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Now that most of the portal chaos has settled down, I figured I’d take my usual shot at projecting the spring depth chart. QB: Poffenbarger Roggow This is the most talented quarterback room since Moorhead’s arrival when you look at it purely from a potential standpoint. Unfortunately, that doesn’t guarantee a worthwhile starter, especially since no one has proven production at the FBS level. It’d be easy to lump Poffenbarger in with Undercuffler for obvious reasons, but after watching some of Poffenbarger’s Albany film on YouTube, I think he shows much better touch than Undercuffler and seems to read the field better as well. Of course, that was a few years ago and at the FCS level, so we’ll see if Poffenbarger can reproduce that here. I also wouldn’t rule out Roggow, Broughton, or Beals getting meaningful playing time. The position should be wide open, and higher production from this spot would make a huge impact on the offense. Somehow, the best quarterback in this system has been one the staff inherited in DJ Irons. The 2022 offense averaged 26.6 PPG and 408.1 yards per game. Since then, the offense has averaged 20.5 PPG and 329.5 yards per game (conference stats only). For anyone wondering, that’s fewer points and yards than Arth’s final season. RB: Gant Patrick Somehow, in the NIL era, every scholarship running back from last season is back. I’m not sure Gant will be able to reproduce another 1,000-yard season with what is basically a brand-new offensive line and a new quarterback who’ll be reading the defense and deciding whether to give or keep on RPOs. Also, I expect Patrick to step into a larger role and create a bigger impact. Gee and Curry are more power-type backs who could contribute if they stay healthy. 2025 was the best rushing year under this staff. I’ve been pretty vocal about the need to run the ball more. In most cases, teams with a strong running game tend to win. The Zips averaged 124 rushing yards per game last season, which is decent, but only good enough for ninth in the MAC. For comparison, Ohio and Western Michigan both averaged over 200 yards per game on the ground. WR: Ma. Williams Sivon WR: Mason Louis WR: Monteiro Myers Outside of Williams and Mason, almost any receiver could be penciled into the depth chart at this point. I don’t know which of the incoming players will work their way to the forefront, but I do think this room has as much talented depth as any other year. 2022 might’ve had the best group of starters, but the 2026 group has a chance to be one of the deepest from top to bottom. If the drops can be limited, the passing game has a chance to be one of the best in the MAC again. TE: Cravaack Hook Cravaack took over TE1 duties last season and steadily got better as the year went on. I have to assume that played at least some role in Newell transferring to Toledo. Incoming Michigan State transfer Hook and JUCO addition Alexander will provide depth. The fewest amount of passes in the Moorhead era went to the tight ends last year. I’d think there’ll be more of an effort to get them involved in the passing game in 2026. OL: Honestly, it’s anyone’s guess who’ll be starting in 2026. I’m sure Lyons and A. Jones can be penciled in, but outside of that, I don’t know. The spring game should give a better indication. Coach JRod has improved offensive line play each year he’s been here, though he’ll definitely have his work cut out for him this coming season. There’s some ability in the room, but I can’t say this group is any more talented than last year’s squad. I’d actually say it’s a bit less, although that doesn’t mean they can’t outperform if the right combination can build early cohesion. DE: Durham J. Frazier DT: Hull E. Davis DT: Highland Mixon DE: Waye D. Frazier Similar to the offensive line, I can’t say this is a more talented unit with the losses of Laventure and Dall. The defense was the best it’s been during the current staff’s tenure in multiple MAC categories, including points per game (26.6), sacks (20), interceptions(8), and forced fumbles (7). Durham and Hull return as starters, so that’s a positive. Waye is an edge player from the portal who looks a little raw but has some physical talent. Highland looks like a really good pickup on the interior, even if he’s more of a run stuffer. This unit still needs a few more additions, as the backups produced next to nothing last season and the starting group doesn’t currently look as strong on paper. This time last year I was concerned about the DL, but the addition of Laventure after spring ball made a huge difference. Hopefully something similar happens this year, even though I do feel better going into 2026 than I did during the spring of 2025. LB: Hocker Jones I’m taking a shot in the dark projecting the linebacker depth chart. I’m frustrated, but not surprised, that Spriggs hit the portal. He was finally coming into his own and would have almost certainly been all-conference this coming season. That said, I’m not overly concerned about the position. Tibesar has consistently done a good job year over year getting production out of whoever is on the field. Talent isn’t the question — productivity is. Right now, nobody in the room has any meaningful FBS experience. If the spring “game” looks anything like last year, we probably won’t learn much more than we already know, which is that these guys are athletic and can get downhill in a hurry. Realistically, it’s probably going to take until game one before we have any real idea where things actually stand. CB: White McNeil CB: T. Thomas Hobson NB: AL. Branch AI. Branch S: David Somerville S: Flowers Hunter I’d expect the starters and backups from last year’s secondary to at least open spring as starters or newly elevated starters. After that, though, things could shift pretty quickly. The new cornerbacks coach clearly emphasized speed this offseason, and now he’ll have his own recruits in the room to start molding. Both nickelbacks are back, and there’s a solid group of safeties returning too — a unit that definitely had its share of highs and lows. With a year of legit FBS experience under their belts, I’d expect the safeties to be a lot more consistent in 2026. ST: I assume Schramm and Castle will kick things off as starters, but this room does not seem complete. Hills should have plenty of competition at kick returner as well. To wrap up, I want to touch on recruiting. I think this year’s class probably lands somewhere in the middle of the MAC. That said, if a home run was hit at quarterback, it could make this class look a lot better than it actually is. High-end quarterback play usually means more points and, more often than not, more wins. Until the NIL pool is competitive with the rest of the conference, I doubt there will be many, if any, years where Akron can realistically claim the top class in the MAC. On the flip side, there’s a lot of young talent on this roster — way more than during the Arth years — and honestly it’s mostly in line with the rest of the conference. So I don’t want to make it sound like not landing a top class means you can’t win. If it’s paired with strong coaching, winning seasons are still very much on the table.

