. 19, and it can be found below via ESPN. 

“I want to make it clear that I, and my staff, will fully cooperate with the investigation into this matter,” Harbaugh stated. “I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment. I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action. I do not condone or tolerate anyone doing anything illegal or against NCAA rules. No matter what program or organization that I have led throughout my career, my instructions and awareness of how we scout opponents have always been firmly within the rules. Pursuant to NCAA rules, I will not be able to comment further while this investigation takes place.” 

According to Thamel on Thursday, NCAA enforcement staff “have been at the University of Michigan this week to look into the sign-stealing probe,” and Thamel posted that it is “an indication of the priority the case has taken.” 

What other coaches are saying about sign stealing in college football 

Sign stealing is prevalent in football. It happens at levels from youth all the way up to the professional ranks. 

Where it can be considered illegal and not part of the game extends beyond traditional methods of scouting. 

PODCAST: More big games set the week nine slate

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said he didn’t want to get into the investigation going on up at Michigan, instead choosing to focus on this week’s game at Wisconsin. 

“That’s just something I don’t want to get into right now,” Day said. 

But that doesn’t mean other coaches aren’t talking about sign stealing in college football. 

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders took an interesting approach when discussing the length and breadth of sign stealing in not just football but baseball, too. 

“I mean everyone’s trying to get an edge,” Sanders said. “I mean, everyone’s trying to get whatever edge they can. You could have someone’s whole game plan — they could mail it to you — you still got to stop it. You still got to stop it, so in football it’s not as pronounced as baseball. If I know a curveball is coming, I got you. With football I don’t give a darn if you know a sweep is coming. You still got to stop it. Physically. It’s a physical game. You got to stop it, so that’s a little tough. I don’t buy into a lot of that stuff that someone’s stealing, they’re stealing that. I don’t buy into a lot of that stuff. You still got to play the game.” 

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said “people are finding all different kinds of ways to prevent it and to try to gain a competitive advantage” when it comes to sign stealing. He said “with tempo and pace” it makes it difficult to decipher opposing signs, and there are individuals with signs shielding them on the sidelines from giving their opponents any sort of leg up. 

Venables said he’s sure sign stealing is part of college football, and that means coaches must be proactive. 

“I think you’d be naive and negligent if you’re always not aware of the potential,” Venables said. “That’s why, again, from whether it’s year to year or it’s week to week, since I’ve been coaching as long as there’s been signaling where you’re always on both sides of the ball, always changing up your signals and things of that nature. Even the hand signals on the field that the players will do amongst each other.” 

READ: Preview Thursday: Week 9

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart also spoke on the topic of sign stealing, and he recalled being with his father scouting opposing teams when he was younger. Here is Smart’s full quote. 

“I’ve never heard of anybody going to the games to watch and film and do all that, all the stuff that’s going on, everybody’s talking about,” Smart said. “I don’t know anybody that’s ever done that or I’ve never been asked to do that as a young coach or known anybody to do that. I’ve never heard of that. In high school football, I grew up my dad. We’d go watch other teams play. That was part of what you did. You didn’t watch the other team play. You sat out there with four other coaches and you drew up their plays while they were doing it. That’s pre-cell phone and probably pre-signals because they were sending people in or the coach with send them in with signals. That was a long time ago. But as far as in-game, I think people try to do that. It tries to go on. As a signal caller, when I had to call defenses it confused me if I had to sit there and try to wait on somebody to tell me what they thought they got and I’m trying to think about what the best call for this situation is. And you’re relying on misinformation or something that’s not very reliable. So I don’t, I don’t know. I mean, there’s times that people have said they’ve had our signals in-game and they knew this or that and you talk to the team that you played last and sometimes when you’re not going to play that team again, they share what they might have had on you and things like that so I’ve heard of it in-game. But a lot of times you can know the signal and still not do it right. It’s kind of a joke we have is you know what play is come in and you mess it up, and I’ve laughed with coaches about that before.” 

The Bulldogs also recently played Michigan during the College Football Playoff semifinals in the 2021 season. Georgia beat the Wolverines 34-11 during the Orange Bowl, and later went on to win the first of back-to-back national championships. 

Smart said he “didn’t notice anything or know anything” prior to the Orange Bowl when his team played Michigan.  

