The Michigan football sign-stealing scandal keeps getting more interesting and controversial by the day.
A day after a Sports Illustrated report stated that Michigan taped and attempted to steal signs from opponents out of the Big 10 including Clemson, Georgia and Tennessee, Football Scoop reported more details that could potentially connect Tennessee.
According to Football Scoops’ John Brice, Michigan not only scouted potential College Football Playoffs opponents but also might have assisted their opponents.
“Moreover, a source with direct knowledge indicated to FootballScoop that Michigan may have attempted to assist the opposition of a potential CFP opponent in an effort to disrupt that team’s potential path to the Playoff,” Brice wrote.
The Tennessee-Kentucky game was the matchup that Michigan staffer Connor Stallions purchased and transferred tickets for. The matchup against Kentucky came a week before the Vols’ loss at Georgia and three weeks before their loss at South Carolina.
“Really just heard of that a little while ago, that that had happened,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference Wednesday about the report Michigan scouted the Vols last season. “It’s something for us that offense, defense and special teams that I think every team in the country is and we’re certainly trying to hide your signals and constantly change them up and making sure no one is getting a beat on you. For us, that’s obviously important with the form of communication that we have with our guys that are out on the field.”
South Carolina defeated Tennessee 63-38 last season in Columbia as the Gamecocks torched the Vols’ defense and Hendon Hooker tore his ACL early in the fourth quarter. Tennessee’s second loss of the season affectively ended its College Football Playoff hopes.
Tennessee beat Vanderbilt to end its 2022 regular season before defeating Clemson in the Orange Bowl to end Josh Heupel’s second season 11-2 (6-2 SEC).
With the Michigan scandal in the news, sign-stealing in football, how common it is and how beneficial knowing an opponents signals is have been popular questions for coaches this week. Heupel addressed that final question during the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday.
“Well it has the ability for a play caller to change what they’re calling,” Heupel said. “It’s not that you’re going to go execute that call perfectly but it may give you an advantage as far as what structure you may be playing in in any phase of the football game. So that would be the element of it.”
