While the 2025 college football season is approaching, the Michigan Wolverines will learn their punishment for the 2023 sign-stealing scandal on Friday. According to a report from ESPN, the NCAA will hold a press conference on Friday afternoon to announce its findings and potentially hand out punishments to the Wolverines and members of its coaching staff, including head coach Sherrone Moore.
Divided opinions on Michigan sign-stealing scandal just part of college football tribalism https://t.co/IknbrKhADt
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 14, 2025
The press conference will be regarding the 2023 sign-stealing scandal overseen by former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions. He allegedly arranged for people to go to the sidelines of future Michigan opponents to film the sidelines in the hopes of learning some of the signs from the opposing coaching staff. This would give Michigan an edge heading into its games.
Sign-stealing is not expressly forbidden, according to NCAA rules. However, schools cannot scout opposing teams in advance. There is very little precedent for this type of scandal in the NCAA. As a result, it is unclear how severe the penalties will be for Michigan and the staff involved. Here are three possible penalties the Wolverines could face.
3 Possible Penalties Michigan Football Could Face for the Sign Stealing Scandal
#1 Sherrone Moore Suspension
Head coach Sherrone Moore was not leading the Wolverines at the time of the scandal, but was the offensive coordinator at the time. He is charged with deleting text messages exchanged with Connor Stalions before the scandal became public. The Wolverines have proposed suspending Moore for two games this coming season (against Central Michigan and Nebraska). The NCAA will likely announce whether it will accept this punishment or add more games.
#2 Vacating Regular Season Wins
Another possibility is for the NCAA to force the Wolverines to vacate regular-season wins from the 2023 season and before. This punishment is typically used when teams field ineligible players. This is notable because Michigan won the 2023 national championship. However, the NCAA does not have oversight over the College Football Playoff and cannot vacate the championship.
#3 Postseason Ban
The most severe punishment the NCAA could hand out is a postseason ban. The Wolverines enter the season as the No. 14-ranked team in the AP preseason poll. This would be a surprising verdict since the NCAA has moved away from sanctions that affect players who had no role in committing violations. So, while unlikely, it is a possibility.
Read more:
- Ryan Day’s Ohio State, Sherrone Moore’s Michigan Can Face Roadblock In Form Of Big Ten Program, Claims Insider
- Who is Connor Stalions? The Man at the Middle of the Michigan College Football Controversy
- Where Is Connor Stalions Now? Updates on Michigan’s Coach at Center of Sign-Stealing Scandal
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