Travis Williams on sign-stealing concerns: 'If you crazy enough to keep the same signals, that's on you'

The Michigan football sign-stealing debacle was a major topic of debate during the 2023 college football season.

Ever since the controversy came out, stories of just how common sign stealing is throughout college football have been revealed. Perhaps none have been as descriptive as Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams, who revealed an interesting perspective on the matter during Razorbacks fall camp.

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“It’s so funny, you’ll be shocked,” Williams explained. “During the week, I know offenses all around the country, they’re gonna look at — they’re gonna get a TV copy. They looking at the signals, just one person. That’s your only job. looking at the signals. And then, boom, ‘Oh, we can’t get, we can’t get the defensive signals? Okay, well, let’s see what the defensive players are signing.’ Then, then they’ll try to get it that way.”

Former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions reportedly went as far as going out in the stands in order to copy down the opposition’s signals. Williams said that some teams keep their signal copiers in the press box while others have multiple down on the field.

Williams explained that this is the point of teams using curtains on the sideline. They block those in the press box from looking at the signals that are being called on the field. Teams wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t important to them, he said.

“They’ve got different ways,” Williams continued. “I remember we played Louisville and he was really good. And I saw the TV copy, and I could just see the whole time he’s just watching, watching, watching and then at halftime they’ve got your signals. We played him the next year, I was at UCF. We played them that next year and I got his contact. I called him, like, ‘Hey, I need it,’ and he sent me the whole thing. He said this is what we had and it was like 80% correct.

“We had to change our signals, because they just pass it around. So they just send it to the next. So we play SMU and Rhett Lashlee and them, and they had the same signals. I wasn’t mad that he sent it around but I would’ve been mad if we didn’t change it.”

Putting the blame not on the opposing team for reading his signs, but on himself for not adapting to them is an interesting perspective indeed.

“You just know it’s all over college football,” he said. “So that’s not — it’s nothing new. It’s not one of those deals where it’s like, unethical or something like that. Like they do it and if you’re crazy enough to keep the same signals, that’s on you.”