Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
It seemed like the Connor Stalions saga may have finally come to an end after the NCAA hit Michigan with a slap on the wrist over the scandal he sparked. However, we’ve been treated to a new twist concerning the loose thread involving a game where he seemingly infiltrated CMU’s sideline while scouting a future opponent.
Plenty of college football fans were hoping the NCAA was going to bring the hammer down on Michigan over Connor Stalions, the former staffer who had his sign-stealing scheme exposed during the season that ended with the Wolverines winning a national championship.
Last week, the governing body doled out some punishments in the wake of a drawn-out investigation. Michigan avoided a postseason ban but will have to shell out a hefty fine, while Stalions and Jim Harbaugh were both hit with largely meaningless “show cause” penalties that nonetheless ban them from being involved with the program for eight and ten years, respectively (current head coach Sherrod Moore will also have to sit out three games over the course of the next two seasons).
That report did not address Stalions’ presence on the Central Michigan sideline while rocking Chippewas apparel during their showdown with Michigan State in 2023, but a new one has shed some new light on what appears to be an inside job.
A CMU coach reportedly got Connor Stalions a sideline credential and the gear he wore while spying on Michigan State
The revelation that Stalions had repeatedly traveled to other schools in a quest to steal signs from teams that Michigan was preparing to play was a bombshell on its own.
However, things got even weirder when some internet detectives tracked down a clip that seemingly showed him standing on the CMU sideline and wearing the team’s gear during their season opener against Michigan State in East Lansing on September 1, 2023 (the Spartans suffered a 49-0 loss at the hands of Michigan around a month-and-a-half later).
Well, well, well…
Is that Connor Stalions wearing CMU gear, on the CMU sidelines as they opened their season up against Michigan State? pic.twitter.com/Bxl8Bzeail
— AthletesInSpace (@AthletesInSpace) October 31, 2023
There was initially some speculation he’d managed to sneak onto the field, but the plot thickened when CMU fired quarterback coach Jake Kostner, who had worked under Harbaugh while attending Michigan during a period where Stalions was unofficially involved with the program.
Chippewas coach Jim McElwain also announced his decision to retire at the conclusion of last season after the NCAA announced it was looking into Stalions’ presence at the game, and it wasn’t a huge stretch to assume he was involved in some capacity.
According to CBS News, that may have been the case, as the outlet spoke with multiple sources who said “a CMU coach initiated contact with Stalions and that then-head coach Jim McElwain was likely aware of and approved of the arrangement to secure Stalions a sideline credential and outfit him in CMU-issued gear.”
It’s unclear if Kostner is the coach in question, but it sure seems like he’s the prime suspect based on everything else we know.
The NCAA still has not completed the investigation targeting CMU, and while it seems like there may also be some punishments coming its way, the fact that the most likely culprits are no longer working directly for the football team suggests it may follow the Michigan discipline model.