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It’s been more than a year since the Michigan sign-stealing scandal rocked the college football world, and there are a number of questions that remain unanswered. That includes the mystery of how Connor Stalions infiltrated the sideline at a Central Michigan game—a subplot that has gotten a bit thicker now that CMU coach Jim McElwain has announced his impending retirement.
It’s still kind of wild that Michigan was even allowed to compete for the national championship they ultimately secured last season in the wake of the wild saga that unfolded after the world learned Wolverines staffer Connor Stalions had repeatedly and routinely traveled to games featuring teams Michigan was slated to play to steal the signs that undoubtedly made life easier for the guys in maize and blue.
It wasn’t a particular elaborate ruse, as Stalions simply purchased tickets that provided him (and some co-conspirators he recruited) with a solid view of the opposing team’s sideline before filming and decoding their hand signals.
However, there was at least one pretty wild exception thanks to what transpired when Michigan State faced off against Central Michigan on September 3, 2023—a game where Stalions was seen standing on the Chippewas sideline clad in the team’s gear and was even captured interacting with one their coaches during the game.
The Spartans were understandably outraged by his presence less than two months before Michigan handed them a 49-0 beatdown. The NCAA eventually launched an investigation into the matter that still hasn’t come to an end, and earlier this month, we learned it had turned its attention to Central Michigan head coach Jim McElwain to determine if he was somehow complicit.
McElwain spent a single season serving under Jim Harbaugh as the wide receivers coach at Michigan before taking the job at CMU ahead of the 2019 season. He firmly denied he had any role in Statlions gaining access to the sideline when addressing the situation last year.
His staff heading into the 2024 campaign included Jake Kostner, a QB coach and Michigan alum who spent four years serving as a student assistant to the two men during his time in Ann Arbor, but he was somewhat mysteriously fired a month before the season kicked off.
Now, things have taken another intriguing turn, as the 62-year-old McElwain revealed his sixth season at Central Michigan will be his last when he announced he’ll be retiring once the Chippewas wrap up the year against Northern Illinois on November 30th.
According to a press release issued by the school, McElwain won’t be severing ties with CMU entirely, as he plans to serve as a “Special Assistant to the Athletic Director ” after stepping down from his job as head coach.
The fact that he’ll still be associated with the university would suggest the move doesn’t have anything to do with the Stalions inquiry, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how the seemingly endless investigation ends up playing out.