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Duly noted. Groce/Ford went to the NCAA tournament twice but they NEVER secured that automatic bid to the NIT.

No one ever understands Nostradamus' predictions before they happen, but they make a lot of sense after the fact.

The Annual Zips Golf Outing was held yesterday at Shale Creek Golf Course in Medina. While attendance seemed to be down a little, it was probably the best Outing UA has run in quite a while. The day was absolutely beautiful, the coaches were all in attendance and happy to answer any-and-all questions, the door prizes were fantastic and the BBQ ribs and chicken were outstanding yet-again. Kudos to UA for putting on such a fun well-organized event. I wish everyone on ZipsNation could have been there! As posted by zzx, the Zips inked a new QB this weekend, Robbie Kelley from Quincy College, a graduate transfer. Apparently he was too small for D-1 ball coming out of high school, but grew 3 inches in college, and now stands 6' 2". He was an all-conference player. He'll have two years at Akron. He learned of UA through a past relationship at NC State during the Coach Amato / Stroud era. Woodson has started throwing, and the prognisis for an on-time recovery is good. If everything continues to remain on-schedule, he will be the game 1 starter. That said, the staff is very happy with the QB depth and competition this season. No one is as good as a healthy Tommy, but the other guys are more than capable of leading the team to some W's. MTB has both a hand and knee injuries, and will be out for the 2017 season. He is expected to get a medical redshirt and play in 2017. Newman Williams is purported to be as healthy as he's ever been during his injury-plagued UA career, and is expected to split the H-back role with incoming freshman Kobie Booker, whose combination of size and hands make him a perfect fit for the position. Brandon Junk will also see some time situational time at H-back, as he's a reliable blocker. Tra'Von Chapman has made the transition to receiver look easy, according to one coach. You might also see him line up at h-back occasionally. He's proven to be a leader, and one of the harder workers on the team. Expect to see a little more running early this year, the running backs have more talent and depth than the receivers at this point. The staff is very pleased with the depth at the position and Warren Ball is said to be one hundred percent healthy and ready to rock! Who will assume the much-needed role of "disruptor" on defense? In 2015, it was Jatavis Brown and Jamal Marcus wreaking havoc in the backfield. In the injury-plagued 2016, there really wasn't anyone. Look for Pitt transfer Jamal Davis to assume the role of Jamal Marcus, with a rising Ulysses Gilbert stepping into those big shoes of Jatavis Brown. Another disruptive force on the 2017 Zips defense will likely be St V's Justin Sampson. Most big schools shied-away from him when it appeared his grades would relegate him to a "non-qualifier" designation this season. But it appears he'll take care of the required academic work this summer and be ready to take the field this fall. He purportedly has as much talent and any d-lineman this Zips staff has recruited...they're very high on him. Help on the 2016 front seven may also come in the form of Aurora's Bubba Arslanian, who is a blue shirt. He very well could make an immediate impact for the Zips defense. Multiple members of the staff praised the kid's potential. WR Nate Stewart and is dealing with an unspecified injury, but should be ready come August. If you were hoping Oregon State transfer Deltron Sands would shoulder the load at RB this fall, you'll need to pray his recuperative powers are excellent. He came to the Zips program while healing from a shoulder injury. He took a spill a short while ago, and injured his other shoulder. If all goes well with his recovery, he'll be good to go in the fall. But two recently-injured shoulders is not something you want if you're bucking for 15 carries per game. Keep your fingers and toes crossed... Brock Boxen is back one hundred percent and will be counted on. Overall, Coach Bowden seems confident that his defense will be a force once again. One coach said he spoke to Steve Keim (Arizona GM) recently, and Steve indicated that Nordly Capi had a decent chance to make the Cardinals roster. Reggie Corner is a flat-out ballplayer, but he will likely sit out 2017 to get on solid academic footing. The staff is VERY high on incoming freshman Jordyn Riley and Jeffrey Lubin. Expect them both to be on the secondary's 2-deep this fall. Jordan George, Kyron Brown and Darian "Double D" Dailey will be the starting CB's, while Alvin Davis, the 157 lbs heat-seeking missile, will continue to start at safety. James King, the transfer from Miami, is an aggressive, talented, 190 lb kid with the mean streak you want on the defensive side of the ball. He'll see appreciable playing time this season. "How much?" will depend upon his coachability and learning of the playbook. Malik Woodridge and Dustin Burkhart are both 10.6 100 meter guys. The staff is really happy to get kids with that speed in the fold. They expect Woodridge to fill an AJ Coney-type role in the future. Suggs will enter the fall as the Zips #4 RB, behind Ball, Edwards and Morgan. While he doesn't possess sprinter-like speed, he's very elusive and will be fun to watch. As far as other comings and goings are concerned - Brian Bell's semester in exile is over, and he will be back for summer camp. The only "going" thusfar is Freshman OL Montel Jordan, who has left UA and returned home to Florida.