Akron Zips Men's Soccer.

Kansas State won their first game without Tang. Nate put up a stat line of 33/9/5.

When I looked at the stats this morning, I noticed that in the last 6 games the Zips have not shot 40% from the 3 point line. In our lost to Troy and our narrow win st Eastern Michigan we shot the 3 point ball around 27% for those games. Earlier in the season against good out of conference teams including Perdue we were averaging well over 40% from 3. I even commented that this might be Groce's best 3 point shooting team. I hate that our three point shooting in trending downward at the end of the season. Not sure what is the cause except the grind of a long season. Also, Groce has been playing some players long minutes and there has been a greater emphasis on defense. In our loss to Miami we only shot 25% from 3. Hoping that we can regain our outside shooting touch in the remaining games.

In my wish world Miami goes undefeated until the MAC final when they get beaten by the Zips and both the Zips and Miami make the tournament. Two MAC teams in the tourney would be a nice precedent.

In my wish world, Akron takes on unbeaten Miami in the MAC final and beats them on a banked three pointer with no time left on the clock.

Also found at the Whitney plantation in New Orleans. Sojourner Truth spoke in Akron in 1851. Akron is everywhere.

In 2025, UMass played at Iowa and Mizzou Toledo Played at Washington State CMU played at San Jose St We went to Nebraska Kent went to Texas Tech and Oklahoma EMU @ Texas State 4 teams going there per year isn't a big deal at all imo

When I first started following Zips athletics they were one of the best teams in the MAC. Bonzi Wells 🔥🔥

I was a college housemate (Sumner and Gage Streets) of Jack Patterson’s son John. I’m still very good friends with him today. I attended Jack’s funeral, and John’s eulogy he told a neat story about his dad. John’s team made the intramural finals at Stow high school. They couldn’t break a press, so he asked his dad for help. Jack was the beat writer for Ohio State at the time. During a road game trip Jack pulled OSU coach Eldon Miller aside in a hotel lobby and asked him how to break a press. Eldon took Jack’s notepad and drew it out. John’s team won the game. Not sure if they were pressed at any point, but they were prepared. 😊

I always wondered what pursuaded Tavari to stay at Akron after putting his name in the portal and the annoucers indicated it was only for half a day and the coaching staff told him he needs to think about what he was losing. He then stayed with Akron. Like these announcers. Best yet.

This is the difference between good and great teams though. Great teams are multi-dimensional and struggling in one area does not doom them to a loss. If we had an alternative way to generate offense against Troy and Miami, we would have won those games, and we would be having a great season, not just a good one.

What a laughable good deal in favor of MAC schools. Anyone else out there this desperate to get to the FBS level? The MAC is open for business!

I would say quite considerably. I know the practice gym is outfitted with equipment that allows it to track player performance with advanced analytics. It even provides numbers on what lineups provide the most optimization. Groce has said in the past that some of those lineups he has been surprised by in the past. Add in the Zips are one of the heaviest volume shooting from 3 teams in NCAA. I know many gray hairs are against it, but I feel it's something that if you aren't utilizing, you're falling behind.

For those that might trouble seeing it, Akron is listed as a 11 seed in the lower right quadrant. Miami is also an 11 seed but listed as an at-large. I am good with this scenario. 😁

I wonder if folks truly understand how much $$$ is at stake for the MAC getting a second bid? It's not a 1-year payday, it's a 5-year payday, and higher if one or both MAC teams advance a round or two. Being a Top 12 league may have been enough to get Miami an at-large. Now, giving Miami an at-large only incentivizes other teams to play weak schedules, build gaudy records, then expect the NCAA to give them a pass into the tournament. Believe me, the NCAA is not going to open that can of worms by giving Miami an at-large bid.

"Saving Coach Ryan"

I'd be surprised if the SunBelt expands beyond 14 teams. So much league revenue, like NCAA tournament credits, is fixed so unless adding them leads to at-large bids (not happening), you're just splitting the same size pie more ways. The SunBelt could have interest in Miami/OU, but I'm inclined to think that it would be a contingency to back fill in the event they get raided by PAC-12, MWC, or AAC.

Do you know how much heartbreak and angst they could've saved their fanbase over the years by announcing in February that they will not be participating in the NCAA Tournament?

