Report: Former D3 Coach Admits Michigan Paid Him to Record Big Ten Games amid Scandal

A former Division III football coach says Michigan football staff member Connor Stalions gave him "a couple hundred dollars" and a Wolverines football ticket in exchange for recording the sidelines of Michigan's upcoming opponents, according to ESPN's Dan Murphy.

ESPN's Pete Thamel and Mark Schlabach last week identified Stalions as "a person of interest" in the NCAA's ongoing investigation into alleged sign-stealing by Michigan.

The former D-III coach says he recorded the sidelines of home games at Rutgers and Penn State last season and then uploaded photos to an album Stalions had access to, per Murphy. The former coach was not sure who else could see the photos.

The former coach told Murphy he also attended a Penn State home game Massachusetts on October 14 and was given tickets to the Nittany Lions' home contest against Indiana on Saturday. Michigan is set to face Penn State on November 11.

Stalions was suspended with pay by Michigan last Friday pending the results of the NCAA investigation. Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reported last week that Big Ten opponents were aware of the program's alleged sign-stealing "well before the NCAA got involved." It is believed that the alleged sign-stealing scheme dates back to 2021.

"Multiple" staff members of Big Ten teams named Stalions as the leader of the alleged operation, according to Dellenger.

The former D-III coach told Murphy he spoke only to Stalions about the plan. Stalions paid him from his own Venmo account for each of the three games he attended, per Murphy.

During those games, the former coach said "he filmed every drive from his seat in the stands about 15-20 rows above field level," per Murphy.

"He said he tried to film wide enough to include the sideline and the majority of the team's on-field formation so members of the Michigan staff would be able to sync his videos with other film and decode the team's signals," Murphy wrote.

The former coach specified that he captured sideline video with enough detail to determine signals after zooming in, Murphy added.

Thamel and Schlabach reported earlier this week that Stalions had purchased tickets to more than 35 games at 17 stadiums and forwarded tickets to at least three people.

Of Michigan's 13 possible Big Ten opponents, 12 have records of Stalions purchasing a ticket to at least one of their home games, per Thamel and Schlabach. Thamel and Schlabach also reported Stalions had purchased tickets to at least four non-Big Ten games featuring potential playoff contenders.

Attending non-team games to scout future opponents in person is explicitly banned by the NCAA. No timeline has yet been set for the NCAA's investigation, which Dellenger said could span "months, if not years."