In the eyes of some, Michigan's 2023 national championship season still has an asterisk.
While the Wolverines consistently looked like the best team in college football during the 2023 campaign, the season was rocked by a sign-stealing scandal that led to coach Jim Harbaugh's second suspension of the season and the ousting of two assistants — including one who found himself at the center of the allegations.
Harbaugh left Ann Arbor to return to the NFL after the season, leaving first-time head coach Sherrone Moore to deal with the ripple effects of the scandal at an otherwise enviable program given Michigan's brand and resources.
Here's everything you need to know about Michigan's sign-stealing scandal and the price the Wolverines are paying for it.
MORE: Ranking the 16 greatest Michigan players of all time
Michigan sign-stealing scandal timeline
The NCAA informed Michigan on Oct. 18, 2023, that it was investigating whether the team scouted opponents in person in an effort to steal signs.
While sign-stealing is allowed if it's not done using electronics to relay information to players or coaches, programs cannot send anyone to scout a future opponent in person within the same season. That rule has been in place since 1994.
ESPN first reported that Michigan staffer Connor Stalions was a central focus of the NCAA's investigations.
According to Yahoo, two of Michigan's opponents initially reported to the NCAA that they were concerned about the Wolverines potentially stealing signs. The Athletic reported on Oct. 19, 2023, that Michigan State initially considered not playing the scheduled game against the Wolverines "out of concern for health and safety" of the team's players, but the program decided to play as scheduled. Michigan won 49-0 in East Lansing.
ESPN reported on Oct. 23, 2023, that Stalions bought tickets "for more than 30 games at 11 Big Ten schools over the past three years." The outlet further reported that Stalions bought tickets on both sides of Ohio Stadium for the Week 8 Penn State vs. Ohio State game in 2023, but they went unused after news of the investigation broke.
The Stalions' revelations sent sleuths combing through old game footage for suspicious behavior, with one clip from the 2022 Michigan-Ohio State game drawing significant attention on social media. Stalions — standing next to then-Wolverines defensive coordinator Jesse Minter — appears to be looking intently at the opposite sideline, then begins signaling as coaches and players around him follow suit.
Video from last year's OSU vs Michigan game appears to show Connor Stalions who is at the center of the alleged sign stealing operation standing next to the UM defensive coordinator.
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) October 24, 2023
See their pre-snap interaction:
Here is better quality video and story https://t.co/aOX1HCRdmN: pic.twitter.com/Q6nNYt2t9x
Additionally, video surfaced of an unidentified person wearing sunglasses and dressed in Chippewas gear on the Central Michigan sideline during a game against Michigan State. Reports in 2024 confirmed the NCAA believed it had evidence that Stalions was indeed the person on Central Michigan's sideline.
Central Michigan is investigating if the person on the right here is Connor Stalions on the CMU sideline at Michigan State earlier this season.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 31, 2023
AD Amy Folan: “We became aware of these photos late yesterday and we are in the process of determining the facts surrounding them." pic.twitter.com/ncazAghBbS
On Nov. 10, 2023, the Big Ten announced it found Michigan violated the conference's sportsmanship policy by operating an "impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years." The conference's statement says the scheme gave Michigan an unfair competitive advantage.
The conference described Michigan's violations as "pervasive" and "systemic," reiterating that they were not limited to just one season. Harbaugh was suspended for the remainder of the 2023 regular season, though the conference did not find evidence he was aware of the scheme. Harbaugh returned following Michigan's win over Ohio State and guided the Wolverines to a national championship.
In August 2024, the NCAA sent Michigan a formal notice of allegations, charging the program with 11 violations — including six considered Level I, the most significant type of infraction in the NCAA's system.
Michigan forcefully pushed back om the charges, accusing the NCAA of "grossly overreaching" and vowing not to negotiate a resolution to the case in a letter sent to the NCAA in January 2025. In May, however, Michigan self-imposed a two-game suspension on coach Sherrone Moore, who was the team's offensive coordinator in 2023 and deleted text conversations with Stalions.
MORE: Ranking the 15 greatest Ohio State players of all time
What is Michigan's punishment for sign-stealing?
On Aug. 15, 2025, the NCAA announced penalties against Michigan: three fines, including a fine "equivalent to the anticipated loss of all postseason competition revenue sharing" reportedly in the range of $20 million. Head coach Sherrone Moore was also suspended one additional game, which will be served in 2026, on top of the two-game ban Michigan already self-imposed.
Additionally, the NCAA is issuing a 10-year show cause for Harbaugh, an 8-year show cause for Stalions and a 3-year show cause for Denard Robinson. A;; would have a tougher time being hired by a college program as long as the show cause is in effect. None are currently on a collegiate staff.
Michigan announced it is appealing the NCAA's rulings.
Full Michigan punishments here. pic.twitter.com/DPcGYiYM6A
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 15, 2025
Michigan already paid one price for the sign-stealing scandal when the Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for the remainder of the 2023 regular season. The Wolverines also imposed a two-game suspension on coach Sherrone Moore in May, in an attempt to get ahead of the NCAA's ruling.
Who is Connor Stalions?
Stalions was quickly identified by ESPN as a "person of interest" to the NCAA amid the investigation into the allegations.
Stalions is a retired captain in the United States Marine Corps and was considered a "low-level staffer" at Michigan before resigning in the wake of the scandal. As "low level" as he might have been, Stalions apparently played a significant role in Michigan's sign-stealing operation.
According to ESPN, "it was known in the building that [Stalions] spent much of his time deciphering opponents' signals, often watching television copies of opponents' games." Despite Stalions' working in the recruiting department, he posted images of himself standing next to two former Michigan defensive coordinators on the sideline during games before the scandal unfolded.
Reports in 2023 detailed how fixated Stalions was on Michigan football even before he joined the program. At one point, Stalions created a 500-600 page document he called "the Michigan Manifesto" — a blueprint describing his plans to lead the Wolverines program into the future.
Stalions was initially suspended without pay and resigned on Nov. 3, 2023, citing a desire not to cause distractions for the team.
MORE: Ranking each college football team from 1-136 entering 2025
What is sign-stealing in football?
Sign-stealing in college football occurs when a team deciphers its opponents' signals to better predict which type of play is being run and gain an advantage.
If a team is making its signals obvious, there are no rules against its opponent deciphering those signals and using it as an advantage. There are, however, rules against both in-person scouting of future opponents and using video to record signals.
According to the NCAA rule book, "any attempt to record, either through audio or video means, any signals given by an opposing player, coach or other team personnel is prohibited." Teams are also not allowed to scout a future opponent in person in the same season.
Michigan was accused of scouting future opponents not to get a feel for how they play, but to figure out which signals correspond with which plays. By keeping an eye toward the sideline or an eye on the field and figuring out which signal corresponds with which play, the Wolverines' defense could have known what play an opponent is about to run and gained an artificial advantage.