One of the biggest storylines of the college football season last year was the Michigan football sign-stealing scandal. Halfway through the season, the Wolverines' undefeated campaign was flipped upside down as they were under investigation for alleged illegal sign-stealing. It was all traced back to a low-level staffer named Connor Stalions. He ended up resigning shortly after the investigation started, and Michigan went on to beat five ranked teams and win the national championship after that. Now, Stalions is being featured in the Netflix docuseries ‘UNTOLD'.
“Netflix announces ‘Sign Stealer,' a project on former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions & his side of the sign-stealing scheme at Michigan,” Brett McMurphy said in a tweet. “Premieres Aug. 27 as part of Netflix’s UNTOLD series.”
‘Sign Stealer' will feature former Michigan football staffer Connor Stalions and he will share his side of the story from what happened during his time with the Wolverines.
“Connor Stalions shares his side of Michigan's alleged sign-stealing scheme that turned him into a viral villain,” Netflix said, according to a tweet from Brad Galli.
The Connor Stalions story
The Michigan football team finally vanquished Ohio State in 2021 with their first win over the Buckeyes since 2011, and it got them over the hump. They won the Big Ten the next week, and then they made the College Football Playoff for the first time.
In 2022, Michigan beat the Buckeyes, won the Big Ten and made the CFP yet again. The Wolverines were one of the best teams in college football in 2023, and they had goals of winning a national championship. Things were off to a good start as they were 7-0, but then the investigation began.
It is not legal to scout a future opponent in-person, so Connor Stalions instead sent people to games and had them film the sidelines of future Michigan football opponents. He used that to footage to figure out the signs that other teams were using. Sign-stealing in college football is perfectly legal, and it happens often. If a team can figure out a team's signs during a game or from footage that is legal to watch, then great. But the in-person aspect is where things went wrong for Stalions and the Wolverines.
Shortly after the investigation began and Connor Stalions became a household name, he resigned from his position. A lot of people started to wonder if the Wolverines were really as good as they looked the past few seasons. However, the Michigan football schedule worked out perfectly in terms of giving people the answer. They hadn't played any team with a pulse leading up to the investigation. With no signs, they still had a trip to take on top-10 Penn State, and they played #2 Ohio State.
Michigan went on to beat both the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes with no signs and no head coach, as Jim Harbaugh was suspended because of the accusations. However, rival fans still found a way to question the legitimacy of everything. Of course, we all know what happened next. The Wolverines won the Big Ten, beat SEC champ Alabama in the Rose Bowl, and beat undefeated #2 Washington by three touchdowns in the national title game.
The performance by Michigan post-Connor Stalions showed just about everyone, including the commissioner of the NCAA, that the championship was legitimate. Perhaps this documentary will give answers to the few that are still searching.
Mike Sainristil reacts to the news
The announcement of this Netflix episode got the college football world talking on social media, and that includes former Michigan football star Mike Sainristil, who was on that national title team.
If you're a fan of Michigan, or college football in general, you're going to want to watch this.
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