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  1. Went down to the lower area to near the tunnel to watch the celebration. I couldn't be more impressed by our guys. A few took pictures with my son, who was on cloud nine. If there was any doubt he's going to grow up a die-hard Zips fan, that's gone. He's a lifer like his dad. 🙂 Some stories while we were down there: There was a little girl who asked Mikal to sign her Zips poster she made - he took it, said "I'll be back", and went and had all of the team sign it. Was chasing down each player so this young fan would have them all. Just won a championship and thinking of others. Sammy asked a young boy near my son if he was going to grow up and win a MAC Championship for the Zips. He also took a ton of pictures with kids and fans nearby. Enrique actually went into the stands to take pictures with the students who came. Took his shoes off and gave them to someone. Probably spent a good 10-15 minutes signing and taking pictures with fans. He also went over to the band and celebrated/took pictures. We saw one band member ask him for his gamertag (basically his screen name on Playstation to play online with). I think he may have had some sort of disability, but I don't want to assume. Anyhow, Enrique took the student's phone, typed his gamertag in, and took a picture with him. Literally minutes after winning a championship. This group is one we can be very proud of for more than just being a fantastic basketball team
    14 points
  2. 1,583 days ago, Greg Tribble and Ali Ali suited up for their first regular season game for Akron, against Malone. Was Freeman with the team yet? He played later that month. Anyway, Ali started and played 19 minutes, Tribble played 14 minutes and both made an impact in the box score. Today, all 3 will play at the JAR for the last time. The last home game is always bittersweet, but this one is far and away the most I’ve ever felt that before. These 3 guys have been in my life longer than some of my close friends. I’m going to enjoy every second of tonight. Hopefully a comfortable win. These guys have done so much, and still have a lot on the table. Go Zips!
    13 points
  3. 12 Questions Going Into Spring Ball 1) Who will be the starting QB? Chances are California grad transfer Ben Finley will be the starter upon completion of spring ball. He has proven experience at the P5 level and has been brought in to compete for the starting job. However, he has also been turnover prone and that particular issue could hold him back. Tahj Bullock has all the physical traits to be an elite QB in the MAC (if he ever puts it all together). That being said he must dramatically improve his decision making and accuracy. Otherwise, Bullock will continue to be a situational player. Will Steele Wasel be ready to toss his name into the conversation? He’ll have a chance to display his development going into his 2nd full spring. If none of the QBs are up to par, the staff may venture back into the portal. Keep in mind, Bullock was not signed until after spring was completed last year. 2) How will the carries be divided at RB? It’s almost a complete overhaul in the RB room. Gone are Lorenzo Lingard, Drake Anderson, and CJ Price. Only redshirt sophomore Charles Kellom and senior Blake Hester return (although, Hester is mostly used on special teams). Michigan State grad transfer Jordon Simmons has the most experience and will likely start. This may be the year Charles Kellom receives significant snaps. He will be pushed by Minnesota transfer Marquese Williams. Talented freshman Sean Patrick will not arrive until after spring concludes. 3) Is the WR room complete? After originally thinking this room was complete, it would not be a surprise to see more player movement due to staff changes. Veteran coach JD Brookhart knows what he wants from his players. That, coupled with a new offensive coordinator, may lead to some changes being made after the spring. As it stands, Alex Adams could be All-Conference again if fully healthy. Adrian Norton is set for a breakout year. There is plenty of returning talent, plus incoming JUCOs, to potentially make this a highly productive group. 4) Who will emerge at TE? Redshirt sophomore Jake Newell has All-MAC potential and will be the starter going into the spring. Mizzou transfer Max Whisner was running with the Tigers’ 2nd team at this time last year. The staff has kept snaps fairly balanced at TE, so it’s safe to expect both of the aforementioned to see plenty of snaps. Redshirt freshman Conner Cravaack redshirted, but has high upside and may carve out a role. 5) What does the OL look like? The offensive line usually takes the longest to develop in turnaround situations and it has been no different here. There is far more talent on the roster than when Joe Moorhead arrived and only one holdover from the previous staff (Colin Lyons) going into 2024. A number of combinations could take place, but best guess going from left to right will be