Old Man Bob, "Sixty thousand dollars?!?!... why, gas only costs .15 a gallon, dammit!"

I sent this e-mail to dwerbeck at Ohio.com just now.....Shameful lack of anything on an NCAA DI National Champion... Good morning, I know you get complaints from the U of A faithful about coverage of Zips sports, but would just like to add my two cents here... Matt Ludwig, a sophomore from the University of Akron won the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championship in the pole vault. The second vaulter from Akron to do so in the past three Championships outdoors. That was Wednesday night. I realize the Beacon/Ohio.com think they need to be the "bringer of all things Cleveland" to their readers and on-line viewers, but it sure would have been nice to notice this accomplishment. I could even understand a little if Matt wasn't from the area, but he lives in Chardon, and attended Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin HS. Certainly George Thomas or even an intern could have taken the press release and wrote something. One of these days maybe you and the decision makers at the Beacon/Ohio.com might wake up to the fact that there is a segment of us out here that don't need a daily update on Ohio State sports, nor all things happening in Cleveland sports, since there are other papers/websites that fit that need. Maybe give a local flavor/taste to things and support your local University, and it might just reap an increase in readership and revenue. Maybe not, but have you at least tried it? Thanks for letting me air my concern

We cheer the Akron Blue and White We cheer even though that's not right We're Gold and Blue not Akron U And our comments we re-do Cry! Cry! We cheer this Akron recruiting class And pray they kick some MAC ass While we sit back pis.s and moan posting from our cell phone Ziiii-iiii-iiip Zip go the Zippers Ziiii-iiii-iiip Zip go the Zippers 4 and 8 Won't be so great Here comes the hate Let's see who takes the bait Z I P S Gooooooooooo Zips!

In this case I've seen what Aaron Jackson could do for 3 years at Akron and the only thing I was impressed by was his character.I don't know if Riak will be better or not, but I'd gladly trade the known in Aaron Jackson (a huge liability when on the court) with the unknown player in Riak who has potential.

He also was a redshirt Freshman, and averaged 5.2 rebounds per game. It doesn't take Nostradamus to foresee he's got upside far beyond Aaron Jackson. Put me down as a supporter of "great trade."

WGAF

On another note, Nick Dials has landed a new HC position. http://uublueknights.com/news/2017/6/5/nick-dials-selected-head-mens-basketball-coach.aspx

15 points & 6 assists, 39% on 3's & 88% on free throws last year playing for a national top 10 high school, looks like another good get.

Along with the incredibly important "Akron University" or "The University of Akron" concerns, I think we really need to make sure he knows Zippy is female. That's paramount. Those are the the top two concerns regarding Zips Football, if you ask me.

Commits: ATH Timothy Scippio, Coconut Creek, FL DB Rich Hall, Coconut Creek, FL RB Keyondre White, Hollywood, FL ATH Te'Corey Tutson, Coral Gables, FL DT Ramon Fields, Akron, OH RB Devanier Floyd, Akron, OH DT/OL Ronald Beasley, Ocala, FL WR/S Daishawn Brimage, Akron, OH DT Logan Hawkins Harrison City, PA Transfers: (none) Offers: The List of Offers at 247

Or maybe ZipsVoice letter did some good?

