Michigan Football Coach Sherrone Moore Reportedly Could Face NCAA Allegations

The fallout from the biggest controversy of the 2023 college football season could be coming.

ESPN’s Dan Murphy and Pete Thamel reportedly saw a drafted copy of a Notice of Allegations (NOA) - not the actual NOA - from the NCAA stemming from the controversy around Connor Stalions and the alleged sign stealing incidents.

The NOA wouldn’t come with any penalties, but it’s a signal that penalties could soon follow.

According to The Detroit Free Press , head coach Sherrone Moore allegedly deleted a slew text messages from Stalions after the controversy began , which could potentially be a Level II violation leading to a possible suspension.

The bigger and more important Level I accusations could be thrown at new Los Angeles Charger head coach Jim Harbaugh and a few former assistants, with ESPN reporting that the former head man allegedly wasn’t cooperative enough with the investigation. No penalties would affect Harbaugh - obviously, because he’s now in the NFL - but this could be a problem for Michigan.

All parties involved would have a chance to address the allegations and make their respective cases - if the NCAA does choose to penalize - and, officially the school is stating it has and will continue to cooperate in any way needed.

What would NCAA allegation and penalties mean for Michigan?

So what would this all mean if the NCAA alleges that 1) Moore really did delete text messages with Stalions after the spit hit the fan, and 2) Stalions was illegally on the Central Michigan sidelines, and 3) several games were scouted by the Michigan coaching staff, and then hits the program with penalties?

Not quite as much as you might think.

Probably.

No, Michigan wouldn't lose the national championship, even if the worst penalties are levied. That's not how this works.

If Level II penalties are enforced, Moore could be suspended, there would likely be a double-secret probation thing happening with the Michigan football program, and there could be vacated wins and a few asterisks applied to the record books.

Level I penalties would be a problem, though.

If the NCAA really wanted to make some noise, it could get into possible issues for this year’s team with massive scholarship sanctions and even potential bans from post-season play, but no one is suggesting that yet. And again, there's an appeals process no matter what the NCAA brings forth.

More likely, if there are major violations alleged and penalties applied, Michigan would negotiate it all down, and it’s very, very doubtful that this year’s team would be prohibited from playing for the Big Ten Championship or College Football Playoff.

Scholarship restrictions and other penalties, though, could be a part of this. But again, for now, it's all about a draft of possible allegations - any penalties aren't there yet.

Michigan starts the 2024 college football season against Fresno State on August 31st.