The former Ohio State head coach has reignited the controversy amid the NCAA’s ongoing investigation, claiming that the Wolverines a had a ‘tremendous’ competitive advantage

Urban Meyer has reaffirmed his stance that the Michigan Wolverines had an unfair advantage on the field as a result of their sign-stealing scandal.

The Big Ten Conference program became embroiled in one of the biggest controversies in college football back in 2023 when it was alleged that assistant coach Connor Stalions was stealing upcoming opponents’ signs – an investigation that is still ongoing more than two years later. The accusations came shortly after Michigan, then coached by Jim Harbaugh, had won that year’s national championship.

In more recent times, the Wolverines have been dealt a crushing blow by Notre Dame after the program swooped to secure the commitment of a top prospect in the 2026 class. It comes five months after the Fighting Irish fell to Ohio State in the 2024 CFP final, yet Meyer has since laid out how difficult it will be for the Buckeyes to win a second consecutive national championship.

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The former college football coach, however, has now reignited Michigan’s sign-stealing controversy, in which the NCAA alleges that Stalions was sending friends and family to opponent’s games to record future opponents’ signs.

When the allegations were made, the Wolverines had not long wrapped up a perfect 15–0 record for the 2022 college football campaign, winning their third consecutive Big Ten championship and 12th national championship in program history.

Stalions was subsequently fired and Harbaugh, who now coaches the Los Angeles Chargers of the NFL, remains under investigation. While the NCAA has never directly banned sign stealing in football, Meyer believes Michigan’s alleged form of advanced scouting was illegal.

Speaking on the Triple Option Podcast, he said: “Everybody needs to understand that when you say signals, there are only a couple signals you can get that fast in real time. Is it a run or a pass? Is that significant? Hell yeah it is — it’s a tremendous advantage.

“It changes the entire technique of your defensive front, linebackers. The second everybody knows it’s a pass, that’s a completely different story. And then the whole right or left, if they know it’s a run to the right or run to the left. And that’s why I understand what the advantages are.”

Meyer added: “Whether other coaches have done that before in the past … I’ve never heard of this before. A lot of this is to be determined on the surface, but is it a competitive advantage to know the signals of your opponents illegally? You got them illegally. Of course it is.”

In response to the allegations, Harbaugh was suspended for three games during the 2023 regular season. Linebackers coach Chris Partridge was also let go once the allegations surfaced, becoming the second to leave after Stalions.

Although the NCAA’s investigation into the alleged sign-stealing is still ongoing, Michigan has already begun planning for any potential outcome by self-imposing a two-game suspension on second-year head coach Sherrone Moore.

The suspension will be handed down during Weeks 3 and 4 as opposed to the first two games of the 2025 season, meaning he will miss the clashes with Central Michigan and Nebraska, rather than New Mexico and Oklahoma.

This is the benefit of a self-imposed ban, with the Wolverines able to choose when their head coach serves the suspension. Judging by their decision, it is clear who the program appears to fancy its chances against without Moore in charge.

By: Justin Lafleur

HANOVER, N.H. — Following a sensational season, five members of Dartmouth men’s heavyweight rowing’s varsity eight have been named Empacher-IRCA All-Americans. Leading the way was Billy Bender, who was named an All-American for the fourth time in his career, earning first-team honors for a third time. Miles Hudgins was also named a first teamer, with Isaiah Harrison, Julian Thomas and Munroe Robinson all garnering second team All-America recognition. The five All-Americans are tied for the most nationally.
 
As members of the Eastern Sprints runner-up boat, all five were also named second team All-Ivy League last month.
 
Bender was named a second team All-American in 2021 then first team in 2022 and 2023. Last season, he was away from campus training for the Olympics. Upon his return to Dartmouth, he was in the stroke seat all year for the varsity eight, which went unbeaten in its spring dual season. The crew went on to finish second at Eastern Sprints and third at the IRA National Championship, only trailing Washington and Harvard at IRAs. Dartmouth’s grand final time of 5:30.900 was only 0.15 seconds behind the Crimson in second and just 1.12 seconds behind the national champion Huskies.
 
