The Michigan Wolverines are expected to receive a Notice of Allegations (NOA) from the NCAA regarding their recent sign-stealing investigation.
While no official notice has been issued, ESPN obtained a draft revealing potential sanctions the Wolverines could face.
Despite the sign-stealing controversy, the Wolverines’ path to last year’s national championship appears unaffected.
Connor Stalions, who orchestrated the sign-stealing scheme, has resigned, and all opponents were aware of the situation. Nonetheless, questions linger about whether Michigan’s success was built on unfair practices.
Over the past three years, Michigan has claimed three consecutive Big Ten titles, secured spots in the College Football Playoff, and won the national championship.
The central concern of the NOA is the possibility of vacated victories.
There is significant speculation about the NCAA possibly vacating Michigan’s wins, including their national championship, from the past three seasons.
However, this scenario appears highly unlikely. The ESPN report indicates no evidence of anyone other than Connor Stalions knowingly violating NCAA rules, which bodes well for Michigan.
The primary issue for Michigan seems to be non-compliance.
New head coach Sherrone Moore deleted 52 text messages exchanged with Stalions after the scandal broke, though the NCAA later recovered them. Moore could face a Level 2 violation.
While this is not ideal for the Wolverines, it’s not catastrophic either.
Last year, Jim Harbaugh was suspended for half of the regular season, yet Michigan still won the national championship. Though unwelcome, Moore’s potential suspension would not be the end of the world.
Recent discussions have suggested a potential postseason ban for Michigan, but the ESPN report does not mention this.
The only punishment highlighted is Moore’s possible suspension. The report also states there is no evidence implicating Jim Harbaugh in Stalions’ scheme, providing some additional relief for Wolverines fans.
The primary concern seems to be non-compliance issues rather than widespread rule violations.
In addition to the sign-stealing investigation, the draft report details several minor recruiting violations.
These include providing a recruit with team gear, paying for a meal, assisting a recruit with Instagram verification, donating to a golf charity event run by a recruit’s father, and sending text messages to a high school sophomore recruit.
These minor infractions are not expected to significantly impact the program.
The official NOA is anticipated soon and will surely bring more clarity to the situation.
Needless to say, Moore deleting 52 text messages he exchanged with Stalions is a development that everyone wants clarity on … Was he hiding something?
At the end of the day, what should the official punishment for Michigan be???