Days before the Michigan Wolverines square off against the Alabama Crimson Tide, a new team rule appears to indicate Nick Saban is concerned about the potential for sign stealing. During media availability, Bama players revealed the team is prohibited from watching film individually on their iPads leading up to the Rose Bowl.
“Interesting nugget from Rose Bowl media session this morning: Alabama hasn’t let players watch film on their own iPads as they usually do as a protective measure due to the Michigan sign stealing scandal,” USA Today’s Dan Wolken noted in a series of December 28, 2023 messages on X. “Only watching in groups.
“Just to drill down on this a little more, the concern for Alabama appears to be related to the cloud service that distributes practice footage to players to review on their own time. There were no *public* accusations related to Michigan and hacking but Tide taking no chances.”
Alabama vs. Michigan: Bama Players Are Prohibited From Watching Film on iPads in Response to Sign Stealing Scandal
News of this new individual iPad ban went viral during the December 28 Rose Bowl media sessions. It appears Crimson Tide receiver Isaiah Bond was the first player to break the news on the group film watching requirement.
Bond revealed the belief is that Michigan used the Catapult app as part of the Wolverines’ efforts to steal signs. Alabama is still watching film but it is happening only in group settings.
“It’s basically like the app where we record film on for practice and stuff like that,” Bond told reporters on December 28. “And [Michigan] was I guess looking at other people’s play calls, their hand signals, like the first eight games or something like that.
“We was able to watch film with the team, but like personally, we can’t watch film. Because, I don’t know, some reason with Michigan stealing signs, but I’m not really too keyed in on that.”
Bond was then pressed on who relayed this new rule to the players. The Bama playmaker revealed it came from the coaches about a week before the team left for Southern California.
“Yeah, our coaches told us that probably like a week ago, right before we [were] about to come here, getting prepared for Michigan. …Yeah, we’re not allowed to [watch film individually for the Rose Bowl].”
Here’s a look at Bond’s comments regarding the film watching edict.
Michigan Football Coach Jim Harbaugh Did Not Dismiss NFL Rumors Heading Into Rose Bowl
Michigan has offered Jim Harbaugh a 10-year, $125 million deal to remain with the Wolverines, per @RapSheet.
The contract contains a clause preventing Harbaugh from leaving to coach in the NFL in 2024.
All this comes as Michigan has been involved in a sign stealing scandal throughout the 2023 season. The saga resulted in Jim Harbaugh being suspended for three games by the Big Ten.
Harbaugh is back on the sideline for the College Football Playoff showdown against Alabama. Questions continue to surround Harbaugh about a potential return to the NFL. The Michigan coach attempted to sidestep questions about his future heading into the Rose Bowl.
“Such a one-track mind,” Harbaugh explained on December 27 when asked about the NFL rumors. “That’s the way we going about things. It’s literally whatever day we’re in looking to get the most out of it, dominate the day.
“Then we’ll go to sleep tonight, wake up tomorrow and see if we can’t dominate that day. It’s a single-minded group. It’s very focused on just taking care of business today and see if we can’t do the same tomorrow.”
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Michigan Football: New Alabama Ban Shows Paranoid Nick Saban in Rose Bowl