New Michigan coach Sherrone Moore could be facing NCAA sanctions stemming from the Connor Stalions scandal.
According to a report from ESPN, Moore is accused of deleting text messages to the disgraced ex-staffer on the same day that Stalions was revealed to be the leader of a scheme to decipher teams’ play calls via advanced scouting. Michigan is awaiting an official notice of allegations from the NCAA regarding the scandal, and Moore has been named in the draft.
The draft, which could be subject to change, states Moore could face a show-cause penalty and possibly a suspension for allegedly deleting a thread of 52 text messages with former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions in October 2023 on the same day that media reports revealed Stalions was leading an effort to capture the playcalling signals of future opponents.
The draft states that the texts were later recovered via “device imaging” and Moore “subsequently produced them to enforcement staff.” Moore is accused of committing a Level 2 violation, according to the draft.
Moore was Michigan’s longtime offensive coordinator and served as the team’s interim coach when Jim Harbaugh was suspended at the beginning and end of the season. Moore was promoted to head coach when Harbaugh left for a job with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Harbaugh’s suspension at the end of the regular season came from the Big Ten as part of the advanced scouting scheme. It’s against the rules to advance scout teams in person and Stalions had gone to future opponents’ games to gain knowledge of their signals.
According to the ESPN report, the NCAA has also verified that Stalions was on the sideline at Central Michigan for the Chippewas’ game against Michigan State in Week 1 last season. Stalions was shown in CMU gear on the sideline, though it’s still unclear how he gained access to the team’s sideline and how and why he was wearing CMU gear.
Stalions was suspended and then ultimately resigned in November as the scandal became the storyline of the 2023 college football season. Despite multiple suspensions for Harbaugh, Michigan went 15-0 and won the national title after it beat Alabama and Washington in the College Football Playoff.
Stalions has not cooperated with the NCAA’s investigation, though it won’t be long until college football fans have a chance to hear from him. He sat down with Netflix’s “Untold” series for an episode about the Michigan scandal.