The NCAA is investigating the University of Michigan for alleged sign stealing, the Big Ten announced Thursday afternoon.
Dan Wentzel and Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports was the first to report this.
The NCAA has opened an investigation into No. 2 Michigan over possible rule-breaking around in-person scouting of opponents, sources tell @DanWetzel & me.
NCAA has alerted the Big Ten, the league confirmed to @YahooSports without revealing specifics.https://t.co/EXxXc90hZA
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 19, 2023
According to Yahoo!, Michigan is alleged to have had people attending games of future scheduled opponents and potential College Football Playoff opponents. The purpose of their presence was to find out info on signs these teams use for play calling on both sides of the ball. If Michigan is found guilty, it will have violated NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1. This bylaw says that “Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited.”
In a statement, Michigan said it’s “fully cooperating with the Big Ten and the NCAA.”
“At the University of Michigan, we are committed to the highest ethical and integrity standards for all members of our community.”
The Big Ten said the NCAA notified both Michigan and the conference Wednesday, and the conference said it’s told Michigan’s future opponents, which include Penn State Nov. 11 at Beaver Stadium.
The conference has also issued a statement.
“The Big Ten conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation,” the statement read.
This isn’t the first investigation Michigan football has faced recently. Harbaugh didn’t coach in the first three-games of this season due to a self-imposed suspension. This suspension was due to Michigan being in hot water for alleged recruiting violations said to have occurred during the COVID-19 dead period, as well as Michigan not cooperating with NCAA investigators.
Michigan faces four Level II NCAA violations. The governing body isn’t expected to make a ruling until next year.
On the field, Michigan’s 7-0 and ranked No. 2.
