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Connor Stalions Goes On Wild Rant Responding to Sonny Dykes
In the history of great written works lost to time, it seems a tragedy nearly on par with the Library of Alexandria's burning that the thousand-plus page Connor Stalions manifesto may never see the light of day. However, early in the hours of Saturday morning, the college football world received a glimpse into just how unhinged Stalions can present himself in print.
On the morning prior, acclaimed Amazon shopping cart detective Brett McMurphy posted a story with new quotes from TCU head coach Sonny Dykes regarding his knowledge of Michigan's sign stealing antics ahead of the 2022 College Football Playoff. The article relays that Dykes' staff was "inundated with phone calls and texts" regarding the Wolverines' operation to steal opponent signals. Dykes himself said that, "everybody does it to an extent, but we had some intel that it was kind of next level there.”
Tipped off about Michigans sign stealing system in 2022, Sonny Dykes told @On3sports TCU changed its play calls before their College Football Playoff semifinal. Everybody does it to an extent, but we had some intel it was kind of next level there.https://t.co/R1x45SBtpu
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 11, 2025
Dykes went on to say that because TCU anticipated Michigan would heavily lean on the intel they had for a competitive advantage, the Horned Frogs were able to exploit what "we knew they knew." He believed the Wolverines ultimately became frustrated enough about the situation in the second half that "they quit worrying about it."
Just shy of 1 a.m. ET on Saturday morning, with his pride wounded by Dykes, Stalions felt compelled enough to respond directly to the story from his X account despite his acknowledgement of the NCAA's ongoing investigation into his conduct.
To be tipped off that your next opponent is good at stealing signals is like saying you were tipped off that you had an upcoming game.
— Connor Stalions (@cpstalions) July 12, 2025
Not merely satisfied with his brief response, Stalions came unglued over the next seven minutes and fired off six paragraphs in which he proceeded to make a series of wild admissions and statements. Those included throwing Michigan players under the bus for their performance against TCU, that he's never been "fooled" by anyone, and that he knew "almost every signal" against at least seven high profile opponents in games between 2021 and 2022.
To save everybodys time so we can move on from the same recycled story from Coach Dykes, Ill provide some more details and we can wrap this up:
— Connor Stalions (@cpstalions) July 12, 2025
We lost because we turned the ball over & had a poor game tackling. And TCU played well. Congratulations. The same way we won the
Stalions also called it "funny" that anybody would attempt to correlate stealing signs to any wins and losses at Michigan. When asked by an Ohio State fan about committing NCAA violations, getting a game ball if he offered no value and his invasion of the Central Michigan sideline, Stalions claimed he can't discuss details of an ongoing investigation.
Hey DPH! Id love to answer your questions, but unfortunately Im not allowed to discuss details of an ongoing NCAA investigation. And answering a few of those questions directly would be doing exactly that.
— Connor Stalions (@cpstalions) July 12, 2025
But Im looking forward to being able to address those questions (if
This is the first time Stalions has commented publicly on the sign-stealing scandal since the NCAA's hearing with Michigan last month in which president Charlie Baker indicated a ruling would release within the next 30 to 90 days afterwards. The behavior from the former Wolverine analyst certainly appears curious given not only Michigan's attempt at a preemptive punishment for head coach Sherrone Moore, but also his previous efforts to protect the program's image at all costs. The criticism of player performance in losses particularly seems irregular given how often Stalions has attempted to redirect blame for Michigan's problems onto himself as opposed to athletes or other staff.
Michigan opens its season on August 30th against New Mexico, while Moore will not miss a game due to suspension before Week 3 so that he may coach against Oklahoma — his alma mater. Given the NCAA hearing took place last month across June 6th and 7th, a punishment could possibly arrive as late as two days prior to the road trip to Norman considering the window established by Baker. Stalions indicated he's "glad the truth will finally emerge" when the investigation concludes.
Paul Finebaum Guarantees Texas Beats Ohio State in 2025 Opener
As the beginning of the 2025 college football schedule finally draws near, infamous SEC apologist Paul Finebaum has already achieved midseason form with respect to drawing the ire of Buckeye fans.
