The Michigan Wolverines football program just got hit with one of the biggest penalties college football has seen in a while — and it all stems from a high-profile sign-stealing scandal that refuses to go away.
The NCAA announced Friday that Michigan is facing a multimillion-dollar fine, expected to top $20 million, and head coach Sherrone Moore is getting slapped with an additional suspension heading into the 2026 season.
A Scandal Years in the Making
This whole mess traces back to Connor Stalions, a former Michigan staffer accused of masterminding what the NCAA calls an “impermissible scouting scheme.”
According to the investigation, Stalions set up a network — nicknamed the “KGB” — to secretly scout Michigan’s future opponents in person, something that’s flat-out prohibited under NCAA rules (bylaw 11.6.1, for the rule nerds out there). He allegedly spent nearly $35,000 on tickets in 2022, handing them out so others could film opposing teams’ sideline signals.
Over three seasons, there were 56 separate scouting missions across 13 different programs. It was a full-on operation — and when the heat came, the NCAA says a lot of evidence was deleted, destroyed, or, in one case, literally thrown into a pond.
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Harbaugh’s Legacy Now Tied to It
Former head coach Jim Harbaugh, who led Michigan to the 2024 national title before bolting to the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, also got buried in penalties.
He’s now looking at a massive 10-year show-cause order starting in 2028 — right after he finishes serving a separate 4-year penalty from a recruiting case. The NCAA blasted him for not cooperating during the probe, failing to turn over records, and skipping an interview.
Moore’s Ban Gets Longer
Sherrone Moore, who took over for Harbaugh and already had a two-game suspension for the upcoming season, is now facing a third game without him. That extra game will come at the start of the 2026–27 season.
The NCAA says Moore deleted a 52-message thread with Stalions from his personal phone and also erased a text from his work device related to the scandal. While Moore didn’t create the operation, the NCAA’s “failure to cooperate” finding was enough to bring the hammer down.
A Record-Breaking Fine
While the NCAA hasn’t given an exact number, ESPN reports that — based on conference revenue averages — Michigan’s fine will top $20 million. That’s massive by college sports standards and a clear signal (no pun intended) that the governing body wanted to send a message.
The Fallout
Michigan starts its season August 30 against New Mexico State, but the shadow of this scandal is going to hang over the program for a long time.
The NCAA admitted they may never know the full competitive advantage Michigan gained, simply because so much evidence was intentionally destroyed. Still, sign-stealing — especially when done in person and off-campus — crosses a bright red line in the rulebook.
Notably, stealing signs in real time during games isn’t technically banned under NCAA rules. But doing it through in-person advance scouting absolutely is — and it’s been that way for decades.
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What’s Next for Michigan?
The Wolverines now have to absorb the financial hit, deal with the PR blowback, and try to move forward under Moore — who still has plenty of support in the locker room but will be watching from the sidelines for a few games over the next two seasons.
Harbaugh, meanwhile, will try to keep his focus on the NFL, but this case will follow him for years.
For a program that just won its first national championship since 1997, this is one brutal hangover.