Blanchard, K. Davis, T. Williams, Seymore, Kindred. Coach JRod is going to play 8-10 linemen per game and the depth is easily the best it has been. Regardless of what the starting lineup looks like, the OL will have size and athleticism. This should be the year the OL takes a significant leap. 6) Who will step up on the DL? The only major loss on the interior of the DL is Terray Jones to graduation. Lama Lavea is back, as is true sophomore Marcus Moore. Grad transfer Nathan Kapongo will immediately push for starting snaps as well, giving the Zips an impressive rotation of interior DL. CJ Nunnally returns, but may be hard pressed to replicate his 7 sacks due to the increased attention by offenses. Bennett Adler is back for his senior year and will be pushed by LaJoshua Jackson, Kabbash Richards, and Kam Cheatom. When asked about Cheatom last season, Moorhead said “Cheatom is going to be a star in this league.” 7) Is this the best LB corps in the MAC? Almost all of the linebackers that were voted All-MAC in 2023 are gone, while the Zips have their most productive players returning. Miami can probably lay claim to best linebacking corps going into the season, but Akron is not far behind…if behind at all. Former JUCO Antavious Fish finished the season with 94 total tackles, while junior Bryan McCoy collected 95 total tackles and was voted All-MAC Third Team. Former Illinois transfer Shammond Cooper became a vital piece of the defense and proved to be an excellent blitzer. Former JUCO Gage Summers, redshirt freshman Melvin Spriggs, and freshman Rich Benenge will see if they can lay claim to significant snaps. This room is flat out loaded. 8} How will the secondary shake out? The secondary is wide open with the only returning starter as Nickelback Darrian Lewis. Redshirt juniors Joey Hunter and Devonte Golden-Nelson should get first crack at the Cornerback spots. However, they have both yet to play a full season due to injuries. JUCO transfers Iesa Jarmon and Justin Anderson will arrive physically ready to contribute. Silas Proby, Zayden Laing-Taylor, and Catrell White redshirted last season and will have an opportunity to compete for snaps. Terence Thomas looked the part in the spring last year, yet did not see any defensive action as Darrian Lewis and Corey Thomas collected all the snaps at Nickel. All the starters are gone from Safety, meaning this will be a revamped group. Senior transfer Paul Lewis will likely be one starter as he was voted All-Conference at Cornell. Aman Greenwood was a part-time starter at Syracuse and will likely fill Corey Thomas’ role splitting snaps between Safety and Nickel. Oregon transfer Daymon David will also have an opportunity to collect starting snaps. This will be an important spring for redshirt juniors DiMarco Johnson and Neal Roach to find their footing on the depth chart. They will have redshirt freshmen Darius Owens and David Jester pushing them. 9) Which kicker will lock down the starting spot? Noah Perez has the most game experience and was 9 for 9 on PATs, but struggled with FGs beyond 30 yards. Owen Wiley was perfect down the stretch going 3 for 3 on FGs and 7 for 7 on PATs. His only two misses on the season came from beyond 40 yards. Ideally Dante Jackson will be left to just kicking off and punting. Competition is a great thing, but what cannot happen again is the musical chairs act that occurred last season. 10) How much different will the offense look in 2024? Probably not substantially different, but new offensive coordinator Taylor Housewright will certainly bring some new elements. Last year’s offense struggled through much of the season and was a disappointment compared to the year before. If a change was going to occur, this off-season was the right time to make it. 11) Can the defense continue to improve? The defense has improved in nearly every statistical category since Tim Tibesar’s arrival and all coaches on the defensive side of the ball return. The defensive front 6 (7) should be just as good, if not better, in 2024. If the secondary gels quickly, there is reason to believe the 2024 defense will be the best we’ve seen under the current staff. 12) How many wins should be expected? To start out, I’m guilty of ramping up expectations for what turned out to be a disappointing 2023. It’s hard to win many games without an adequate quarterback. DJI never returned to form, while Bullock and JU were inconsistent. 7 games were decided by one score and we only managed to win 2 of the 7. That’s tough. I’m not sure if there’s another team in the nation that has played, and lost, as many one score games as we have over the last two seasons. It’s time to get over the hump. Almost every team in the MAC will role out a new starting QB in 2024. If there was ever a year the MAC was wide open, 2024 would be it. Playing at Ohio State, South Carolina, and Rutgers seem like 3 losses on paper. If that turns out to be the case, 9 wins would be the max. On the flip side, I believe 6 wins and a bowl appearance should be the minimum.
