Dabo Swinney shares thoughts on college football sign-stealing scandal

The Michigan sign-stealing scandal and the cover-up that came with it is the story of the college football world over the last week or so, which means head coaches across the country are being asked about the Wolverines’ malfeasance.

So, when speaking to the media at his press conference this week, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was asked about the Michigan story and what he thinks of sign-stealing as a whole in the college football landscape. He answered that sign-stealing has long been apart of the game.

“I guess yeah, I mean, I think everybody — I mean, in-game, it’s always a part of whatever game you’re in, you know,” Swinney said. “Everybody, you’re always looking over at the other sideline, you’re trying to figure out what personnel is in the game. And certainly, if you figure something out in-game, that’s just always been, I think, apart of the game.”

However, he’s talking about legal sign-stealing that happens during the actual games. Because once you’re on the field with your opponent, they can obviously look over and see the opposing team’s signs. So it’s on each team to do their best and protect those precious signals.

“It’s hard to do. That’s why everybody tries to protect them,” Swinney said. “You got multiple signals, you got signs, you got different signalers, you got a lot of things that you do to try to not make it easy for the opponent to to pick up on your blitz signal or your run signal or your protection, whatever it is. That’s just kind of, you know, been that way forever and ever and ever in college football or any level of football.”

Per Swinney, every team in the country tries to steal signs and figure out the opposing teams’ play calls while playing. It’s just part of football’s gamesmanship. But the same doesn’t go for the extracurricular aspects of the Michigan sign-stealing story.

“But, you know, as far as all the other stuff, that’s a new one,” Swinney said. “And again, I don’t know any specifics, any of that stuff, but you know, you certainly can’t um have in-person scouting and videos and all that type of stuff.”

Dabo Swinney echoed similar sentiments to what a number of other coaches have said. They all seem to understand that sign-stealing is definitely part of the game plan once the teams are out on the field and the ball is kicked off. But to break NCAA rules by sending people to games in order to do so may not be so fair.