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"Voluntary" workouts started today.... I was told over half the team was there this morning which is very exciting to me, considering last year I was told were this week of "Voluntary" workouts they had something like 12 players there... Next Monday is the first day of mandatory conditioning for the returning and transfer players... I hope they build a lot of momentum. Right now the Zips are tied for first in the MAC so things are looking GREAT !!!!!!

We have a regular customer at the card shop that's a big Akron fan. He brought his son in who is probably 8-10 years old. He asked me where he can get some 3Peat merch. Luckily, I was gifted an extra hat the other day and had it in my bag. Gave it to him and, man, you should've seen the smile on his face. He went to dinner and came back a couple hours later with the tags off. I asked if he will ever take the hat off and he said, "Nope," with a huge smile. Never be afraid to talk Zips with people. Never know who you'll leave an impression on and foster life-long fandom. Also, 3Peat merch is a huge hit. Props to Wentz and the FTRC crew on creating great merch.

Another very tough non conference road matchup Akron at West Virginia on Thursday night September 3rd https://wvusports.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule What we know so far.... August 20 Dayton August 28 Wake Forest September 3 at West Virginia September 12 at St. Louis September 18 Butler (BE) October 11 Creighton (BE) October 24 Xavier (BE) Coach Embick and Coach Nanchoff have let fans know that Georgetown will be the 4th Big East home game. Based on past schedules, the zips will play Big East road games at DePaul, Marquette, Providence and Villanova. Zips coaches have previously mentioned attractive home games against Army, Cornell, Syracuse and Robert Morris.

In the last 15 minutes of play, I heard the commentators say : Laryea has had a very good game. Richie Laryea has been outstanding. Richie Laryea has been fanstastic in this game. Not surprisingly, Richie was the highest rated Canadian player....by Sports Illustrated https://www.si.com/soccer/canada-player-ratings-vs-bosnia-herzegovina-canada-collects-first-ever-world-cup-point-6-12-26 LB: Richie Laryea—7.9: Ran a marathon down the left wing. Stout defensively and a valuable asset going forward. A strong showing should’ve been rewarded with a goal, but Kolašinac denied him with an incredible block near the goal-line.

https://gozips.com/news/2026/6/10/eight-akron-football-players-named-to-2026-phil-steeles-preseason-all-mac-teams

The Starter: Unless something drastically changes, R. Poffenbarger will be the starter in 2026. Poffenbarger was named an FCS All-American during his time at Albany where he threw for 6,613 yards and 60 touchdowns across two seasons. From there, he went on to become a backup at Miami and North Texas, sitting behind Cam Ward and Drew Mestemaker respectively. Poffenbarger throws a catchable ball and, at least during his Albany days, didn’t turn the ball over much. He’s not necessarily a “dual threat” quarterback, but he has enough mobility to pick up yards on the ground when needed. If Poffenbarger can produce anything close to the numbers he put up at the FCS level, Akron’s offense will have a chance to be the best it’s been in the Moorhead era, especially considering all the weapons surrounding him on the offensive side of the ball. Next in Line: B. Roggow moves into the backup role by default. The redshirt sophomore has been in the system for a few years now and, ideally, will be ready if called upon. Of course, there’s always the chance Broughton or Beals leapfrog him depending on development and overall performance. C. Broughton is an impressive athlete at quarterback. My question is whether he remains at quarterback if, for whatever reason, he’s unable to move up the depth chart. I’m not ruling him out as potentially being an all-conference player, but I am suggesting there’s a possibility it could happen at a different position. It’s still early for those types of decisions to be made, though. S. Beals is a talented freshman with a load of potential. This is the second year in a row Akron has landed a quarterback that had power program offers in high school. Beals isn’t the scrambler Broughton is, but he has enough wiggle and speed to make things happen on the ground when he needs to. He has plenty of arm strength and could make some noise sooner than most would expect. Outlook: This is easily the most talented quarterback room of the Moorhead era. Of course, physical ability is only part of the equation at quarterback. Plenty of players have the arm talent and athleticism but never put it all together because of the mental demands that come with the position. That said, I believe Akron has its starter in Poffenbarger, and I expect him to have a strong season in 2026. Beyond that, there is enough young talent in the room to make me believe at least one of the underclassmen will emerge as a highly successful quarterback over the next few years. New: Poffenbarger (Gr.) = North Texas S. Beals (Fr.) Returning: Roggow (R. So.) Broughton (R. Fr.) Out: Finley (Gr.) Johnson (Gr.)