Friday morning, Finebaum outright stated that he "not probably — definitely" believes Texas will beat Ohio State in the season opener for both schools while declaring his love for Longhorns quarterback Archie Manning. His profession included the statement that, "I am as married to Arch Manning as an old geezer like me can be."
Paul Finebaum: "I am as married to Arch Manning as an old geezer like me can be to a young, great college quarterback... the experience of being an understudy to Ewers and understanding Sark's system is what's going to get them over the top and probably well, not probably pic.twitter.com/AcJkJNkIH5
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 11, 2025
Finebaum previously picked Ohio State to beat Texas in last season's CFP semifinal round due to a belief that the Buckeyes did not, "have to play that well, they just have to play consistently." However, this time around he believes that Manning having, "experience of being an understudy to [Quinn] Ewers and understanding [Steve Sarkinian]'s system is what's going to get them over the top."
Manning threw for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions in three starts for the Longhorns last season, but also only faced one Power Five opponent in the form of Mississippi State. The Bulldogs finished 2024 with a 2-10 record and lost all eight of their SEC games. The opener in Columbus will also serve as Manning's first start on the road in his college career.
SCORE Act Could Reshape NIL in College Sports
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the "Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Edorsements (SCORE) Act" that could significantly alter the chaotic name, image and likeness landscape for college athletes and programs.
Here's the announcement of the bi-partisan SCORE Act, which has several co-sponsors.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 10, 2025
Full bill text - https://t.co/kg8SylYFXN https://t.co/KwBbhzUdoX pic.twitter.com/VKhkQ5IrLs
Several components of the bill would place parameters around how universities manage both the structure and financial support of their athletic departments. One mandate would require schools to maintain at least 16 varsity sports teams for what many speculate serves as a protection on behalf of Olympic programs. Another provision that would primarily impact Big Ten and SEC institutions appears to be that schools making at least $50 million in media rights revenue will not be able to allocate student fees towards supporting athletic endeavors.
As for new legislative measures impacting athletes themselves, players will not have permission to sign deals that would conflict with university codes of conduct or existing agreements between schools and other companies. This would effectively nullify the deal Jeremiah Smith signed with Adidas earlier this month given Ohio State's preexisting relationship with Nike.
The SCORE Act would also require one of the collegiate associations with oversight to publicly disclose previously anonymous details of these deals — such as finite figure amounts — and would also create a one-time transfer rule.
The Act authorizes an association, such as the NCAA or CSC, to require athletes to disclose deals and aggregate & share publicly anonymized data of those deals.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 10, 2025
Important: the bill allows establishment of a 1-time transfer rule & eligibility standards - both under legal attack.
Although a vote on the bill has yet to receive an announcement, Yahoo's Ross Dellenger relayed at its introduction that the SCORE Act, "is on track to progress further than any all-encompassing athlete compensation legislation." Pete Nankos of On3 said last Wednesday that the first subcommittee markup for the bill could happen as early as July 15th, with a subsequent committee markup by the end of the month.
ICYMI
Brice Sensabaugh Sets New Summer League Scoring Record
Tuesday night, former Ohio State basketball player Brice Sensabaugh scored 37 points in a 112-111 win over the Memphis Grizzlies to set a new scoring record in the NBA's Salt Lake City Summer League. Sensabaugh will look to carry that momentum into his third season with the Jazz after averaging just shy of 11 points per game across 71 appearances last regular season.
EA Sports CFB 26 Releases, Overall Ratings for Buckeyes Now Known
The second installment in the return of college football video games released this past week, as the standard edition of EA Sports College Football 26 became available to the public on Thursday. While Jeremiah Smith did not end up receiving his rumored 99 overall to start the game, he and Caleb Downs still find themselves as the two highest-rated players to begin the season and OSU boasts six total players with ratings in the 90s.
Reflecting on Illibuck Over a Century Later
When Ohio State travels to Memorial Stadium in October to play Illinois, it will mark a 100-year celebration of sorts for the second-oldest rivalry trophy in the Big Ten: Illibuck. Many already know that the tradition began with a live turtle, but few were aware of the facts around his demise in the care of the Fighting Illini or how the Buckeyes avenged his legacy in 1926 — until now.
What’s Next
- 48 Days: Buckeye football season opener vs. Texas
- 111 Days: Jim Knowles returns to Columbus
- 139 Days: The Game
