The NCAA has served Central Michigan with a Notice of Allegations regarding former Michigan football analyst Connor Stalions’ presence on the Chips’ sidelines during the 2023 season opener against Michigan State football.
Stalions was in sunglasses and CMU gear on Central Michigan’s sidelines during the Sept. 1, 2023, game. A few weeks later, Michigan was under investigation by the NCAA for sign-stealing, with Stalions at the heart of the plot. On Oct. 31, 2023, photos of Stalions at the game began circulating online. That day, CMU launched an investigation into Stalions’ presence on the sidelines, where he was clearly wearing a “VB,” or visitor’s bench, credential. Then-CMU head coach Jim McElwain said that Stalions’ name did not appear on any list of approved passes and was unsure how he had acquired one.
In the months following, the program underwent changes while the investigation continued. McElwain retired at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Before that, though, quarterbacks coach Jake Kostner resigned in September 2024 for unspecified reasons. According to the Lansing State Journal, Kostner was responsible for getting Stalions onto the sidelines.
Both McElwain and Kostner crossed paths with Stalions while at Michigan. McElwain was a receivers coach with the Wolverines in 2018 and Kostner was a grad assistant during Stalions’ time as a student assistant coach from 2015-18.
The results of CMU’s internal investigation have not been publicly released, and the NCAA investigation took 387 days due to the Chippewas “withholding materials requested by the enforcement staff” and “providing false or misleading information.”
Here’s what we know about the timeline of the Stalions scandal:
2023
Sept. 1: Connor Stalions stands on Central Michigan’s sidelines wearing a disguise for their season-opening game against Michigan State.
Oct. 19: Yahoo Sports reports that Michigan is being investigated by the NCAA for impermissible in-person scouting.
Oct. 17: An outside investigative firm approaches the NCAA on Oct. 17 (according to The Washington Post on Oct. 25) with documents and videos it obtained from computer drives maintained and accessed by Michigan coaches, which helps launch the NCAA’s probe.
Oct. 20: Michigan suspends Stalions — a retired Marine Corps captain who began working with the program in a formal capacity in May 2022 — with pay for his alleged role in the sign-stealing.
Oct. 25: Sports Illustrated reports that Stalions boasted via texts about stealing opponents’ signs to a student at a Power Five school looking to break into the industry. The report added that Stalions claimed he had a document roughly 550-600 pages long detailing a plan for Michigan’s future. Stalions dubbed the document “the Michigan Manifesto.”
Oct. 26: ESPN reports that NCAA enforcement staff was on the Michigan campus that week looking into the sign-stealing allegations.
Oct. 27: A former Division III coach tells ESPN he was paid “a couple hundred dollars” by Stalions to attend three Big Ten games over the previous two years to record the sideline of a future Michigan opponent. The coach said he would then upload the video to a shared photo album that he does not know who beyond Stalions had access to.
Oct. 29: The Wall Street Journal reports Michigan rescinded a new contract offer to Harbaugh that would have made him the highest-paid coach in college football. Harbaugh denies the report a day later.
The same day, Sports Illustrated reports that multiple unnamed sources from a Big Ten school said they were warned by another coach in the conference that Michigan’s ball boys on their sideline would listen in on play calls and communicate that information back to the Wolverines’ sideline by holding the ball in a particular hand.
Oct. 31: Images emerge of a man who looks like Stalions on the Central Michigan sideline during its Sept. 1 game against Michigan State. Central Michigan launches an investigation on the matter, with findings yet to be publicly revealed.
That same day, the NCAA launches an investigation into Stalions’ appearance on the CMU sideline.
Nov. 2: First-year Purdue coach Ryan Walters, two days ahead of his game vs. Michigan, says he believes the sign-stealing occurred, noting that “we know for a fact they were at a number of our games.”
“They aren’t allegations,” Walters said. “It happened.”
Nov. 3: Stalions resigns at Michigan, exiting after refusing to cooperate with any internal or external investigations.
The NCAA gives CMU a notice of inquiry.
Nov. 7: ESPN reports that Michigan believes Purdue received the Wolverines’ offensive signals from Ohio State and their defensive signals from Rutgers in advance of the 2022 Big Ten championship game.
Nov. 10: The Big Ten suspends Harbaugh for his team’s three remaining regular-season games, announcing the suspension as the Wolverines are flying to University Park, Pennsylvania, for a Nov. 11 game against Penn State. Michigan files for a temporary restraining order against the Big Ten, to no avail ahead of the Nittany Lions game.