Meanwhile, Hudgins sat in the five seat of the varsity eight. He was also named an Academic All-Ivy member this season. Along with his success at Dartmouth, he has been a mainstay in the USRowing pipeline as a member of the Under-19 national team in 2021 and Under-23 teams in 2022 and 2024. Last summer, he won gold in the four.
 
A first-year, Harrison jumped right into the varsity eight and impressed, sitting in the four seat at Eastern Sprints and IRAs. Julian Thomas was in the six seat while Munroe Robinson sat in the seven seat, all playing critical roles in the varsity eight’s success. The spring began with a win at Yale, giving Dartmouth the Olympic Axe for the first time in the Axe’s 21-year history. The crew went on to pick up dual victories over Boston University, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Columbia and Northeastern. Thomas has excelled with USRowing as well, with the Under-19 team in 2021 and Under-23 teams from 2022-24. Last summer, he won silver in the eight.
 
The varsity eight’s third-place finish at IRAs marked its highest national finish since 1992.
 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets:

Item No. 1: Dealin’ Don

Since the end of the Stanley Cup Final early last week, business across the NHL has picked up, with a flurry of signings and trades as clubs get ready for next weekend’s draft and the start of free agency.

Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell has yet to join the party, but it’s not for lack of trying. Waddell, who spent part of last week in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., attending a showcase for young Russian players, has been quietly working behind the scenes on moves both big and small.

As colleague Pierre LeBrun reported, the Blue Jackets had talked with the Dallas Stars about Mason Marchment before Marchment was traded to the Seattle Kraken last week.

The Blue Jackets want a top-six forward and a right-shot center, but they also want to reconstruct their blue line with a right-shot (right side) defenseman who can play in the top four. They’d also like to overhaul their goaltending, which has been among the worst in the NHL over the past four seasons.

Yeah, that’s all.

Of course, Waddell may not get it all done — that’s literally every position on the ice, right? — by the time the league settles into its offseason hibernation around mid-July.

As the silly season kicks into overdrive beginning this week, here are six players (or commodities) the Blue Jackets might trade, six players they could trade for and five players they could be expected to pursue via free agency.

Trade chips

1. No. 14 pick: OK, not a player (technically), but this pick will have a name by Friday evening. Waddell has made it clear he’s willing to part with one or both of his first-round picks — he also has No. 20 — but the guess here is he’ll need to add a sweetener (perhaps No. 2 on this list) to land an impact player.

2. Yegor Chinakhov, LW: Chinakhov has plenty of talent; the shot, the speed. But he has had trouble staying on the ice, and if there’s one thing veteran GMs loathe, it’s a player who is frequently injured or is perceived to be unwilling to push through pain.

3. Elvis Merzlikins, G: If we assume there is a market — a team that thinks it can pull Merzlikins’ considerable talent back to the surface — the Blue Jackets would have to consider it. Any deal would likely require the Blue Jackets to pay a portion of his remaining salary (two years, $5.4 million salary cap hit). Failing a trade, a buyout is possible.

4. No. 20 pick: It’s unclear whether this draft is deep enough for anybody to be truly excited about the No. 20 pick, but, hey, you have to listen. Waddell is willing to move one of his first-round picks. He’s not against moving both of his first-round picks, either. Friday could be fun.

5. Ivan Provorov, D: If it becomes clear that Provorov is hitting free agency, there will be several teams lined up to sign him, just as teams were lining up to trade for him at the deadline in March. If a club wants dibs, it might trade for Provorov’s rights so it can negotiate a deal without interference from another club. We see you, Rangers.

6. Cole Sillinger, C: This one would sting. Sillinger is an important part of the Blue Jackets at a very young age, and there’s certainly no desire to trade him. But if the Blue Jackets are in the market for big moves involving significant pieces, they’d have to include impact players, too. Sillinger, who plays behind Adam Fantilli and Sean Monahan, would move the needle for a lot of clubs.

