Nearly two years after the scandal first surfaced, the NCAA has delivered its final verdict on Michigan’s sign-stealing saga.
The investigation found that between 2021 and 2023, Michigan ran a widespread, off-campus, in-person scouting and sign-stealing operation. The program committed multiple major violations, including impermissible recruiting, failure to monitor, withholding evidence, and failure to cooperate.
The NCAA classified these as aggravated, repeat Level I violations — the most serious category in college sports.
Despite the scale of misconduct, Michigan will keep its 2023 national championship. The NCAA declined to vacate wins, claiming it would be unfair to punish current players for violations committed by now-former staff.
But the damage is done. The findings cast a long shadow over Michigan’s title run and the integrity of its program during the affected years.
The financial penalties are historic, but the program’s pockets run deep:
- Michigan must forfeit projected postseason revenue for the 2025 and 2026 seasons — totaling over $20 million.
- The program was hit with a $50,000 fine, a 10% cut to its football budget, and a 10% reduction in year-end scholarship costs.
- The school will serve four years of probation.
- Recruiting will be restricted: a 25% reduction in official campus visits and a 14-week ban on recruiting communications for the 2025–26 cycle.
Several individuals also received stiff penalties:
- Connor Stalions, identified as the ringleader, received an eight-year show-cause penalty.
- Jim Harbaugh, now head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, was hit with a 10-year show-cause order that kicks in after an existing four-year ban.
- Head coach Sherrone Moore faces a two-year show-cause and a three-game suspension.
- Denard Robinson, the former Michigan star and staff member, received a three-year show-cause.
The NCAA may have stopped short of stripping the Wolverines of a trophy, but critics argue the covert nature and scope of the scheme gave Michigan an unfair edge — even if the exact competitive impact can’t be measured.
The title remains on the books. Whether it remains respected is another question.