Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is one win away from leading the Wolverines to a perfect season and the College Football Playoff championship.
No. 1 Michigan (14-0) faces No. 2 Washington (14-0) in the CFP championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston. Yet the questions about the in-person scouting and sign stealing scandal continue to follow the program. McCarthy's response on the CFP teleconference Wednesday surprisingly targeted the Wolverines' biggest rival.
"It's so unfortunate because there is probably, I don’t want to say a crazy number — but a good number, 80 percent of teams steal signs. It's just a thing about football. It's been around for years," McCarthy said.
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What did J.J. McCarthy say about Ohio State stealing signs?
Then, McCarthy took the next step with a shot at Ohio State.
"We actually had to adapt because in 2020 – or 2019 – when Ohio State was stealing our signs, which is legal and they were doing it," McCarthy said. "We had to get up to the level they were at, and we had to make it an even playing field."
Shots fired? It’s an interesting accusation considering McCarthy was not on the Michigan roster in 2019 or 2020. The Wolverines did not play Ohio State in 2020 after canceling the game during the COVID-19 impacted season.
McCarthy led the Wolverines to victories against Ohio State in 2022 and 2023, including Michigan’s first victory at Ohio Stadium since 2000.
Michigan is under NCAA investigation as part of an in-person scouting and sign-stealing scandal that led to the resignation of staffer Connor Stalions on Nov. 3. Assistant coach Chris Partridge was fired on Nov. 17, and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh served a three-game suspension handed down by the Big Ten. The NCAA is still investigating this case.
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This isn’t the first time Ohio State has been mentioned. On Nov. 20, 2023, Sports Illustrated reported Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown did not change his signals ahead of the 2018 matchup with Ohio State. The Buckeyes won 62-39, and Ohio State coach Ryan Day was an offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes at that time. According to the report: "There is no indication that Day did anything illegal or unethical that day. There was no need. All he had to do was look over at Don Brown."
Perhaps that is where McCarthy’s comments are rooted, but it was an interesting shot given the potential fallout of the looming NCAA investigation and the uncertain future of Harbaugh at Michigan.
McCarthy and defensive tackle Mason Graham were asked about the stigma attached to the sign-stealing scandal given Michigan’s accomplishments this season.
"More of the allegations are coming on the defensive signs of the ball,” Graham said. "We just watch film and get tendencies from other teams … I feel like we have a high football IQ over here at Michigan.”
"It sucks because we work our butts off," McCarthy said. "We do watch so much film and look for little tendencies and spend 10 or 15 minutes on one clip looking at little things."
McCarthy said there is a misconception about the work the players have put in for the Wolverines this season.
"You could say it’s all sign stealing, but there is a lot more that goes into play," McCarthy said. "A lot of stuff gets masked. A lot of work gets masked just because of the outside perception of what sign stealing is all about."