Nov. 11: Coaching in Harbaugh’s stead, offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore calls more than 30 consecutive run plays in a victory over Penn State, then gives a teary tribute to the suspended coach on Fox.
Nov. 16: Harbaugh and the university withdraw their lawsuit against the NCAA, accepting the three-game suspension. Harbaugh misses regular-season games against Maryland and Ohio State – both U-M victories – though he is allowed to coach in the weeks leading up to the games, per NCAA rules.
Nov. 17: Yahoo Sports reports that Stalions’ sign-stealing scheme was at least partially funded by a Michigan donor known as “Uncle T.”
That same day, Michigan fires linebackers coach Chris Partridge, who allegedly destroyed evidence related to the investigation, a claim Partridge has publicly denied.
2024
Jan. 8: Michigan wins the College Football Playoff championship, dominating Washington at NRG Stadium in Houston with Harbaugh on the sidelines.
April 24: The NCAA questions Stalions via Zoom. Stalions maintains his innocence and denies obtaining signals through scouting in-person or directing anyone to do so.
Aug. 16: Stalions takes a volunteer position as defensive coordinator at Detroit Mumford High School.
Aug. 27: Netflix’s “Untold” episode about Stalions, entitled “Sign Stealer,” is released. In it, Stalions denies any wrongdoing and shares parts of his interview with the NCAA.
Sept. 6: Stalions serves as acting head coach for Detroit Mumford after coach William McMichael suffers a mild stroke. The team loses, 60-0. Mumford athletic director Donshell English denies that Stalions is head coach and that McMichael suffered a stroke, saying the coach was just ill.
Sept. 7: Stalions appears on the Barstool College Football Show pregame live in Ann Arbor to an ovation from fans, who chant, “Con-nor, Con-nor, Con-nor!” He delivers a pregame hype speech on the show, in which he implores head coach Sherrone Moore to “run the damn ball.”
Nov. 5: Belleville High School coach Calvin Norman refutes claims that Stalions is on staff.
Nov. 8: Stalions is seen in the coaches’ box at Belleville’s district final victory over Saline with a headset on. Belleville athletic director Joe Brodie confirms that Stalions is “around” but not officially a member of the coaching staff. Belleville features senior Bryce Underwood, a star quarterback, the No. 1 recruit in the nation and an LSU commit.
Nov. 21: An NCAA review board meets to discuss the CMU investigation. The investigation took so long due to Central Michigan “withholding materials requested by the enforcement staff” and “providing false or misleading information.”
Nov. 22: Underwood flips his commitment to Michigan. Stalions later denies having any influence on Underwood’s decision.
2025
Jan. 28: Michigan accuses the NCAA of “grossly overreaching” and “overcharging” the school with punishment for the sign-stealing in a 137-page document.
May 5: Michigan announces a two-game suspension for head coach Sherrone Moore over his alleged deletion fo 52 text messages with Stalions, which were subsequently recovered via “device imaging,” according to the NCAA. Moore’s suspensions are set for Week 3 at home against Central Michigan and Week 4 on the road at Nebraska.
June 6: Members of the Wolverines brass including coach Sherrone Moore, athletic director Warde Manuel and university counsel meet with the NCAA’s Council on Infractions in Indianapolis to discuss the case. Reporters waiting outside the courthouse see Stalions, but he reportedly did not participate in the process.
June 27: The NCAA serves Central Michigan with a Notice of Allegations regarding Stalions and his presence at the CMU-Michigan State game, though that isn’t announced until July 29.
July 12: Stalions refutes claims made by TCU head coach Sonny Dykes that Dykes knew about the sign-stealing and modified their signs ahead of the Horned Frogs’ CFP semifinal matchup with Michigan in December 2022, in which TCU defeated Michigan, 51-45. Stalions says that Michigan’s loss was due to poor play more than any sign-related changes the Horned Frogs made.
July 21: Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti pens a letter to the NCAA saying that Michigan should receive no further punishment for the alleged misdeeds. Petitti arguea in the letter that the Big Ten had already addressed the matter sufficiently when it suspended then-head coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three games of the 2023 regular season.
The NCAA has charged Michigan with 11 rules violations, including six Level I infractions, which are the most serious misdeeds in the NCAA rule book.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Connor Stalions: A complete timeline of the Michigan football sign-stealing scandal
Reporting by Matthew Auchincloss, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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