I've been on a rant the last few months about the ABJ and especially this weekend - see post in other forum - but this is ridiculous. As discussed, the Zips have a new NCAA Champion, four new All Americans. Ziprulz points out the tennis team is ranking way high, the athletic teams wins trophies for overall sports in all categories, lots of academic all stars...but the ABJ/Ohio.com can only find this piece of lintpunt to write a crapsandwich article about something that ALL schools do to try to find a new coach quickly. Did this mental midget even check to see how much OSU just spent to find their new BB coach? How about looking at that article earlier on the Plain Dealer page and see how overpaid some of the Big Schools coaches in sports like rowing and fencing make. Better yet, how about the ABJ opening up their books for all to see how much they pay/spend on finding new CEOs or Publishers, or whatever they hire? I guarantee they didn't find their managing editor on LinkedIn. How much did they pay a search firm to find the current leaders at this dying news fishwrap?

Every month when I pay my student loan payment I realize how blessed they are.

The coaching staff is very excited about Robbie. Apparently this kid was very small coming out of high school and just kept growing. There is a coach relationship on the Quincy program. I'm drawing a blank as to what coach Bowden told me yesterday. Somebody on Akron's staff coached with somebody on Quincy's staff somewhere (NC State maybe) and was told about this kid. The staff is trying to avoid what happen to the team last year. As many fans realize, the QB position injuries (among others) devastated our team last year, this will not be the case in the near future. BTW, lots of football notes coming from yesterday's golf outing. We are still comprising our notes. Look for a separate topic sometime this weekend.

SIUE?? SIUE. Yes!! This is the best thing to happen to MAC men's soccer in a long, long time! For one thing, it automatically doubles the league's number of NCAA champion teams (I think Hartwick also was a one-time champ, but they're gone, and they were never a real addition). They (SIU-E) won the national title in 1979, and were a perennial top-20 team in the 70s-80s. That was one of the greatest stories in collegiate soccer history -- and I remember the season. (I'm old enough, believe me!) The Zips, under coach Bob Dowdy played the Cougars in mid-Sept., I recall, and they were about a .500 team early in the season. We defeated them at the Lee Jackson -- on the same day the Browns beat the Steelers, and the Nanchoff Brothers were there cheering on both teams, as I brought my transistor radio along on the bike ride from Green that day. I think it was a close game, but what is remembered by history is that that was SIUE's last defeat of the season. The team's coach, I think it was Bob Guelker, mentioned above by fknbflobo suffered some kind of illness -- possibly a heart attack -- just after playing Akron, and the team rallied around him and went on to win the NCAA title that season. And Mario Sanchez is their coach. I've heard really good things about Mario -- who I believe was Ken Lolla's goalkeeping coach. He got really screwed over after leaving Louisville to take the HC job at UNLV, and the school almost immediately dropped men's soccer out of the blue. Not sure how long he's been at SIUE, but after UNLV he was coaching with a youth club in Vegas that provided 3 or 4 girls players to Akron. I knew another (GK) coach from that club, who really liked Mario. Bottom line is, this addition will give instant RPI points to every MAC school. And a very real possibility of a second NCAA berth. Great move! Edit: To add a little to what skip and Zip_ME87 were discussing, Edwardsville had a good D1 athletics program (they were as good or better in many sports than the OTHER Southern Illinois U.) that was reduced to D2 status sometime in the 1980s, and I know their men's basketball program just returned back to D1 about 3-4 years ago. I read this on the wiki page that fknbuflobo linked: "Toward the end of Guelker's tenure, scandal in some of the university's other sports programs brought about a major reduction of funding for all sports, and the program went into a period of decline."

Due to construction at Ford Field, the 2017 MAC Media Day will be held at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

You bet it's encouraging. I hope Woody comes back motivated with a chip on his shoulder to prove something. The team needs him. Hell we need him to restore our sanity after last season. I was talking with Bre Ford recently and he was super high on Austin Wolfe. be said Austin was a bitch to cover in practice, far more of a challenge than Lane. Be predicted Austin would have a breakout season. be said Gladney had trouble picking up the offense and that would hinder him again this year. be had more hope in Coney altho' he said Gladney had a world of physical talent. Bre is from Western PA (Bethel Park), same as Woodson, and he had a tough time understanding why TW didn't take conditioning seriously. He said TW needed a major attitude shift because so much rode on his shoulders this year. He wasn't sure TW was there yet. TW is rehabbing but not like a maniac like Bre would be if he was returning from injury. I guess we shall see but if he isn't ready to reach his potential I am glad Johns and Nelson are waiting in the wings. I thought Bre was being straight up and honest whereas when you talk with coaches you get the general statement "all will be well". Not exactly inspiring, but I respect coaches must say that because jobs are on the line.

