Born and bred Michigan Wolverines superfan Connor Stalions always knew that he would coach his favorite team one day. Growing up, as he mapped out his career path, every decision he made was meant to lead him down a path like that of his idol, legendary former University of Michigan coach Bo Schembechler. Not long after Stalions finally made it to the University of Michigan sidelines, however, the team’s winning streak came under scrutiny due to allegations of sign stealing. By the time the Wolverines won the National Championship in January 2024 — for the first time since 1997 — evidence mounted against Stalions, and he was forced to step away from the team he loved.
“They dragged my name in the mud, they dragged Michigan’s name in the mud for months,” Stalions says in UNTOLD: Sign Stealer about the controversy. “My whole life changed.”
“Connor has always been a very focused, driven kid,” says Stalions’ father, Brock Stalions, in the documentary. “He knew from a young age that he wanted to be the head football coach at University of Michigan.” In UNTOLD: Sign Stealer, clips from Stalions’ childhood home videos show him dressing up as a Michigan coach for Halloween and erupting with joy when the team wins a championship. When Stalions was a teenager, he learned that a large number of the most successful college coaches had been military men, so he enrolled in the United States Naval Academy. There he became a student coach and was tasked with deciphering the opposing team’s signals. Stalions discovered he had a talent for figuring out what each hand signal meant, and realizing which signalers were bluffing. During Stalions’ tenure, the Naval Midshipmen football team’s record improved markedly.
Decoding signals while watching a college football game in real time or reviewing tape-recorded footage is permissible, according to the NCAA. When Stalions attended a University of Michigan coaches clinic and volunteered his services, he told the staff that deciphering signals had been his role when he coached at the Naval Academy. As a marine stationed at Camp Pendleton in 2018, Stalions flew all over the country on his own dime to watch Michigan games and glean what he could about the opposing teams’ signals. “Any employer and any person who has a dream would be blessed to have somebody with Stalions’ tenacity as a part of their team,” UNTOLD: Sign Stealer director Micah Brown tells Tudum.
Eventually, a friend of Stalions connected him to a network of sign-stealing aficionados, and he realized that the Michigan Wolverines’ coaching staff were vastly outclassed. Teams all over the country were easily deciphering Michigan’s signs and converting that intel into wins on the field. In 2021, Stalions became a paid member of the Wolverines’ coaching staff.
Michigan football’s record was volatile in the years leading up to Stalions’ hiring. In 2019, the team earned a 9-4 record, finishing third in the Big Ten and losing to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl. In an abbreviated 2020 season, their record was 2-4, hampered by illnesses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. By the time Stalions was hired in 2021, the team was in a state of transition, and Michigan brass gave Stalions the time and resources to properly decipher the signs of opposing teams. He developed databases, maps, and manifestos, all meant to ensure the best outcome for Michigan. Michigan went 13-1 in 2022, eventually losing to TCU in the College Football Playoff semi-finals. And as the 2023 season got underway, Michigan suddenly tore through their competition, racking up multiple straight wins and no losses.
But in October, the NCAA revealed that they were investigating the University of Michigan for rule violations regarding sign stealing. They alleged that Stalions had been sending operatives to rival teams’ games all over the country to scout and film opponents’ signals — which is forbidden by the NCAA’s rules. Fans of the Wolverines’ rivals called for Michigan’s wins to be investigated, and Stalions was suspended with pay. After stepping away from his position, Stalions released a statement saying that Michigan coaches and staff had not engaged in any wrongdoing.
As soon as the NCAA investigation began, media outlets and football fans began to dig for more information about Stalions’ background. After the team suspended Stalions, it seemed that the chatter might die down — until someone who looked like Stalions was spotted on the Central Michigan University sidelines and speculation flared again. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy claims that Stalions confirmed it was him. Stalions responds somewhat cagily to the accusation in UNTOLD. “If there is no good guy and bad guy, it’s like the world doesn't really exist as black-and-white,” director Brown tells Tudum. “It exists a lot in the gray.” As Stalions puts it in the doc, “I don’t break the rules. I exploit them.”
The NCAA investigation eventually led to the suspension of head coach Jim Harbaugh for three games, but the Wolverines continued to win under the guidance of offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore. Football fans who already disliked University of Michigan kept digging for dirt while making memes about Stalions’ seemingly diabolical yet curiously clumsy manner of pushing his team to victory.
“What makes sports so interesting is that people want to create alliances. They want to cheer for something, and that helps them detach from regular life,” Brown tells Tudum. “In the college football space especially, you have people that align with teams because it represents a whole body of people that are like them.“
While allegations circulated among football fans that Michigan was paying people to scout signs all over the country, the speed and intensity of the NCAA’s investigation in the middle of a season led some to wonder who tipped off the organization. When news emerged that a third-party firm had given a packet of information to the NCAA, including some of Stalions’ documents, it seemed possible someone had been tasked with taking Michigan down by any means necessary — a theory that created even more grist for the rumor mill.
Though Stalions wasn’t a part of the team by the time Michigan won the National Championship in 2024, he still expresses joy at having been able to witness the Wolverines’ victory. Still, some claim that the team’s championship win is tainted until the NCAA’s investigation is complete. In April of this year, Stalions agreed to sit for an interview with the NCAA, and the footage of this meeting — which until now has never been made public — is featured in UNTOLD. In it, Stalions is questioned about his actions, and in turn, his legal team questions the NCAA about whether the information was obtained through legal means.
On August 25, 2024, the NCAA issued a Notice of Allegations seeking a three-year coaching ban for Connor. He intends to challenge it through the full infractions process. The NCAA also issued allegations against the University of Michigan for institutional violations and advanced, in-person sign stealing. The 2024 college football season now features in-helmet communication for some conferences, which effectively eliminates the need for sign stealing.
Stalions is still involved in football, coaching at a Michigan high school.
“Whether you’re making a film or running a football team, you can’t teach people to care,” Brown tells Tudum, describing Stalions’ dedication to the sport. “You can teach people to be better at a craft, but you can’t teach people to care. And Connor cares more than anybody, so I know that whatever he does next, he’ll be wildly successful at it.”
Watch UNTOLD: Sign Stealer on Netflix now.
