Michigan football just can’t seem to escape scandals this season, with head coach Jim Harbaugh’s self-suspension for alleged COVID-related recruiting violations now followed by allegations of Michigan partaking in sign-stealing during actual games.
While sign stealing itself is not a violation, the methods for it can be. And Michigan has allegedly committed NCAA violations regarding the program illegally gaining intel on an opponent’s signs during actual gameplay, something Harbaugh has denied.
Response has been mixed. For example, Colorado’s Deion Sanders didn’t seem to think it was a big deal, while some think Rutgers’ Greg Schiano recognized what was allegedly going on when his team played Michigan earlier this season.
Now, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has shared his two cents on the situation, with his Bulldogs team having played Michigan in 2021 College Football Playoff semifinals.
Georgia slammed Michigan with a decisive 34-11 victory in the 2021 playoff contest, and allegations have surfaced that Michigan may have sent someone to illegally scout Georgia in-person ahead of that game and a possible 2022 playoff matchup.
Well, Smart said he didn’t notice anything fishy when his team played Michigan. However, some fans feel Smart’s words have a subtle dig in them for how badly his team topped Harbaugh’s when they played.
“There’s nothing I remember about the Michigan game that makes me think that,” Smart said about him noticing any sort of Michigan sign-stealing advantage.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart talking about if he was aware that Michigan were stealing signals from them. ⬇️
"There's nothing I remember about the Michigan game that makes me think that." 😳
Straight Savage. pic.twitter.com/g5BYmqFvR4
— College Transfer Portal (@CollegeFBPortal) October 25, 2023
It’s admittedly a bit of a stretch to surmise Smart was trying to throw shade at Michigan as much as he’s just saying he didn’t notice anything in the moment when those two teams played back in 2021. But we suppose it’s possible there is some pettiness in there?
However, that didn’t stop college football fans from finding some salt in Smart’s comments.