What Michigan is doing is not a big deal

Scouting isn't a crime

Jim Harbaugh started the 2023 season serving a self-imposed three game suspension due to his involvement in recruiting activity during the NCAA’s recruiting “dead period” in 2020.

Because he and Michigan decided to move forward with a suspension implied they know they did something wrong. They’d rather serve the suspension during three cupcake games than in the thick of B1G play.

College football coaches are psychos. They’re the kings of their own little world. They’re not letting the world coming to screeching halt stop them from building a program. There’s not a single sensible coach that wasn’t recruiting during COVID. And if they did, they’re probably 3-4 right now.

Michigan and Harbaugh did it. Got caught. Served their penalty. Water under the bridge.

Now Harbaugh and the program are once again under heat and this time it’s a bit more serious. The NCAA has opened an investigation into Michigan allegedly stealing signs from their conference opponents.

The allegations include a Michigan staffer attending opponents’ games and recording signals.

Apparently the staffer stealing signs was using his cell phone to record opponents’ sideline the entire game. Stellar battery life. Elite storage space. If I try to send a text message in a stadium my iPhone XR practically explodes.

But honestly… who cares?

Teams have been stealing signs for a long time. It’s why a lot of teams hold up a big tarp to block their play callers from TV cameras.

And sure, Michigan isn’t simply taking signs they see on TV or in film sessions. Sending a staffer to games solely to watch play callers is taking “scouting” to a whole new level but it’s still isn’t anything terribly surprising or out of bounds.

Hell, high school baseball teams in metro Atlanta send assistant coaches to region opponents’ games to scout players and try to pick up on signs. To avoid a team knowing our signals, we had different signs for each inning and would change those signs up every 3-4 games.

It’s just odd. If a Michigan staffer watches your grad assistant call in a play against Bowling Green in September and you’re using the same sign against a conference opponent in October/November, you had it coming.

Really the best part of all this is Paul Finebaum’s thoughts on the issue.

"I think he's going to leave college football and go back to the NFL," Finebaum said. "I think he's had enough of what this sport is really all about… If he gets the offer he wants he is going to depart college football."

The idea that Harbaugh would say, “Screw this. If I can’t cheat the way I wanna cheat I’m going back to the NFL” is great.

At the end of the day, this is an overreaction; from both fans and media. Sign stealing isn’t the reason Michigan bullied Ohio State the past two years. If anything that recruiting during COVID has probably done more good than the sign stealing.

Everyone that’s up in arms over this probably loves that Barry Bonds isn’t in Cooperstown.