While ESPN’s College GameDay is live from Ann Arbor ahead of No. 10 Michigan hosting No. 3 Texas, the home Wolverines are not immune from some targeting there. Host Rece Davis delivered some of that with a shot at controversial ex-Michigan analyst Connor Stalions, who resigned last year amidst allegations of an against-NCAA-rules remote scouting and sign-stealing operation.
When not pivoting to Netflix documentaries or Barstool appearances, Stalions is now a high school football coach for Samuel C. Mumford High School, a public high school in Detroit. He typically serves as the volunteer defensive coordinator there, but made his debut as an interim head coach this week in Livonia, Michigan (less than an hour from Ann Arbor) after head coach William McMichael suffered a mild stroke. That did not go well, as Davis noted (in a transition out of a segment on Michigan’s facilities):
“Connor Stalions… the interim head coach for Detroit Mumford. Now apparently, a lot of signals got crossed for Mumford last night. Didn’t get all the signs… 60-nil.” – Rece Davis on College GameDay in Ann Arbor🏈📺🎙️ pic.twitter.com/6Xbn8YwLnq
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 7, 2024
The “Didn’t get all the signs” there is quite the shot. Of course, there’s some context in Stalions’ favor surrounding this 60-0 loss to Flint’s Hamady High School (who went 9-1-1 last year). Mumford has gone just 4-22 since 2022, including 1-8 last year. And Stalions was stepping in on very short notice.
Stalions was also doing so amidst some contradictions about his role. While McMichael told CBS’ Dennis Dodd “Connor is leading the team now” and Detroit Public Schools Community District executive director of athletics Jay Alexander confirmed Stalions as the interim HC at Mumford to ESPN’s Jake Trotter, Mumford AD Donshell English told Mick McCabe of The Detroit Free Press Stalions wasn’t the head coach, saying “all the coaches are coaching the team” (and also denying that McMichael had suffered a stroke).
In any case, this game didn’t go well for Stalions or his team. And it’s interesting to see GameDay not only blast him with a line about the alleged sign-stealing operation, but to see them do so from Ann Arbor. Some of the show’s past comments there, particularly from Michigan alum Desmond Howard, have been much more defensive of the Wolverines and critical of the reporting on them and Stalions. And while they have made some Stalions jokes in the past too, it’s notable to see that happen in this fashion at Michigan.
[Awful Announcing on X/Twitter]
