Report: Connor Stalions boasted about sign stealing, relationship with Michigan staff in texts

Suspended Michigan assistant Connor Stalions was reportedly working on a manifesto to run the Michigan football program, according to SI’s Richard Johnson.

In texts obtained by Sports Illustrated, Stalions boasted about his ability to steal signs and his relationships with Michigan staffers. Upon review, Stalions talked about this dating back to January and February of 2021. 

That’s not all. Stalions claimed he became close with linebackers coach Chris Partridge and assistant special teams coach Jay Harbaugh, the son of head coach Jim Harbaugh.

“The specific act Stalions described—deciphering opponents’ signals off of TV footage—is not against NCAA rules,” Johnson wrote for SI. “In the last week, though, the now suspended Michigan staffer has become a household name across college football following accusations and reports that he orchestrated an elaborate scheme to place unnamed associates of his in stadiums of Michigan’s opponents to scout and, in some cases, film opposing coaches’ signals (both acts very much against the rules).”

In this master plan, Stalions wrote about a long-term plan to run the Michigan program.

“Stalions, now 28, revealed that he was part of a small group of people—two of whom he said were at low-level positions on different college football coaching staffs—who were putting their heads together on a long-term plan to run the Michigan football program,” Johnson wrote.

“Stalions claimed to have a Google document between 550 and 600 pages long that he managed daily, containing a blueprint for the Wolverines’ future. He referred the document as a movement more than a plan, dubbing it ‘the Michigan Manifesto.’”

The 2017 Naval Academy graduate bragged about the document and how he would map out the entire future of Michigan football.

“Any idea you could ever have,” Stalions wrote, via SI, “there’s a place where it belongs in the document. It’s super organized. I think it’s pretty rare to find the right type of people who can grasp a vision of the future and want to team up and run s—. And we all got our own stuff goin on, but we all got some pretty unique approaches. 

“Basically the way I see it, there’s a future Ohio State head coach and staff out there somewhere preparing for it whether they know it or not. And we have a group of a half dozen actively planning s— 15 or so years out. And another dozen or two on board. So by the time it’s ready to rock, we’re all on the same page and we quickly make Michigan the ultimate standard.”

Report: Connor Stalions’ short, long term plans with Michigan revealed

Stalions had a long term plan with the manifesto, but one text message exchange revealed the short term plan, presumably what’s been alleged in terms of the sign stealing, among other things.

“Basically for providing products to coaches, what I’m sayin is they have a paid staff they utilize to get what they need,” Stalions reportedly texted. “You can’t ask them what they need. You have to tell them what they need. But it can’t be up for interpretation. It has to be very straightforward, unique, and useful. If it’s not one of those 3 things, it’s pointless.”

One example was Stalions using analysis of recruits’ GPA and test scores to determine data of players outworking their natural abilities.

“While at the Naval Academy, a source close to the football program described Stalions as obsessed with Michigan to an excessive degree,” Johnson wrote. “It was not uncommon for Stalions, even as a Navy student assistant, to attend Michigan games while the Midshipmen weren’t playing at home in Annapolis.”

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has denied having any involvement or knowledge of Stalions’ alleged operation. Stalions is also currently suspended with pay amid the investigation.