"They sniffed it out" - Ex-Ohio State star alludes to Michigan stealing signs while questioning Wolverines' win over Buckeyes in 2022

Former Ohio State star Jack Sawyer thinks he saw Michigan's sign-stealing first-hand back in 2022. Sawyer was a guest on "Not Just Football" on Monday, where he was asked about the sign-stealing.

While Sawyer believes he and Ohio State lost to Michigan legitimately in 2024 and 2023, he thinks there was something fishy about his team's 2022 loss to the Wolverines.

"I'll tell you this - I think they beat us straight up, last year obviously, and the year before. But, my sophomore year, we left the field, we were like, 'This feels weird.' We lost, I mean, by double digits, and I felt like we had beat the sh*t out of them all game. You know, we ran a screen pass that we never put in. Not the formation, not the look - anything. "And like, you see him on the sidelines, they're doing it, and we change it, we audible or whatever. And when we ran it, all the d-linemen, as soon as the ball is snapped, the line, linebackers, everybody, they sniffed it out. We ran a tight end screen from the 25-yard line going in. And they snuff it out on the first -"

While the sign-stealing allegations continue to loom over Michigan, Sawyer now ventures off into the NFL. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Michigan remains under investigation for the alleged sign-stealing scheme. The scheme centers around now-former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions. Stalions is accused of purchasing tickets to games of Michigan's future opponents, which include multiple Big Ten schools. He allegedly filmed the team's sidelines and stole their signals across many seasons.

Michigan dealing with dark cloud over program from sign-stealing fallout

Syndication: USA TODAY - Source: Imagn

Connor Stalions has since resigned from his position with the program and is now coaching high school football. As the investigation continues, some harsh punishments could be handed down to Michigan.

Sanctions could even be brought against former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who left the program after the 2023 season and was hired to serve as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL. Harbaugh and the Wolverines won the national championship in his final season with the program.

Michigan will open its 2025 season against the New Mexico Lobos on August 30.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash