The regional nightmare which ensnared three of Michigan’s FBS programs together in infamy seems to be reaching its conclusion.
On Thursday afternoon, the NCAA Committee of Infractions released their report
on Central Michigan’s involvement in the ever-evolving Connor Stalions case, finding four of CMU’s former football staffers responsible in part for obstructing the investigation and breaking several parts of the NCAA’s sportsmanship guidelines.
Former head coach Jim McElwain, former quarterbacks coach Jake Kostner, former athletic equipment coordinator Nate Mason and former director of recruiting Mike McGee were named in the report, with each receiving show-cause penalties.
Kostner was the main target, receiving a four-year show-cause, “including restriction from all athletically-related activities during the first year” and a suspension from half of football regular season games in his second show-cause season. Every other staffer received a two-year show-cause penalty.
The university was fined $30,000, plus one percent of its football budget, and put on probation for two years. In all, CMU was levied five Level I penalties— one related to a non-employee being issued sideline access, one for head coaching oversight on the staff members, and three related to failure to cooperate with dishonest conduct.
“At CMU, we ask every member of our community, including our students, faculty and staff, to embrace our core values and to model our Leadership Standards. And, as part of our commitment to accountability and integrity, we accept responsibility when we fall short,” CMU president Neil MacKinnon said via press release. “… For the last two years, CMU has fully cooperated with the NCAA as it completed its investigation of this incident, resulting in their acknowledgement of our ‘exemplary cooperation’ in the report issued today.”
The NCAA had previously confirmed in their related CoI case against the University of Michigan that Connor Stalions was indeed on the Central Michigan sideline for their Sept. 1, 2023 contest against Michigan State, but Thursday’s report release new details on how it came to be.
Stalions was able to attain sideline access in conjunction with CMU quarterbacks coach Jake Kostner by involving two other CMU staffers in his attempt to disguise Stalions’ presence, with the report saying outright that the two “formulated a plan” to get Stalions on the sideline under the alias “Matt McClellan”.
The report stated the relationship between Kostner and Stalions was “unbeknownst to the administration”, and that communications between the two to execute the plan were active dating back to Aug. 20, 2023.
“Outside of typical procedures for item distribution, Kostner asked [former athletic equipment coordinator] Nate Mason for coaching-issued gear. Kostner did not provide a reason for the request, and then coordinated with [former recruiting director] Mike McGee to provide the official gear and bench pass access to Stalions, whom Kostner had provided an alias so as not to be detected, ahead of kickoff,” the report states. “McGee was unaware of whom exactly the gear was for, but knew it was for a friend of Kostner’s who was skilled in deciphering signals.”
McGee is then reported to have delivered a bag full of the equipment and a credential with bench access in-person to Stalions— then under the McClellan alias— before the start of CMU’s game against Michigan State.
During its investigation, the NCAA was forced to re-interview Kostner, McGee and Mason multiple times due to a lack of cooperation.
Kostner was especially highlighted, as while an employee of the university, he denied knowing Stalions or about his involvement in the plan to get Stalions on the sideline twice, and withheld vital case evidence by not giving investigators his cellphone— which had correspondence with Stalions on it.
When failing to provide access to his relevant devices after the incident and two separate interviews, the NCAA re-approached Kostner on March 5th, 2024, for the relevant information once again. In that exchange, Kostner provided a different, newer cell phone to investigators, one which did not contain messages prior to Nov. 2023.
Finally, on August 12, 2024, two weeks prior to his resignation as the team’s quarterbacks coach, Kostner voluntarily provided the NCAA with the evidence in question and fully cooperated with the investigation.
Mason, specifically, is cited as having delivered false information in four separate interviews, while also failing to inform an institutional staff member about Kostner’s request for equipment after media reports about Stalions’ presence were starting to circulate.
McGee initially denied direct contact with Stalions or his involvement in the scheme, but ultimately cooperated upon being re-interviewed.
Jim McElwain, who was head coach of the Chippewas at the time, was not found to be part of or having any knowledge of the scheme, with the report saying McElwain had no “aggravating factors” in the case. His show-cause violation is strictly due to general head coaching oversight bylaws.
McElwain retired following the 2024 season, with new head coach Matt Drinkall taking over duties earlier this year.
The NCAA emphasized CMU’s full cooperation in the report, stating CMU immediately strengthened its policies and procedures with respect to team travel, credentials and gameday apparel and also took prompt action against two of the staffers involved as soon as the administration were made aware of their failure to cooperate with the NCAA’s investigation.
“Throughout the investigative process, the institution responded to each of the enforcement staff’s requests expeditiously to help move the matter to a timely resolution and expended substantial resources to ensure its football staff did the same,” the report stated regarding CMU’s cooperation.
“We offer our sincere apologies to our neighbors, colleagues and friends at Michigan State University. The actions of our former staff members — both during the inciting incident and the NCAA investigation — were completely contrary to our institutional values,” MacKinnon stated at the end of his earlier press release. “We deeply regret any negative impact this incident may have had on Michigan State.”
The NCAA’s case against the University of Michigan has seen recent developments as well, with the university withdrawing their appeal of the punishment handed down in their Stalions-related investigation on Tuesday afternoon.
As part of U of M’s punishment, the program was fined $20 million and a 25% reduction in official recruiting visits for the 2025 recruiting cycle, as well as a 14-week prohibition on recruiting communications during its four-year probation period and a bevy of show-causes, including one for Stalions and former head coach Jim Harbaugh.
The NCAA’s report about the CMU investigation can be read here.
As this is a developing story, we will update with any further news.
