Connor Stalions shares hopeful reaction to Will Wade news
By David Wasson
Published:
The belief that “everyone deserves a second chance” is certainly common in sports – and even a disgraced former Michigan football assistant is hopeful that applies to him.
Connor Stalions, who was as the center of the Michigan football sign-stealing scandal that came to light during the 2023 college football season, noticed that basketball coach Will Wade is reportedly leaving NC State for LSU – along with Arkansas bringing back formerly-disgraced football coach Bobby Petrino – and offered a hilarious X post.
The post, which included a GIF of former Boston Celtics great Kevin Garnett hollering “anything is possible” after the 2008 NBA championship, came as Wade was leaving Raleigh and LSU was firing coach Matt McMahon.
Stalions was a defensive analyst for the Wolverines from May 2022 to October 2023 and played a pivotal role in the scandal that got him fired by the university and issued an 8-year “show cause” penalty by the NCAA.
The scope of Michigan’s sign-stealing operation included both video evidence of electronics prohibited by the NCAA to steal signs and a significant paper trail – with Stalions purchasing tickets in his own name for more than 30 games over three years at 11 different Big Ten schools.
Stalions stayed in football, though, and served as a coach at Belleville (Mich.) High School in 2025.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