For those of you who are not native Spanish speakers. 😊 Forward Enrique Freeman will make his debut with the Puerto Rican national team this summer after confirming his participation, according to president Yum Ramos.

Look, I think we can all agree that the biggest winner of the 29-point Game 4 comeback is the Game 1 Cavaliers fourth quarter performance.

He's gone, but these guys are here. Significantly bigger this year. Very much looking forward to seeing this squad in action, but I will gladly be patient so we don't rush back into the crappy weather seasons.

The only hype was because of the Euro mystique. No one would have cared about that dude if he was from alliance

I question any Zip fan who is skipping a key Zip event like a golf outing for a meager excuse like his wedding. It seems Kreed has had his head turned by a subversive KSU spy masquerading as a love interest. Be very careful my friend. We would hate to lose you to the dark side. May the Zippy be with you.

What we know so far....only games confirmed by other schools...are home games for the zips August 20 Dayton August 28 Wake Forest September 18 Butler (BE) October 11 Creighton (BE) October 24 Xavier (BE) Coach Embick and Coach Nanchoff have let fans know that Georgetown will be the 4th Big East home game. Based on past schedules, the zips will play Big East road games at DePaul, Marquette, Providence and Villanova. Zips coaches have previously mentioned attractive home games against Army, Cornell, Syracuse and Robert Morris. I am very excited about this year's team. Go, Zips !!!

MLS changed their roster rules a few years ago. A player can be drafted and return to college for 1 additional season. If the player were to remain in college for a 2nd season after being drafted, then the player would re-enter the draft is my understanding. Remi has the collegiate eligibility, but I don't expect he would return for a second season after being drafted by San Diego. As I recall, Dyson Clapier and Malik Henry returned for the Fall 2024 season after being drafted by Sporting KC and CF Montreal, respectively, in December 2023 (MLS 2024 Superdraft). Malik ended up at Toronto FC through a trade, not by re-entering the draft, https://en.cfmontreal.com/news/cf-montreal-acquires-up-to-75-000-in-general-allocation-money-and-third-round-pick-from-toronto-fc)

The problem with this scenario above ... it does not take into effect injuries have on a season - overall or in part. I remember one season Sczerbiak injuried his wrist and missed 4-6 games with Miami going .500 in that stretch, enough to cost them the regular season title even though they were clearly the best team. In other years teams have lost players for the season, and did not become 'dangerous' until late in the season with a new lineup. In short, while the MAC is indeed a 1-bid league, it is not a 1-team conference. Most seasons anywhere from three to five teams would be solid NCAA Tournament representatives, even though all of them are likely-probably-definitely losers in the first round of the tournament. On Cleveland's neutral court, one of those 3-5 teams is 90-percent going to win the tournament. I'm good with that. The MAC Tournament, in my mind, celebrates the season. Guarantee the regular season champ a NIT bid, no matter what its NET/Kenpom ranking is. Give that team a financial reward for winning the regular season title. That, plus the No. 1 seed should be a viable reward. But don't fuk with the tournament. Again, I would love to have/hear Dustin publicly stand up for this. As a former MAC player and now head coach I would be shocked if he wants a double-bye or any other gimmick messing with the current tournament format.

Thanks, happy to do it. I think the offense could be really good this year. If Poffenbarger plays as well as I think he can, he’ll be a candidate. I’d be surprised if Mason and Williams weren’t selected at WR. There’s a chance both Patrick and Gant will be worthy, but neither make it if snaps are split fairly evenly. In that situation they wouldn’t have the same amount of opportunities as some of the other backs in the conference. Lyons and Jones are probably the best candidates along the OL. I think the collective parts of the defense will make it solid, but I’m not sure if we’ll have that many standouts this year. I like Hull at DT, but for some reason even when we’ve had strong DT play in the past, our players have been passed over. Then at DB, White at CB and David at safety could be candidates it if they can stay healthy.

I'd gladly give up Penn State- Shenago, Concord, Heidelberg, etc.... for CSU or YSU.

