Sources: NCAA investigating Michigan football for alleged rule violations related to sign stealing..

The NCAA is investigating the Michigan football program for allegedly violating rules that prohibit teams from scouting, in person, future opponents, industry sources told Yahoo Sports.

The allegation pertains to NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which reads: “Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited,” sources say.

The Big Ten Conference received notification from the NCAA that the organization is conducting an investigation into the Wolverines, a league spokesperson said. The spokesperson declined to confirm any more details.

“Late Wednesday afternoon, the Big Ten Conference and University of Michigan were notified by the NCAA that the NCAA was investigating allegations of sign stealing by the University of Michigan football program,” the Big Ten said in a subsequent statement released Thursday. “The Big Ten Conference has notified Michigan State University and future opponents. The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation. The Conference will have no further comment at this time.”

Teams are normally provided extensive video footage to scout opponents. At issue, according to sources, is whether Michigan used unnamed individuals to attend games of both scheduled opponents and possible College Football Playoff opponents in an effort to gather information on the signs they use to call both offensive and defensive plays.

Sign stealing is not technically prohibited and has a long and colorful history as part of the game. Scouting opponents in person has been prohibited since 1994. Whether the NCAA believes Michigan was using staffers or others who may be loyal to the program is unknown. So, too, is whether information was detailed via video or some other means or if head coach Jim Harbaugh is involved.

Michigan is 7-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country heading into a rivalry game Saturday at Michigan State. The Spartans staff was notified of the situation earlier this week.

Two of Michigan’s opponents this season told Yahoo Sports they became aware that Michigan knew their play signs. Sign stealing does not violate NCAA rules unless the team uses in-game, electronic equipment to relay the information to players on the field or amongst coaches. The 2023 NCAA football rule book addresses sign stealing in a general way under a section titled Prohibited Field Equipment. It states that “any attempt to record, either through audio or video means, any signals given by an opposing player, coach or other team personnel is prohibited.” No corresponding penalty is listed.

The rule book does express the need for coaches to follow the so-called “Football Code” and states that “only the highest standards of sportsmanship and conduct are expected of players, coaches and others associated with the game.” It further lists numerous examples of unethical and unsportsmanlike conduct but sign stealing is not among them.

Regardless, the extent of this operation apparently concerned the NCAA. In-person scouting was prohibited for almost all circumstances in 1994 as a cost-saving tool. Teams commonly use hand signals or visual pictures on signs held aloft on the sideline to tell the quarterback or defensive captain the play.

Stealing those signs has been a gray area in the past and teams routinely switch up their signals to guard against it.

Among college coaches, Clemson is believed to have been particularly adept at it in the past. Much of the speculation fell to former defensive coordinator Brent Venables, now the head coach at Oklahoma. At the 2021 Sugar Bowl, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields said he huddled to call plays more often in an effort to prevent Clemson from stealing signs. Other teams have used curtains, hard-to-read colors and other methods to try to disguise play calls.

Michigan is already under NCAA investigation for a series of Level II rule violations that include Harbaugh meeting with recruits during a COVID dead period, using too many coaches in practice and watching player workouts on Zoom. The school suspended Harbaugh for the first three games of the season after a negotiated resolution between the school and the NCAA for a four-game suspension collapsed. The case is expected to be heard after the 2023 season.

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Tony Dungy has witnessed almost everything you could think of during his lifetime in football.

He has experienced quarterback controversies. He knows what impending ones look like and how best to deal with them.

Despite undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent’s solid performance in the Bears’ 30-12 win over the Las Vegas Raider, Dungy doesn’t see a quarterback controversy in Chicago … yet.

“I think you go back to Justin Fields. You have to because he’s your future,” Dungy said on the latest episode of the Under Center Podcast. “But to steal a line from Danny Green, my old boss: ‘Nobody loses their job to injury, but sometimes you don’t recover 100 percent.’ Denny would say he’s not quite there yet. And he’ll be back when he’s totally right. But what I think it gives you is you don’t have to rush Justin Fields back. If Bagent comes out and plays the way he did this past week, and they win the game — yes, you want to get back to Justin Fields, but you’ll let him practice, make sure everything’s absolutely perfect, because if it’s not, then OK, you can go another week. Now Tyson comes back and wins another one. Now you got a tougher decision. But I would say this is Justin Fields team when he’s healthy, but he’s got to be absolutely 100 percent.”

Bagent, the record-setting quarterback from Division II Shepherd, went 21-for-29 for 162 yards and one touchdown in the win over the Raiders.

The 23-year-old operated the offense, was accurate, threw with anticipation, and avoided the negative plays.

But it was something else that stuck with Dungy.

“Tyson Bagent just impressed me with poise. And that is the number one thing,” Dungy said. “People look at quarterbacks and they look at arm strength and, you know, touch and all of those things. And that’s great. But what quarterback in the NFL is all about is knowing where to go with the football, throw it to the right person, and then when things break down, what do you do when it’s not exactly in rhythm? And that’s what I saw from him, that it didn’t throw him off. Things didn’t have to be perfect. He made good decisions. And I was I came away very, very impressed with his first start.”

While there’s no quarterback controversy with the Bears, Dungy saw how the Bears’ offense operated with Bagent at the controls and their success with that plan of attack. If that continues, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus could face a murky quarterback picture when Fields returns.

Dungy has seen unheralded guys come in and take starting jobs away from supposed franchise guys. It’s a difficult decision to turn away from the guy who is supposed to be the future, but Dungy believes it’s important to follow the pulse of the locker room.

“With quarterbacks, you know, when they have it and when they don’t, and you’ll see — Tyson Bagent, they may win, and maybe he’s just playing OK. But if he’s the reason they’re winning, players know that, the locker room knows that, and now you’re going to have a different situation. I’m not saying we’re going to get to this, or we have gotten to this. But it’ll be pretty evident. It’ll be pretty clear.

“Kurt Warner came in the 1999 season. Trent Green got hurt. Kurt Warner starts lighting it up. Say Trent Green could have come back three or four weeks later. Well, you know, those players knew what they had in Kurt Warner. And I think it’s the same thing with Brock Purdy. You see it in other situations. And as a coach, you can do damage if somebody has got it and you don’t play them. That can be tough. ”

To Dungy, Bagent getting an “extended audition” due to Fields’ dislocated right thumb could complicate a situation that, for the moment, remains straightforward.

“If you go three, four or five weeks and you’re playing this offense, that is more drop back pass-oriented, more traditional play-action and you’re winning, then it’s hard to step away and say, okay, we’re going to put Justin back and go back to this other offense that we ran. And I think the 49ers kind of found that with Purdy. Hey, he’s doing some things. We’ve got him going, and we’re winning. We’re winning more. We keep winning. We keep winning. Well, you know what? He’s pretty good now, so we’ll see. It’s only been one game with Tyson Bagent, and we’ll see. But if he strings together a couple more like this, it would make it a difficult call.”

The Bears were impressed with Bagent during his first career start. They also managed him and didn’t put too much on his plate in terms of vertical throws.

Tight end Cole Kmet called it “pretty good quarterback play.” Wide receiver DJ Moore wasn’t surprised that Bagent looked unfazed by the moment.

It was a good win in which Bagent showed he’s a capable backup quarterback who might develop into something more down the road.

Dungy is clear about where the Bears’ QB situation stands now.

“Justin Fields is your quarterback until proven otherwise.”

If Bagent proves himself to be the better option — as Warner and Purdy did — the Bears will have to make a tough choice.

But we’re nowhere close to that scenario … yet.