Connor Stalions recalls getting his sign-stealing start on Niumatalolo’s Navy staff

Connor Stalions, the alleged mastermind of Michigan’s sign-stealing operation that grew into a scandal last year, said in a new Netflix documentary that his first encounter with the fairly common practice of deciphering signals was at the Naval Academy, where he was a student volunteer for current San Jose State coach Ken Niumatalolo.

In the documentary, “Untold: Sign Stealer”, Stalions mentions Niumatalolo on several occasions, but the former Navy head coach is never accused of any wrongdoing. Still, the documentary provides a glimpse into the fine line between information gathering and prohibited espionage.

Before joining Michigan, Stalions, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, recalls walking into Niumtalolo’s office and asking him to be a student coach. According to Stalions’ recollection, Niumatalolo walked Stalions into the offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper’s office and said, “Here’s your new student coach.” When Stalions asked a staff member what he would do on game day, the staff member told Stalions that he could try to decipher opponents’ signals. Stalions attended the Naval Academy from 2013 to 2016.

During Niumatalolo’s decade-and-a-half tenure as Navy’s head coach, the program did not face any sign-stealing accusations near the magnitude of Michigan’s alleged operation. Niumatalolo declined to comment about Stalions for this story.

Stalions, who attended Navy from 2013-16, recalled his first game on Niumatalolo’s staff, a 34-17 loss to No. 5 Ohio State on Aug. 30, 2014. According to Stalions, he deciphered Ohio State’s signals several possessions into the game and began yelling out what the Buckeyes were running.

“That was my first game — the birth of signal deciphering in my life,” Stalions said in the documentary.

Deciphering opponents’ signals is a common practice and not inherently against NCAA rules. The practice becomes illegal when a person scouts a future opponent off-campus and in person during a season, according to NCAA Bylaws 11.6.1.1 and 11.6.1.2. This rule has been in effect since 1994.

The NCAA opened up an investigation against Michigan for allegedly stealing signs en route to the team winning the national championship. Stalions was suspended, then later resigned.

In the documentary, Stalions maintained that his actions were in line with the practices around college football: “If I’m a bad guy, then everyone in football is a bad guy.”