    9 points
  4. The LCJ jersey hits next week.
    8 points
  5. Seems like every time it occurs to me to stop by and post some game observations, the top of the board is littered with nonsense like this from dudes who (I assume) were born way after Huggins left and can't conceive of the heavy lift that KD performed at Akron. I find it unfortunate and disheartening. Well I hope everyone can bring themselves to enjoy this evening and pull for these kids and coaches who are chasing a dream together and appear to really enjoy the collective effort. The Watcher clan will be there in full force and pleased to attend yet another MAC Championship Game in seats I started buying during the years when the Zips never even qualified for the MAC Tournament. Bonus points if you can tell me the name of the starting 2 guard for the Zips the first game they actually made it to the Q. No cheaters. Shout-out to the diehards that keep the hopeful and supportive spirit of ZN.O alive, especially @Hilltopper, @ZZZips, @Dr Z, @Captain Kangaroo and The Great™ @GP1 .. hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy your St. Patrick's Day! #Porkys7Forever #4PetesSake Go Zips!
    7 points
  6. I have 2 daughters - 4 years old and 2 years old. A couple nights a week, I run solo in putting them to bed. On those nights, I sing them 2 songs - Take Me Out to the Ball Game and the University of Akron Fight Song. This morning, my 2 year old was running around the kitchen singing the University of Akron Fight Song. Akron by a million tonight. LET'S GO ZIPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    7 points
  7. (Taking a social media break for lent but had to make one post today) I just bawled my eyes out singing we are the champs. I've watched every eff'n game. All the struggles and down games and I believed and prayed. My biggest regret was not going to the game in 2022. WE ARE CHAMPS AGAIN. WINNING IS EVEN BETTER THE SECOND TIME
    6 points
  8. Why? I'll never understand the bitterness...
    6 points
  9. Hey, the arena wasn’t totally dead. My eardrums are still ringing from the DJ blasting crappy music instead of letting our band full of talented musicians have some play time.
    6 points
  10. I'm hearing Ben can spin it at QB and AD could be the best WR in the group!
    6 points
  11. I’m not going to post every offer like I have the past two years, but will update occasionally. Here are two recent QB offers made by our new QB coach. Chris Denson (FL) HUDL FILM Charlie Johnston (AL) HUDL FILM
    6 points
  12. UMass is instantly a top 4-5 bball team - Rutgers isn't top 4-5 in anything in the Big Ten besides gabagool
    6 points
  13. Time to rank the top 5 HS/JUCO prospects at each position. Will also add transfers this year. Still too early to tell on many of the 2023 recruits, but a handful did have the opportunity to play significantly this past year. The late JUCO signees (like CJ Nunnally) I missed because they signed after spring ball. I’m sure a few will fall into that category again. HS/JUCO QBs 1) CENTRAL MICHIGAN - Jayden Glasser HUDL FILM 2) TOLEDO - Kalieb Osborne HUDL FILM 3) MIAMI - Thomas Gotkowski HUDL FILM 4) EASTERN MICHIGAN - Jace Stuckey HUDL FILM 5) AKRON - Brayden Roggow HUDL FILM TRANSER PORTAL QBs 1) AKRON - Ben Finley 2) CENTRAL MICHIGAN - Joe Labas 3) EASTERN MICHIGAN - Drew Viotto 4) NORTHERN ILLINOIS - Jalen Macon 5) KENT STATE - JD Sherrod Finley is the only transfer QB to have multiple spurts of legitimate success at the FBS level. Others on the list may have more physical ability or higher upside over the next few years, but they have little FBS production. 2023 QBs and how they fared: 1) AKRON - Steele Wasel = N/A Redshirted 2) CENTRAL MICHIGAN - Tyler Jefferson = N/A Redshirted 3) OHIO - Jacob Winters HUDL FILM = N/A Redshirted 4) EASTERN MICHIGAN - Ike Udengwu (JUCO) = Passing - 13 of 31, 100 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs. 5) TOLEDO - RJ Johnson HUDL FILM = N/A Redshirted Who I may have missed on: BALL STATE - Kaden Semonza = Passing - 50 of 82, 480 yards, 3 TDs, 5 INTs. Redshirted.
    6 points
  14. Yeah this is a big miss by the Athletic Department. I don't necessarily care that Senior Night is the 2nd to last home game on a Saturday, but it's not like Senior Night snuck up on the department as a "promo". Senior Night should've been announced when the schedule came out, especially since it's not the last home game of the season. Tribble, Freeman, Ali, and Hunter deserve the whole community's support. Hard to do that when even the diehards are caught off guard.
