At the moment, there’s a wave of hyperbole on social media about what benefits Michigan football may have gained from an alleged illegal sign-stealing operation. You have media personalities calling for harsh penalties while the NCAA investigation is in its infancy.
Many pundits argue it gave the Wolverines a significant advantage. Others hearken back to 2020 and note the difference from that year to the ensuing years.
Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson, who wrote the feature on person of interest Connor Stalions last Wednesday, asked a coach that faced Michigan football this season his thoughts on the matter, and the coach simply stated, ‘It wouldn’t have mattered if they had em all or not.’
One of the interesting things about the Michigan thing is how coaches view the act of sign stealing itself specifically as it pertains to this UM team. I spoke to a coach who has faced Michigan this season and he said "it wouldn't have mattered if they had em all or not" https://t.co/d2AyqJfuJ7
— Richard🇬🇾Johnson (@RJ_cfb) November 1, 2023
Johnson continued in a back-and-forth with a commenter that teams that Michigan played against were aware that the Wolverines were good sign stealers and took precautionary measures — and each lost by 30-plus points anyway.