“Nobody we talked to warned us or any of that,” Smart said. “I think everybody we play they say, ‘They steal your signals.’ I mean, we play somebody they’re always like they’re great at stealing your signals. But what they’re referencing is different than stealing them. I mean they’re coming and they’re talking about people, someone, coming to film on that’s completely different, but we’ve tried to hide the signals, hold the calls, put signs up, do all that but there’s nothing I remember about the Michigan game that makes me think that.” 

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has a unique lens into anything related to sign stealing. He spent parts of three seasons as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers in the NFL from 2020-22, and that came after head coaching stops at Temple and Baylor. 

Rhule was honest as he could be when discussing sign stealing, even noting that it happens “every game.” But what Rhule wanted to emphasize was the difference between sideline technology in the NFL compared to college football. 

Rhule, among other head coaches, wants to see helmet technology installed inside the quarterback’s helmet. Here is Rhule’s full quote. 

“Sign stealing happens every game,” Rhule said. “There’s nothing wrong with teams over there looking over trying to steal our signs. There’s nothing wrong with us trying to look at their signs. That’s why you should have mics in the helmets, right? Like all these coaches that vote against it every year, it’s because they don’t want to teach their quarterback. You know, in the NFL the quarterback goes out there with three play calls because if I see the free safety’s foot like that, it might be one-high, I’m going to check to this play, but you get the college and you’re watching the game on a Tuesday night and they got the signal and they’re just calling the play. So it’s what makes college football to me, it’s why they score more points, but it’s also why the kids are less prepared. So that’s why there should be, 100% should be (helmet technology). They could get rid of all the stupid signs on the sidelines and we could get pictures of rock stars and all that stuff and we could just play football the way it was meant to be. You go to a high school game, there’s technology on the sideline. You go to NFL game, there’s technology on the sideline. You go to a college, there’s nothing. It should be that. But that’s sign stealing. I would not carry that over to going and filming someone else’s practices or something like that or filming someone else’s games. That’s completely something different. I’m not saying that that happened. But I think what’s wrong partly in our society right now sometimes as we say someone does something against the rules, and sports need rules, right? Sports need rules to keep competitive balance, and when someone does something against the rules, we say, well, should that really even be a rule? And it is the rule. That’s the rule, right? Like I didn’t get to play with – we don’t get five downs. So but in-game, stealing of signs, when I play against somebody and I know that person has friends on the next staff, I know if they have our signs, they’re having it the next week, that’s all part of the game and you have to do what you do. We should absolutely have technology. But if there’s a rule, the rule should be followed. And I’m not speaking about what’s happening right now because I don’t know what happened. But if that is happening somewhere, it’s completely, completely wrong.” 

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And, similar to Smart, Rhule said he hasn’t heard nor suspected anything regarding the ongoing Michigan sign stealing investigation. 

“No one from the Big Ten or NCAA has asked me anything yet, so I’m not going to probably comment on anything like that,” Rhule said. “I would never want to cache to somebody else going through a hard time. I don’t know anything.” 

The post Head coaches react to sign stealing in college football appeared first on Saturday Glory.

According to Ross Dellenger and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports, the Michigan football program allegedly violated rules prohibiting teams “from scouting, in person, future opponents” which has led to the NCAA investigation. 

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Scouting opponents in person has been prohibited since 1994, according to Yahoo! Sports, but the prospect of stealing signs has lingered throughout history. Stealing signs isn’t technically illegal. 

According to Yahoo! Sports, “Two of Michigan’s opponents this season told Yahoo Sports they became aware that Michigan knew their play signs.” 

The Big Ten Conference released a statement Thursday stating it was notified by the NCAA of the investigation. 

“Late Wednesday afternoon, the Big Ten Conference and University of Michigan were notified by the NCAA that the NCAA was investigating allegations of sign stealing by the University of Michigan football program,” the release stated. “The Big Ten Conference has notified Michigan State University and future opponents. The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation. The Conference will have no further comment at this time.” 

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Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel also released a statement, according to Dellenger. 

“I want to personally assure you that U-M Athletics will offer its complete cooperation to the NCAA in this matter,” Manuel stated. “At the University of Michigan, all of us are committed to the highest standards of ethics and integrity for all members of our community. This is the same expectation I have of all coaches, staff, and student-athletes. Given ongoing investigation, I’ll have no further comments at this time.” 

The post Report: Michigan being investigated into alleged sign stealing  appeared first on Saturday Glory.