    6 points
  15. Reggie Bass transferring from CMU to Kent to play less, score less, and win less (than CMU this year) is absolutely hilarious.
    6 points
  16. Zippy is the #1 ranked mascot in the Field of 68.
    5 points
  17. Hell of a way to take the all-time series lead. Greg Tribble - way to come through under as much pressure as you could have been.
    5 points
  18. We are witnessing the genius of Groce. Lose the last few games to avoid Kent at 11am in the quarterfinals.
    5 points
  19. Come on, Cavs. Don't F this up. Freeman in the Wine & Gold next season.
    5 points
  20. Bought my Thursday ticket using the ARIZZOMAC2024 code. $19 after taxes for the cheapest one, which is fine because I can sit anywhere I'd like. Not a bad deal to watch 4 D1 tournament basketball games. Parking voucher is available for $16 (after taxes). I got one of them too (garage on Huron). No bad for downtown parking . The UMass folks will love our affordable tournament. 🙂
    5 points
  21. Dumbest bet I ever made
    5 points
  22. This may be one of the best, most accurate photos ever taken.
    5 points
  23. Or have Dawson go 4-5 from three.
    5 points
  24. Saw an article that this is coming back this summer and every kid will get around $600 payment for using their name and likeness. Probably the only NIL money that Akron kids will get.
    5 points
  25. the reasoning is all fine and makes sense, just should have been communicated earlier imo
    5 points
  26. Not sure why there is so much fuss about Rollin’s foul, Tribble was about to win it on a floater anyway. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Go Zips!!
    4 points
  27. It's actually my worst nightmare, conflicting loyalties, but I would be pulling for the Zips.
    4 points
  28. Totally out of line, show some class and quit acting and posting like a 12 yr old.
    4 points
  29. Hmm and one of the players he said he "didnt like" - Greg Tribble, whom he fouled and then hit the winning free throws. You can't make this kind of karma up.
    4 points
  30. Took my oldest son to the game last night. At halftime someone asked about the buckeye score, and my son turns to me and says “OSU… are they in league below Akron?” bro I choked up like I was watching Rudy.
    4 points
  31. Zips have still never found that top performance gear but by God, they fought like crazy tonight. Now let’s win the whole thing so Sunday we see them in the bracket. got my tickets through UA tonight so hopefully they arrive per the email tomorrow. Watching Enrique Freeman has been one of the great sports pleasures of my life. What an incredible player and young man.
    4 points
  32. I need a shot of bourbon after that one.
    4 points
  33. Nice redemptive season for KD. They’ve played really well since Grant returned. Next game will be a lot tougher for them.
    4 points
  34. Word has it Jay Bilas has a lawyer ambulance-chasing the only fan that stormed the court that day to have him thrown in prison with the death penalty on the table.
    4 points
  35. I will admit that I had given up on Tribble ever becoming a better shooter and he sure as hell proved me wrong. Given what Groce has said about Greg over his time here concerning his basketball IQ, I hope he has some coaching in his future. I wouldn't mind seeing that at UA in some role. He could be to Groce what Dru Jr. is to KD.
    4 points
  36. 4-2-3-1 Borneo #12 and Bartels #15 are as good as advertised in offensive MF. The pleasant surprise is Ydrach #8 at CB. This enables Buechte to play defensive MF instead of CB. Malik Henry was very sharp today at his usual RB. His goal was a thing of beauty.
    4 points
  37. https://influxermerch.com/products/university-of-akron-navy-basketball-jersey-25-enrique-freeman?Color=Navy&Size=S Enrique Jerseys are available
    4 points
  38. Tavari has played a total of 888 career minutes. I think if he matures as a player and hits the weights to bulk up he can still be a valuable upperclassman and starter at some point. I think Sharron Young will also be in the mix at PG next year.
    4 points
  39. Mike Beaven getting assigned to the Zips has been a real blessing.
    4 points
  40. That's a fallacy. Bring those punks on back
    4 points
  41. I'm gonna need more than 3.4 ounces.
    4 points
  42. You can't play like đź’© for 30 minutes and expect to fix it in the last 10 minutes.
    4 points
  43. Here's an interesting article about how the rest of college football is becoming the farm system for the P5- https://sports.yahoo.com/as-college-footballs-elite-is-engulfed-in-a-power-struggle-g5-left-just-trying-to-survive-we-are-a-farm-system-140058685.html
    4 points
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