It’s not looking good for Michigan or head coach Jim Harbaugh.
According to ESPN.com, the NCAA’s investigation of sign stealing by Michigan has determined that football analyst Connor Stalions bought tickets in his own name for more than 30 games at 11 different Big Ten schools over the past three years.
Stalions reportedly bought the tickets and then forwarded them to others.
In every case, Michigan was not an opponent. The games involved one or more teams that Michigan would play later in the season.
Per the report, one Big Ten school examined surveillance video from a game earlier this year, determined that the person sitting in the seat purchased by Stallions held his smartphone up and appeared to be filming the home team’s sideline throughout the game.
Stalions also had purchased, according to the report, tickets on both sides of the stadium for Saturday’s Penn State-Ohio State game. Michigan plays each team in the coming weeks.
The NCAA banned advance scouting in 1994, in order to save money for all member schools.
Michigan already is under investigation for allegedly illegal recruiting during the COVID-19 dead period. Harbaugh served a school-imposed three-game suspension earlier this year after a proposed four-game suspension was rejected by the NCAA.
Harbaugh has denied any knowledge of the sign-stealing situation. NCAA bylaws make him responsible, even if he did not know it was happening.
The situation will serve only to increase speculation that Harbaugh will try again to return to the NFL. He coached the 49ers from 2011 through 2014. He interviewed for the Vikings’ job in 2022 and the Broncos’ job in 2023.