Iowa State fan. We are the Cyclones. Hence "Cykron" for a username. Not the most clever, but I cheer for both teams, except on September 16th. I just saw that game times have been announced for several of Iowa State's games. Akron is at Noon. Looking forward to being there with you.

Does Duquesne have a team?

KD's Buyout $100,000 Search Firm ($60,000) Net Gain $40,000 One of the purposes of having a contract buyout is to cover the costs of finding a replacement. Seems disingenuous to act like this cost the university.

The Akron Beacon Journal's slide into obscurity has gone undaunted for decades. They now have an all-time low in full-time reporters and are constantly missing major stories picked up first by the Plain Dealer. In that slide, news and sports stories fall to guys like Dyer. Dyer can't figure out whether he wants to be a columnist humorist or an investigative reporter. In the end, he does neither well. The article had some interesting info, like LBJ's support of Drew Joyce, but it was thrown together so haphazardly that it just came across as angry drivel.

I was glad to see McDermott stay at Creighton. That's a community that supports their team. They're consistently among the tops in the country in attendance despite not making a Sweet 16 since 1972. Those are real fans. I wish Akron had a fan base that was half as good.

Your height fetish is bizarre.

I am sorry for getting the ball rolling on this whole subject but I am pretty sure in my entire lifetime I have never seen a college age kid walking down the sidewalk at 5'11" & 150# that I would say "That kid's got good size".

I think its Pughsley.

I thought I'd pull this out. I think you've just made the one point that many of us just doesn't realize is as much of an impact on our attendance as it truly is. Within Two hours of Akron: We have 5 D-1 NCAA programs (OSU, Kent, Toledo, Bowling Green, Pittsburgh), 5 pro-teams (Cavs, Browns, Steelers, Indians, Penguins). As much as some will say this is "making an excuse" it really isn't. Our market is over-saturated with sports choice. And if most people were to rank the top-5 of the teams available within their area to go to a game/follow on a regular basis...it will be a mix of 3ish pro-teams (Browns or Steelers, Cavs, Indians or Penguins) and a college team or two, one being State Ohio University for almost everyone. So this is probably the biggest factor impacting our fanbase. If we were to expand it to 3 1/2 hours....watch out the numbers increase to like 13 NCAA D-1 Programs (Cincinnati, Penn State, Ohio University, Marshall, Michigan State, Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Temple), and 10 Pro Teams (Lions, Tigers, Pistons, Reds, Bengals).

To not try this kid on the defensive line is criminal.

This guy's a stud. Got to see him a few times last year.

DEFENDER: Shane Wiedt, Erie Commodores Why: The University of Akron defender has formed such a solid partnership with Guillermo Lazcano that it's difficult to determine who's been more valuable in a back line that's permitted just two goals in six matches. Wiedt is a modern center back in his sheer athleticism, 6'3 frame and strong dose of nastiness; the former AFC Cleveland back's play is reminiscent of the old rugged Erie Admirals squads. Honorable mention defenders: Jack Webber, Fort Pitt; Matthew McDyer, Fort Pitt; Jake Schindler, Rochester; Guillermo Lazcano, Erie; Chris Cvecko, AFC Cleveland. FORWARD: Ezana Kahsay, Erie Commodores Why: Finding a position has been tough for Kahsay, a native of Eritrea who played his high school soccer in the city of Buffalo. The supreme athlete with a fierce competitive streak got noticed and signed by superpower Akron, then spent the first three years of his college career making the transition from defense to midfield to forward. As it turns out, Kahsay has finally found his form as a striker, leading the Great Lakes East in goals (six in just six games) and tormenting opposing defenses with his relentlessness and improved composure in front of goal. He tends to find the back of the net in bunches, too, scoring a brace against Dayton and then a hat-trick against Fort Pitt.