It’s a shame, because they deserve better. I also think they’re going to surprise a lot of people this year. I’m probably in the extreme minority here — maybe even alone — but I think football takes a sizable step forward this season while hoops takes a step back. QB1 and the entire offense really is going to make some noise this year.

Some MAC players have or will be working out with NBA teams: Shammah Scott - Suns Nate Johnson - Pistons, Lakers, Thunder, Wizards Peter Suder - Hawks, Bulls, Mavericks, Pacers, Spurs, Wizards Eian Elmer - Hornets Jackson Paveletzke - Bucks and Knicks

In what is one of the more unusual developments during the transfer portal era, every scholarship running back has returned for 2026. The Room: J. Gant became the first back to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in a season during the Moorhead era. Gant isn’t the biggest or most explosive runner — in fact, his longest carry of the year was only 36 yards — but he is excellent in other areas. He has a subtle shiftiness when hitting the hole that consistently makes defenders miss. Just as importantly, he has an excellent feel for tempo: knowing when to gear down, when to accelerate, and when to simply lower his shoulder to grind out extra yards. There were countless runs in 2025 that looked destined to lose yardage, only for Gant to somehow turn them into positive gains or at least get back to the line of scrimmage. His strong season earned him 2nd Team All-MAC honors. S. Patrick actually opened 2025 as the starter for the first four games before an injury sidelined him for several weeks. When he returned, he never quite looked fully back to form, and combined with Gant’s emergence, his opportunities became more limited. Still, Patrick remains the most explosive running back on the roster and seems primed for a breakout season if he can stay healthy. The combination of Gant’s consistency and Patrick’s big-play ability gives the Zips one of the better backfield duos in the MAC. M. Williams arrived in the 2024 class as a transfer from Minnesota. I still haven’t seen the level of explosiveness one would typically expect from a former Power Four transfer, but he’s proven to be an adequate option when called upon. C. Gee led Colgate in rushing in 2024 with over 400 yards while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He brings a little more size than Akron’s top two backs and could carve out a role in the offense if he can stay healthy. T. Curry is the biggest running back on the roster. He hasn’t produced much during stops at UAB, ULM, or Akron, but he at least provides experienced depth and has the frame to step in if injuries start piling up. Outlook: This is the deepest running back room of the Moorhead era, and it’s unlikely Gant will put up the same volume of yards he did a season ago with the expected emergence of Patrick. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. Akron finally has multiple backs capable of carrying the load and bringing different skill sets to the offense. With the combination of Gant’s consistency, Patrick’s explosiveness, and solid depth behind them, the Zips’ rushing attack should be able to improve upon last year’s numbers. Returning: Curry (R. Sr.) Gant (R. Sr.) Gee (R. Jr.) Williams (R. Jr.) Patrick (R. So.)

Finally someone with some FBS experience. He was a starter in 2024 before missing all of the 2025 season with an injury, so hopefully he’s able to bounce back this year. Johnson was strong against the run and will likely slide into the starting MLB spot with Nunno at OLB. JUCO additions Jones and Smith will probably round out the rotation

I just pop in here every few weeks in the offseason, and when I saw how big this thread is, I was like, "Wow! The schedule must be coming together early, and/or there are some really interesting opponents!" But no, just Tulane and Bucknell so far, the rest is people arguing whether we should schedule Cleveland State and Youngstown State or not. I personally don't really care, with a slight lean towards "yeah, let's do it" for the following reasons, particularly with respect to Cleveland State: 1) Easy road game, and if Cleveland State's fan support is as bad as it apparently is, we can perhaps outnumber them in their own home, which is always great. 1a) As little interest as a CSU/Akron game or series might engender right now, I guarantee we play 3-4 OOC games each year that is even less interesting to both markets. At least. 2) Things change. 10 or 20 years from now, we might suck and CSU might be great. Especially with the fluidity you see in mid-major conferences. If you're not nice to people on the way up, they won't be nice to you on the way down. 2a) Cleveland State of course made an elite 8 appearance in the 80s, and wasn't it around that time that games against them and Mouse McFadden were breaking JAR attendance records for Zips MBK that still stand? (Fact check me on that). Maybe we can build that magic again, and it'd be helpful to lay the foundation for it now. 3) Some of you seem to be saying we should tell high majors to go to hell, while also espousing us to behave like mini high majors with respect to other mid and low majors. 3) Observations like "We can't give that CSU a home-and-home because that'd legitimize them" is way overthinking it IMO. It's highly unlikely our fates are gonna hinge on whether we scheduled the 2nd- or 5th-best Horizon League to a home-and-home, and it ain't all up to us anyway; these would all need to be two-party agreements, to state the obvious.

