Connor Stalions became college football’s most infamous figure as the architect of a sign-stealing operation in 2023. But in a recent appearance on OutKick, Stalions made a surprising admission that Ryan Day and Ohio State have essentially made themselves unstealable this season by adopting the one tactic that renders sign stealing completely useless. 

“To be honest with you, I think they have kind of stopped this year because they have huddled. It’s kind of the same approach that Michigan started. Once they started huddling, there is no use for it,” he said. “If you see teams go up-tempo, there is 99% chance that they are stealing signals this year. Credit to Ohio State; probably the smartest thing Ryan Day did this year was really slowing down, and you see all the numbers; they have saved an entire game’s worth of reps for the starters. But with that, not going up tempo, you can’t really steal signals.”

Day’s decision to pump the brakes on Ohio State’s traditionally fast-paced offense has been one of the most underrated adjustments of the 2025 season. The Buckeyes have moved away from the tempo-based attack that defined their offense for years. They instead opted to huddle up and call plays the old-fashioned way. 

By slowing things down, Ohio State eliminated the need for sideline signals that up-tempo offenses rely on. These are the very signals that Stalions and others built entire scouting operations around stealing. It’s not exactly revolutionary. It’s football as it was played for decades before the spread offense took over. But in 2025, when Stalions estimates that 99% of up-tempo teams are stealing signals, going slow is actually the most innovative thing you can do.​

The added bonus of this tempo change goes beyond just being unstealable. It’s kept Ohio State’s starters significantly fresher throughout the season. Day has publicly mentioned, “Efficiency is what we’re after.” It means fewer snaps over the course of a 12-game season translate to healthier bodies when it matters most. 

In college football, depth and durability often determine championship runs. So, having your first-string guys fresh for the postseason is a massive advantage. The offensive line stays healthier, the skill position players have more burst late in games, and the defense doesn’t have to spend as much time on the field dealing with opponent possessions.​

When the tempo change wasn’t enough

Ryan Day’s decision to slow down the offense might have made Ohio State un-stealable this season. But it didn’t prevent them from getting punched in the mouth by Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game. The top-ranked Buckeyes fell 13-10 to the undefeated Hoosiers in Indianapolis. It was a stunning upset that exposed some uncomfortable truths about this year’s team. 

Freshman quarterback Julian Sayin was sacked five times for a loss of 29 yards. The offensive line (despite supposedly being fresher from all those saved reps) couldn’t protect him when it mattered most. Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer watched that performance and came away with serious doubts about whether this team has what it takes to make a championship run.

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“If you’re coaching a locker room of grown men, I mean, like, older, mature guys—and that’s what they had last year. That was the most mature group,” Meyer explained on the 3xOption Show. “The Wolverines did it two years ago, with a mature team. The Buckeyes did it last year. This is the first time they’ve been hit in the face.” 

He also criticized Sayin, saying that he “didn’t play exceptionally that day” and that the offensive line “struggled against Indiana.” Meyer noted that OSU’s first playoff opponent will be either Miami or Texas A&M. “But again, at this point, if it’s a mature locker room that goes to work and plays to their potential, there’s a great chance they can win this thing out. If it’s a younger team, they won’t.”

So while Ryan Day’s tempo adjustments might have solved the sign-stealing problem, the Indiana loss revealed a different kind of vulnerability. This has nothing to do with signals and everything to do with whether this team can respond when adversity strikes.​