Whenever Big Noon Kickoff returns to Columbus, it’s a safe bet Dave Portnoy won’t be getting a warm welcome.
Not that he was ever going to, as Ohio State fans made it clear where they stand on the Barstool Sports founder throughout his debut on the weekly Fox pregame show this past weekend. But if Portnoy’s prediction that the Buckeyes would beat Texas was intended to be an olive branch to OSU fans, any goodwill that was created has already been undone.
Toward the end of Tuesday’s premiere of Wake Up Barstool, a conversation about the Los Angeles Chargers’ Super Bowl odds prompted Portnoy to discuss the fallout of Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal. And in doing so, the Boston native floated the possibility that the entire ordeal could result in Ohio State being the program to face the most severe punishment.
“There was a story and I didn’t really want to give it too much air because I don’t like to do things like that. It’s innuendo at this point. CBS News did report it, that supposedly there was a mole on the Michigan team — an Ohio State mole — a player who was stealing things off laptops, illegally recording Connor Stalions,” Dave Portnoy claimed. “I don’t know how much truth is there, but I’m hearing that potentially this guy was ineligible for breaking the law and Ohio State may have to vacate everything, which would be quite the turn of events.”
Dave Portnoy: “CBS News did report it, that supposedly there was a mole on the Michigan team — an Ohio State mole — a player who was stealing things off laptops, illegally recording Connor Stalions… I don’t know how much truth is there, but I’m hearing that potentially this guy… pic.twitter.com/ZGHFHI5yab
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 2, 2025
The report that Portnoy was referring to appears to be one from CBS Detroit, which details claims from a private investigator that a former member of the Michigan roster had lied to the NCAA by stating that former linebackers coach Chris Partridge told players not to cooperate with investigators, recorded a phone call with Connor Stalions and provided material information to an unnamed private investigation firm regarding the sign-stealing scheme. The private investigator providing the information to CBS Detroit also presented evidence indicating that the former player in question took videos from Stalions’ personal computer in an unauthorized manner and turned them over to an unnamed firm, which handed them over to the NCAA to kickstart the investigation.
But while such claims may prove significant in Michigan’s appeal of its sanctions, Ohio State isn’t mentioned anywhere — directly or indirectly — in CBS Detroit’s report. Obviously, there’s a big gap between Michigan having a mole and Michigan having an “Ohio State mole” as Portnoy claimed, even as he added the qualifiers that the story was “innuendo at this point.”
Innuendo or not, Portnoy’s comments undoubtedly won’t sit well in Columbus, both with Ohio State fans and the program itself. If nothing else, it certainly adds a new layer to Portnoy’s presence on Big Noon Kickoff, which has already led to the 48-year-old claiming that the Buckeyes banned him from appearing inside its stadium during this past weekend’s season premiere.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.