Bowden - who let the assistants coach on the field in the second half - starts 1-0 with a 44-34 win in Iowa. With everyone on their first game of the year, hard to tell who's any good or not, but better to start with a win than a loss. Offense was good downfield, but anything short or running was a little iffy. Pretty good defense, 3 or 4 interceptions. Stats a little lacking, hopefully the league at least gets them out there.

Kicker: M. Schramm had a solid first season with the Zips, splitting time with former kicker O. Wiley. Schramm went 16-of-17 on extra points and 12-of-13 on field goals, with his only miss coming from beyond 40 yards. Based on last season’s production, he should enter 2026 as the clear favorite to handle field goal and extra point duties. J. Westrich has been added for what I assume is primarily kickoff duties, as that was his main responsibility at the Division II level last season. While he possesses a strong leg, he went 0-for-5 on field goal attempts, which suggests his path to playing time is likely through kickoffs rather than challenging Schramm as the primary placekicker. Punter: J. Castle had his best season to date averaging nearly 43 yards per punt. He also split some snaps with former punter B. Johnson. I believe A. Satire is being brought in primarily as a punter to compete with Castle. He did not play as a freshman at West Virginia this past season. Long Snapper: F. Miner was the backup at long snapper in 2025 and will compete with portal addition S. Dean for the starting role this coming season. Returner: B. Hills is set to reprise his role as the main kickoff returner. His competition will likely come from S. Patrick, T. Thomas, and JUCO addition G. Hilburn. On punt return, it’ll likely be the same competition of players as kickoff return, except Patrick should be the lead man. Looking forward: I believe most specialists are non-scholarship players for Akron, with the exception of whoever earns the starting jobs. So typically only three scholarships are allocated to special teams. With that in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised if one more kicker is brought in before fall camp. Returning: P - Castle (Sr.) LS - Miner (R. Sr.) K - Schramm (R. So.) New: LS - Dean (Jr.) = DII K - Westrich (R. So.) = DII P - Stire (R. Fr.) = West Virginia Out: LS - Dennis (Gr.) P - Johnson (Gr.) K - Samaha = Eastern Michigan K - Wiley = Portal

I really like Galloway Jr and definitely think he has the potential for it

We all knew it was coming but Richie Laryea has been named to the Canada roster for the World Cup!

Why wouldn't you reward the top seeds? Again, the MAC is the only conference - to my knowledge- that doesn't reward the #1 seed at all. Right now, the only thing that matters in the MAC regular season is finishing top 8. If a conference wants to make the regular season matter more and reward teams for playing well in the regular season, you should absolutely build your tournament that way. My preferred option would be to take the top 6 teams and give 1/2 a first round bye. It's not as extreme as the double-bye, but it makes earning the 1 or 2 valuable. Thursday 5 PM - #3 vs #6 7:30 PM - #4 vs #5 Friday 5 PM - 4/5 winner vs #1 7:30 PM - 3/6 winner vs #2 Saturday 7:30 - Championship

And to the surprise of no one, as soon as a couple teams weren't as competitive as they magically thought they would be sans Louisville, the EBC will be itself dead in a couple years.

We'll have at least one Zip heading to Eugene for the national championships. Still a couple more opportunities for another to qualify but it's tough competition.

This was the email they sent out: Akron Zips Fans, now you have access to the same sideline gear as our teams! We have partnered with Nike and BSN to open our Zips Fan Shop, available until Monday, June 8th! Don’t wait, hit the button below to secure your official sideline gear today! Going forward, each of our sports will launch four (4) of their own fan shops throughout the course of the year, and we will launch this Fan Shop four (4) times each year too, so fans can rep team specific gear and exclusive Akron Zips gear! Be sure to keep an eye out as more information will follow! The prices seem to be pretty much in line with Nike team gear. At least it's another option for people to buy?