Yeah. It's funny how division/conference title mattered when State Ohio University was on the bubble and needs it to matter, and then suddenly how it doesn't matter when State Ohio University is on the bubble and needs it to not matter. There's a few on this board (me included) that believe that any excuse will be made for several programs in D-I football because of $$$$$$.

Congratulations to Adam Najem for making the USL team of the week http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/805818?referrer_id=2333971

The absolute best offense you can run with inexperienced players on offense is a wide open no huddle spread. There are a handful of teams in the entirety of college football that can efficiently run a ball-control smashmouth offense and none of 'em are in the MAC. These spread offenses aren't rocket science. Most high schools today are running them. If you have an offense that can move the ball through the air, a decent running back will get his yards. Ball should be a decent running back if he can stay healthy. That's a big if. The whole 1000 yard mark means less than zero to me. Alex Allen gained 877 yards (I know, I know. 123 yards short of 1000 but you get the gist) for Ianello in an offense that couldn't get out of its own way. If the Zips are going to have any success they have to let 'er rip. Snapping the ball before the defense is ready is the biggest advantage an offense can get. That's why folks that want to run the ball down your throat want to outlaw it. (Saban, Bielema)

Akron Football: 2017 Zips Preview and Prediction

I would be lyin' if I said that didn't give me goosebumps.

It's a Miracle!! An article about Matt Ludwig on the front of the ABJ Sports Page this morning. Unbelievable. Maybe they were listening to some of us? If he went to OSWho, the article would have appeared the morning after he captured the National Championship.

I was looking for info on a local Hawaii player (Shandon Hopeau) with Sounders Academy U-18 and found this review from the SSFC Sounders@Heart blog of Nick Hinds play for the Sounders "S-2" club -- which is - their USL club, or PDL? http://www.sounderatheart.com/thefuture/2016/12/24/13849790/s2-postmortem-the-players Nick Hinds (# 40; Age 19; LB/LM; 6 appearances; 0 Goals; 0 Assist; 249’) Potential: Top MLS LB - Backup LM Overview: Hinds was the best of the Academy players to appear for S2. He is an athletic LB with a very good left foot. He held his own defensively and took set pieces when he played for S2. We only got a glimpse of him but he looks promising. Apparently he played as an attacking midfielder for Akron in the college playoffs and did very well. He is almost certainly still a left back at the professional level but it is a good sign he can perform up the field against college competition. 2017: Will probably play at least another year at Akron but he is HGP eligible so he could be signed earlier.

I don't think it'll take much of a hit myself because I think this was the smartest thing they could have done. Larry has done a solid job since being hired here in my opinion. However, there's always those people out there that don't think on their own and believe everything they hear, read, etc. That's where the "hit" could take place in my opinion.

I'm thinking every recruit that's offered a scholly, sneezes.

Well, then someone will have to inform them that the 13-straight unbeaten streak doesn't go away just because they don't have the guts to play us this year.

I'm going to go slightly off topic here but SIUE coming over for soccer got me thinking. Their "normal" league for athletics is the OVC. They were playing soccer in the MVC and now are moving to the MAC. It seems pretty haphazard to me which schools play in other conferences for sports their league does not sanction. Would there be anything to gain if these three conferences (MAC, OVC, MVC) made an agreement regarding taking in members from one another for what are traditionally non-revenue sports? For example the MAC has 6 mens tennis teams (one being Binghampton) and the MVC has 5 (one being Stony Brook). It seems like going together would help scheduling, maybe travel, etc... I'm not sure if there is anything to gain but I would think it would be worth looking at. Any thoughts?

I've been to Iowa 3 times since September for a client - I can confirm

Golf outing is tomorrow. Hopefully some good info is obtained from it.

Iowa State is #109. Should make for a good game! Seriously, I doubt that a couple of writers for the Orlando Sentinal are actually paying that much attention to low-win teams in the North or Midwest. They probably just randomly plugged in the bottom 20 or so. They have no idea who red-shirted for us last year. I'll wait for the Athlon preview to make my judgments about who is likely to do what for this season.

Looks like Ampai has been called up to Thailand's National Team...

His signing announcement lists him at 6'1". Now that we've gained this psychological edge we will be unstoppable

At least he correctly referred to us as University of Akron instead of Akron University.