Trade targets

1. JJ Peterka, LW, Buffalo: It seems unconscionable that the Sabres, waiting desperately for their rebuild to gain traction, would move a 23-year-old player who has scored 55 goals the past two seasons. But it doesn’t sound like Peterka is longing for upstate New York. Few would be more familiar with the Blue Jackets’ roster than former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen, who joined Buffalo’s hockey operations department earlier this month.

2. Rasmus Andersson, D, Calgary: The Blue Jackets need a top-four defenseman who can play on the right side. They (desperately) need some grit and nastiness in their top four. Andersson checks both of those boxes. If Dante Fabbro doesn’t re-sign with Columbus, Andersson could potentially get a look on the top pair with Zach Werenski. Andersson has one year remaining at $4.55 million and has a six-team no-trade list, according to PuckPedia.

3. John Gibson, G, Anaheim: The Ducks and Gibson have been rumored to be parting ways for, what, three seasons now? It’s never seemed more likely than now, with youngster Lukas Dostal playing his way into the No. 1 job. The market for free-agent goaltenders is thin. A trade might be the safest bet. Gibson has two years remaining at $6.4 million and a 10-team no-trade list.

4. Noah Dobson, D, NY Islanders: Is this guy seriously available? His name has been kicked about more than you’d expect for a 25-year-old, top-four defenseman who has averaged 11.5 goals and 52.25 points over the last four seasons. The return would have to be substantial, and there would be many bidders.

5. Jason Robertson, LW, Dallas: It’s hard to believe the Stars would even take calls on a two-time 40-goal scorer, one-time 100-point producer who turns 26 next month, but they are reportedly listening. One should assume Waddell has Dallas GM Jim Nill on speed dial — wait, is that still a thing? — but the asking price would be monumental.

6. Martin Necas, RW, Colorado: The salary cap has gone up, but it won’t provide enough relief for the Avalanche, who have been in cap and injury hell for a while now. Necas has a history with Waddell, of course. They were in Carolina together when Necas emerged as a legit NHL top-six forward.

Free-agent targets

1. Mitch Marner, RW, Toronto: It’s also hard to believe the Maple Leafs will let a 100-point scorer walk, but it will likely come to that. If Marner is receptive to the idea of joining the Blue Jackets — and they’re a much more inviting situation now than they were a short while ago — expect Waddell to throw massive term and money at Marner. His addition would make the Jackets one of the NHL’s most dynamic offensive clubs. They might even discover a power play!

2. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Winnipeg: The bigger role he’s long wanted with the Jets would be his in Columbus, including a possible run with Monahan and Kirill Marchenko on the top line. He’s a 25-goal, 60-point player despite modest minutes. He played 15:47 per game last season, which would have ranked eighth among forwards in Columbus.

3. Jake Allen, G, New Jersey: In a thin market, he’s at the top of most lists. If the Jackets part ways with Merzlikins, they’d almost certainly want a veteran player to pair with young Jet Greaves as a new-look tandem. Allen, who turns 35 later this summer, will seek a team that can promise him a shot at being the starter. It might take a three-year deal to land him, though.

4. Aaron Ekblad, D, Florida: The Panthers will try to keep the band together after winning a second straight Stanley Cup title. For a time, it seemed Seth Jones’ arrival would make Ekblad expendable, but he had a tremendous postseason and has made it clear he wants to stay. That’s the only reason he’s No. 4, not No. 1, on this list.

5. Cody Ceci, D, Dallas: This wouldn’t set off fireworks in the Arena District, but Ceci can carry big minutes and play a solid role next to an offensive defenseman. If Fabbro doesn’t re-sign with the Blue Jackets, this might be more likely.

Item No. 2: New rinks

It was a momentous week for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets, whose efforts to build a new facility and add multiple sheets of ice to the growing central Ohio hockey scene took a big step forward.