Bowden's Greenheads kick off on Saturday in Iowa. In their first two TAL seasons, the Iowa Woo (yes, Woo) have gone 2-8 and 4-5 (including playoffs), so probably an average opponent to see what's what for the expansion team. Almost assuredly, I'll be the only one here taking a peek haha (but that's more because I've followed indoor football for 26 years now). They've done a...reasonably poor job...of getting roster information out, but Monroe's defensive coordinator is a guy (James Shiver) who's been involved in indoor football coaching on and off since 2001. So, Bowden will at least have coaches that have worked with the walls before. Though Shiver was always an offensive coach indoors, but whatever. With the caveat that Iowa hasn't always produced stellar broadcasts, the game can be seen on YouTube on the TAL channel. Link below (though I think they embed on here)

I like this. I'd go as far as to say "giving the P4s the middle finger" is the only path mid majors can take.

that's an even worse idea

This upcoming season is the last year of the agreement. Will be curious to see if there's an extension announcement over the summer. If not, it's likely over after this season. Quite frankly, I wouldn't hate to see it end. I don't know how much it benefits either conference as the top matchups have typically been lopsided NET wise. It would be better if they expanded it to include other mid major conferences to put more big fish in the pond. The goal should be for the top matchups to be Q1/high-end Q2 opportunities and that isn't happening enough.

Let me break this down for you. We are very clearly a tier or two or three above csu and ysu. We're all fighting for scraps when it comes to support and fanbase after the big dogs like OSU, and maybe competing for some recruits here or there though I'd like to think we're recruiting a different tier than them as well. Playing them home and home legitimatizes them in the eyes of the local crowd and puts us a little more on the same tier in their eyes. Not to mention if we happen to lose once or twice. It's just not worth that, there's more to lose than gain by scheduling away games there

Xavier will play at Akron on October 24 https://goxavier.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule

If not Red Panda, how about :

Other interesting info:

According to an Auditor of State report there is none?

Likely the same AI that gave me this soccer t shirt ad

Now I like your post 😅

You are not in the extreme minority. This team is slowly rebuilding with the biggest jump at QB. 6-6 is definitely within their grasp and 7-5 is possible, but not probable. Regards the football budget, I am not worried. Goodrich and Pottorff know it is low and they are working to add to it while suffering the cuts the university has mandated to right its financial situation. Both will be resolved over time. As mentioned in another post today we are a program that competes well in most every sport. Baseball would have been a top competitor had they not lost their top three pitchers this season, all of whom will be back.

Is it me or if our football team could win, we'd kinda dominate the MAC in just about everything? Baseball too but we can't be perfect

Zips have 12 athletes who qualified for the preliminary round of the NCAA tournament which takes place next week. Good luck to all! https://gozips.com/news/2026/5/21/track-field-12-zips-qualify-for-ncaa-track-and-field-east-preliminary-round

They lost a ton, but retaining Skaljac, Atlason, Ipsaro, and Kirby will help them a ton. Stevie Elam is going to be good for them, too. They'll take a step back like us, but I think they'll be a contender again.

I'm honestly not opposed to the top 40-50 programs splitting off and forming a professional league. It might be what's best for collegiate athletics as a whole. Perhaps that could help create stability for everyone else. It's evident we'll never get back to what things where 10-20+ years ago.

Things are moving fast.......in the transfer portal Top Drawer soccer is reporting some moves....that impact the zips Zips have added a GK from Italy....Francesca Tricarico from Biola University in La Mirada, CA in the year before that, the zips new addition to the GK corps....led Iowa Western JC to a national title transfers out Josh Bartels to Fairleigh Dickinson GK Lincoln McCarty to UNC Asheville Angel Lopez leaves after one semester and goes to South Carolina https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/mens-division-i-may-transfer-tracker_aid55916 https://athletics.biola.edu/sports/mens-soccer/roster/francesco-tricarico/8711

Best wishes to Logan LaMaina as he has transferred to St. Joseph's University https://www.instagram.com/p/DYkNM3UO4hj/

Top Drawer soccer is reporting that the zips have added a player from Long Island University in the May Transfer Portal. https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/mens-division-i-may-transfer-tracker_aid55916 ps....let's hope that this young man does as well as the most recent LIU transfer 🤣😁 (some guy named Emil )