Bobby Petrino, the former Arkansas head coach who was recently hired to be the Razorbacks’ new offensive coordinator, has made a strong accusation against one of his former rivals.
Petrino, who coached Louisville from 2003-06 and again from 2014-18, claimed that Clemson stole signs when asked about the Michigan sign-stealing scandal during his press conference on Thursday, per Brad Crawford of 247 Sports.
“I honestly didn’t pay any attention to [the Michigan story], but I do know when you went and played Clemson that they were going to have your signals. They had guys on the sideline standing there with the sheet of paper with your signals on it,” Petrino said.
New Arkansas OC Bobby Petrino says Clemson used to steal signals all the time on the sideline ... pic.twitter.com/J1BWd1jfT5
— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) November 30, 2023
The veteran coach, who was fired by the Razorbacks in 2012 after a scandal involving a 25-year old female staffer came to light, went on to explain that the SEC and ACC have discussed whether to use radios in helmets to communicate plays, rather than relying on hand signals.
Petrino coached against Dabo Swinney and the Tigers five times during his tenure with the Cardinals, losing each of those contests. It’s fair to wonder if the current Razorbacks play-caller would have accused Clemson of such conduct if sign-stealing were not a hot topic in college football, due to the Wolverines’ scheme.
It remains to be seen whether Swinney will respond to Petrino’s allegation.
