Jim Harbaugh, Connor Stalions and the Michigan Wolverines are at the center of an ongoing sign-stealing investigation, but they are not the only ones to have stolen signs in college football history, and Brent Venables is now involved in some new allegations. He and Clemson may or may not have been up to some shenanigans.
Alex Scarborough and Adam Rittenberg of ESPN recently spoke with a bunch of coaches throughout the country and asked them for their thoughts on sign-stealing in college football. Most of them accepted that it is a reality of the game. Coaches and teams are stealing signs on every level of the game, often.
However, one particular anecdote stood out.
It dates back to, arguably, the greatest team in college football history: the 2019 LSU Tigers.
Heisman trophy-winner Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Derek Stinley Jr., Patrick Queen and Kristian Fulton were undefeated in the regular season. They stomped Georgia in the SEC Championship. They put a beatdown on Oklahoma in the CFP semifinal.
And then everything changed during the first quarter of the national championship.
LSU and the most prolific offense in the nation could not get anything going during its first three drives against Clemson. They punted three times. It didn’t really make any sense and head coach Ed Orgeron was frustrated.
He told offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger to “change it up.” The Bayou Bengals proceeded to score touchdowns on five of their next six offensive drives. They won 42-25.
Coincidence? Perhaps.
According to the new report, maybe not.
Sources told Rittenberg and Scarborough that LSU’s staff thought that Clemson sent people to scout their team during the SEC title game and the Peach Bowl. The game sequence may allude to that idea.
It goes even deeper!
Brent Venables, currently the head coach at Oklahoma, was the defensive coordinator at Clemson during the 2019 national championship. Rittenberg and Scarborough said that he “has long been the focal point of sign-stealing speculation, according to multiple sources, though no one has publicly accused him of anything illegal.”
Hmmmmmmmmm……
LSU thought that Clemson stole its signs. Venables is allegedly notorious for sign-stealing.
LSU struggled on offense during the game against Clemson until the staff changed their signs. LSU dominated on offense during the game against Clemson after the staff changed their signs.
All of the allegations are exactly that, allegations. Nothing has been proven. But… it makes you think!