Delaware City Council approved plans to build a 125,000 square-foot complex — the Performance Impact Arena and Pavilion — that will include three ice rinks and a 6,000-seat amphitheater, which would host concerts in the summer and be transformed into an outdoor rink for use in the winter.

The facility, with a price tag north of $50 million, will be built on approximately 14 acres at the southwest corner of the Sawmill Parkway/Ohio Route 42 intersection, about three miles south of Delaware.

Ohio AAA Blue Jackets president Ed Gingher said the amphitheater, which hopes to host 30 concerts per summer, should be completed by May of 2027. For perspective, the downtown Columbus amphitheater, KEMBA Live!, can hold 5,200 for outdoor concerts.

The hockey rinks will likely be ready for use in the fall or winter of 2027. Gingher said the rinks will be available for use by all levels of hockey, including high school teams and tournaments and local adult leagues.

The Ohio AAA Blue Jackets count current NHL players Sean Kuraly, Connor Murphy, Keifer Sherwood and Jack Roslovic among their alums, along with several other pro players and hundreds of players who have earned college scholarships. Sascha Boumedienne would be the program’s third first-round NHL draft pick, joining Murphy and Roslovic.

When the Blue Jackets arrived as an expansion team in 2000, there were four ice rinks in Columbus. When this project is completed, the area will have 14 rinks, not including the main ice at Nationwide Arena.

Item No. 3: Snacks

• Every NHL GM needs to know how to juggle. Waddell, for one, has a lot of balls in the air right now, which might explain why talks with Provorov have been so slow. The Jackets are looking for a right-side defenseman who can balance their pairs, and the more likely path is via trade. That’s been Waddell’s focus for the last few weeks, and if he lands a top-four defenseman, Provorov is likely expendable. If he figures out he can’t, you can expect the Provorov talks to get serious quickly. (By now, both sides know where they stand, right?)

• Werenski finished second in Norris Trophy voting, the highest a Blue Jackets defenseman has ever landed. When we spoke with him earlier this week, he acknowledged having mixed feelings. “If you would have told me before the season that I’d finish second in the Norris, I would have been ecstatic,” he said. “But when it comes out and you’re second, you want to win it. I thought maybe the voting would be a little closer, but there’s no denying (Cale Makar’s) 30 goals and 90-something points. I totally get why he wins it, right?” Makar earned 176 first-point votes and 1,861 points overall. Werenski earned 13 first-place votes and finished with 1,266 points.

• Werenski said he knew he hadn’t won the award before it was announced, however. It seems the NHL’s new wrinkle this year — they surprised the award winners and captured it on video — was a big hit among fans, and made for a much more enjoyable awards show. But it did reveal to the other finalists whether or not they’d won. “We were in Europe and all of these surprise videos are coming out,” said Werenski, who took a pre-wedding honeymoon with his fiancée. “Nobody surprised me in Europe, right? (laughing) So, I knew two weeks before that I didn’t win.”

• Random item I stumbled upon this week: Mike Sillinger had a heck of an NHL career, totaling 240-308-548 in 1,049 games. But his claim to fame is playing for 12 different franchises (an NHL record) and being traded nine times (tied for an NHL mark). Now get this: His son, Cole Sillinger, who recently turned 22 years old, has already played more games for the Blue Jackets — 286 — than his father did for any of his 12 clubs.

• It sounds like the Blue Jackets and FanDuel Sports Network are nearing a deal to have the regional sports network continue to air games. There are still some details being worked out, but the framework of a deal is in place. FDSN has already announced it will continue to air Cleveland Cavaliers games next season. One issue regarding the Blue Jackets is finding a studio for use when the club is on the road. In recent seasons, host Brian Giesenschlag and analyst Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre have emanated from a Cincinnati studio during Blue Jackets road games, but that studio is no longer available for use.

(Top photo of Ivan Provorov: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)