Sherrone Moore‘s Michigan just wrapped up its most crucial weekend of the year—and no, it had nothing to do with a fall Saturday or the Big House packed with 110,000 fans. This time, it was all eyes on Indianapolis, where the Wolverines traded cleats for courtrooms. On June 6 and 7, the NCAA held hearings regarding the infamous Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal. And let’s be honest—this wasn’t just some procedural sit-down. This was the season’s biggest showdown, and Michigan wasn’t exactly suited up for victory.

The scandal? Connor Stalions, a former analyst on Michigan staff, allegedly bought tickets and sent people to record the sidelines of future opponents. Those signal tapes were low-key funneled back to him, decoded, and reportedly used to Michigan’s benefit. The rule he broke? NCAA bylaw 11.6.1: No in-person, off-campus scouting of future opponents. It’s been a rule since 1994. Stalions didn’t just flirt with the rulebook—he set it on fire.

While Michigan ran the table and lifted the trophy in January 2024, the real judgment day came in June 2025. And the fallout? Well, Sherrone Moore’s feeling the heat. He may not have started the fire, but he’s holding the extinguisher now. He deleted 52 messages with Stalions during the investigation. And Michigan’s solution? A convenient two-game suspension. Not exactly a major penalty when those games are against Central Michigan and Nebraska, but he’ll be coaching against Oklahoma in Week 2.

RJ Young didn’t sugarcoat anything when he dropped his take on Sherrone Moore and the Michigan Wolverines’ fate after court hearing. On his Adapt & Respond podcast, he said, “I genuinely think that Michigan is going to have something handed to them in a way of punishment for breaking NCAA bylaw 11.6.1—off-campus in-person scouting of future opponents is illegal, okay? But what the extent of that is going to be, we don’t know. Like, Warde Manual has already said he doesn’t think a postseason bowl ban is going to be part of it.”

RJ Young dropped the hypocrisy check: “However, Ohio State fans would like to say, Uh uh uh uh, no no no no no no no—we got a postseason ban for less.’ The dude sold some gold pants for some tattoos, and y’all had a conniption about it—so much so that when 2012 comes around, they run the table at Ohio State, and they don’t get to play for a national championship. That should have been one of two national championships that Urban Meyer has.” 

And let’s talk about that. In case you all forgot, Jim Tressel’s downfall came from players swapping gear for tattoos—something that wouldn’t even break today’s NIL rules. Tressel resigned, OSU vacated wins, and Urban’s 12-0 squad in 2012 couldn’t even sniff the postseason. Fast forward to 2024, and Michigan just ran a full-on decoder ring operation during a 15-0 natty run. The contrast is wild.

RJ Young finally laid out the potential punishment for Sherrone Moore by the NCAA: “I think that we’re going to get something like miss games for Sherrone Moore, but I don’t think it’s going to go beyond that. I think Connor Stalions showing up—kind of a curveball, kind of a plot twist—but is it going to affect the overall punishment? No. If anything, I just want to see how far they get in, as far as being able to put this down, because once again—Ohio State, they got a postseason ban for less. It only seems fair that you would give Michigan a postseason ban in 2025 for this.”

Let’s be real here. The NCAA is playing the long game. They’ve already stacked receipts on Moore, who was tagged for recruiting violations during COVID. That technically makes him a repeat offender. And that’s not just a buzzword—it’s a buzzsaw. Repeat offenders open themselves up to stiffer penalties, including postseason bans. Yet, it sounds like the NCAA is more likely to hand Moore a few extra missed games than drop the hammer on the whole team. RJ Young even speculated that we’ll probably see “some games missed for Sherrone Moore,” but nothing much beyond that. All thanks to Connor Stalions’ surprising appearance.

Connor Stalions plot twist saves Michigan’s day?

Connor Stalions, the man who blew the whole thing up, actually showed up to the hearings. Yes, the guy who was supposedly off the grid, possibly never to be heard from again, walked into the hearing room like it was just another Monday morning meeting. Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde spotted him and noted, “It would be surprising for someone who stonewalled investigators to show up at the hearing. If he wants to coach again and defend Michigan, that could explain it.”

Stalions’ surprise appearance wasn’t just optics—it might’ve shifted the tone. If he’s cooperating, it makes Michigan’s case look a little less shady. And let’s face it, having the guy at the center of the scandal show up with answers is way different than having him ghost the investigation. Could it change the outcome? Maybe not entirely. But it throws a wrench in the narrative.

That also gave Michigan’s brass a glimmer of hope. Athletic director Warde Manuel said publicly that he doesn’t think a postseason ban is coming. Even NCAA President Charlie Baker backed off from any talk about vacating Michigan’s national title. If the top brass is already calming the waters, maybe this ends with fines, restrictions, and another suspension—but no hammer.

Still, let’s not act like it’s all good in Ann Arbor. The NCAA infractions committee is still holding the cards. And they’ve got plenty of history to reference. Like the 2010 Ohio State mess, which spiraled into lost wins, bowl bans, and a coaching resignation. What’s clear is this: Michigan fans want to move on to the Bryce Underwood era (obviously). They already watched Jim Harbaugh sail into the NFL sunset, title in hand. They’re putting their faith in Moore in year 2. But that trust is fragile. If the NCAA hits them with more penalties, especially anything postseason-related, things could spiral.

So now we wait. Will Moore face a harsher penalty? Will the team be docked scholarships or face recruiting limitations? Or will Michigan escape with only bruised reputations and some headlines? The Connor Stalions plot twist gave Michigan some breathing room. Whether it’s enough to avoid the full wrath of the NCAA remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure—if they skate, Ohio State fans will never let it go. And honestly? Who can blame them?