Connor Stalions

Connor Patrick Stalions is an American football coach who is currently a volunteer coach for Detroit Mumford High School. Stalions is best known for his role as the lead perpetrator in the University of Michigan football sign-stealing scandal, which came to light during the 2023 college football season.

After the allegations came to surface, Stalions resigned as a staff member for Michigan, as the team went on to win the 2023 national championship. Stalions starred in Netflix's "Sign Stealer" documentary that premiered on August 27, 2024.

Coaching career

University of Michigan

Role in sign stealing scandal

The NCAA unprecedently publicly announced an investigation into Stalions and the Michigan football program mid-season in October of 2023, which was originally referred to as the "sign stealing" scandal, for Stalions allegedly sending people to opponents' games to film signals. Soon after the news broke, it became public knowledge that almost every college football team steals signals, per Dan Wetzel. It is believed that the NCAA investigation is centered around "advanced scouting," using Stalions' ticket purchase history as the center of the allegation. According to Dan Wetzel, all other Big Ten football programs have turned over ticket purchase information via the Freedom of Information Act, and multiple other coaches throughout the Big Ten have purchased multiple tickets to opponents' games. The NCAA and Big Ten, however, have sought out punishing the University of Michigan football program.

Big Ten Commissioner Tony Pettiti suspended Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh while the team was in mid-flight on the way to State College, PA for its game against Penn State. Offensive Coordinator Sherrone Moore served as the acting head coach for the following three games while Harbaugh served his suspension. Michigan went on to win its last 8 games without Stalions and won the National Championship, defeating the Washington Huskies 34-13.

The NCAA initially reached out to Stalions following the 2023-24 season and interviewed him in the Spring of 2024. No public information has been released regarding what specific bylaw(s) the NCAA alleges Stalions violated. Bylaw 11.6.1 prevents "advanced in-person scouting of a future opponent in the same season" for institutional staff members.

Mumford High School

Volunteer Defensive Coordinator

Stalions volunteered for Detroit Mumford High School as the defensive coordinator in 2024. Prior to Stalions arriving at Mumford, the team had won one game in three seasons. After the head coach William McMichael suffered a stroke, Stalions was chosen to be the interim head coach for Detroit Mumford.