At first I thought the MAC was stupid for doing this but after seeing the terms they'd be negligent not to. I'd hate to lose good rivalries w/ Ohio & Miami. I'd love to add Illinois St. & Indiana St.

This is where I insert the Will Smith gif with caption "get my bleep coaches name out of your bleeping mouth"

It appears to be a substance that causes one to choke!

Facing UMass in the 1st round would make for a grueling 3 days.

Was it actually necessary for Toledo to announce this? Couldn't they also announce they will not be playing in the NBA playoffs?

Akron vs Ohio, Kent vs UMass on the same side is diabolical. If Miami avoids all those teams until the final, it will be confirmed they sold their soul for this run of luck.

Buffalo was a one player team with the WI transfer. hes been on concussion protocol for awhile.

Bowen starting in Sharron's place tonight.

I may end up being wrong, but I thibk Miami loses in the MAC Tournament, and, if they do get an at-large, gets crushed in the NCAA Tournament. I don't believe they are battle-tested against higher levels teams, and I do think that matters in March. We will find out. Both teams shot well below their season averages in that game. Why do you only bring that up for Miami? 🤔

Lets get a win!

NOTE - I revised my Feb 3, 2026 post above per this change to reflect the Spring Schedule reposted by @ZipsMSoc.

Which defeats the whole puurpose of having a fan council because money talks, and as a result, those voices are already loudly heard.

The MAC has been maligned forever for refusing to think outside the box. For refusing to take any sort of risk. Now an opportunity landed in their lap that doesn't actually have much risk tied to it, and we're going to crap on them for taking a shot? OK, that seems consistent. An opportunity presented itself with a school that is being, admittedly, hyper aggressive and taking a shot in the dark. An opportunity that isn't going to cost the MAC much of anything. "There's no risk and this isn't going to lower the MAC's profile one bit" is a plenty good enough "just because" reason. It's 2026 in the world of college sports mercenaries. There are no rules. The best case scenario is that the MAC uses these funds and this methodology to find more schools in the footprint (see: past rumors of WKU/MTSU, etc). The worst case is that they added 6-8 games of TV inventory (Sac State home games) for however many years it lasts at no cost to the league. Do I think Sacramento State is nuts for doing this? 100% absolutely, ab-so-freaking-lutely I think they're nuts. Do I think the MAC is being stupid for taking them up on this offer in the days of "do what you can to survive" while having schools both leave and be courted? Not a bit. I'm not gonna crap on the MAC for taking a shot at something, even if it seems insane for Sac State to be doing this.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was any type of media coverage of this team? So maybe a reporter, or even a student reporter, could ask the AD or head coach what they thought of this deal? Crazy to think that a D1 team would have even a hint of media coverage.

This seems archaic. All the Athletics Department has to do is take ZNO content and summarize it through AI. Bam. Done.

I agree. I also think it is also harder to win on the road in the grind of a long season. As much as this board gives Miami grief about their weak schedule, they have won all of their road games. Something we have not done.

You'd have expected Sharrone Young to be an assassin from the 3-line this season, and he's shooting 21.6% in conference play. He should be around 40%.

I feel teams have been more physical against us, which has in part thrown off our rhythm. Also, I feel teams have done a better job of limiting open court turnovers creating fewer fast breaks and making us play a more half court offense. The video game numbers we were putting up earlier in the were never going to be sustainable.

Wouldn't even need to be THAT desperate. But yes, the MAC should be talking to anyone and everyone that might be interested right now.

You're talking about the state capital for the 5th largest economy in the world. Between politicians, lobbyists, and others in area trying to buy influence there is probably retarded amounts of money floating around the area. Not to mention outside the Sacramento Kings there is very little local sports competition.

The big question here...is the MAC done? While it feels kinda ridiculous, this is the first remotely proactive thing the MAC has done in a long long time...are they trying to use some of this extra funding to pilfer CUSA? There are multiple teams there that would make sense, and adding schools that "matter" even a little bit could help the MAC stave off the Sun Belt. That next TV deal is probably going to be vitally important...is it just going to be the "same old same old" with the crappy midweek games, or is the MAC going to try and find other broadcasters that need content (and want college football)? Be a very very interesting couple years here.

But hopefully he can maintain his love for the place.

As always, great insight Catdaddy!

UMass is the team I don't want to see in Cleveland. I really want Miami to draw them.

Kent is usually a built for MAC tournament team. Physicality of the game picks up and refs seem to allow teams to play more. That's why I think a team like UMass could overachieve come MAC tournament time.

If the ADs at Ball State and Sac State are smart, they strike a deal with Manscaped to sponsor their matchups.

This is worse than the MWC bringing in Grand Canyon. These moves don't always have good outcomes. Cal and Stanford have only made the ACC worse. The on field competition is worse. Big 10 adding OR WA USC and UCLA makes sense because they result in annual increased revenue and attractive names. These names result in more TV viewers. More TV viewers result in more advertising money. Most importantly, the quality of product is now the best in the country. In the truck stop if life, the MAC is now the lot lizard trolling from truck to truck hoping to scrape up enough cash to buy a pack of Slim Jims and a bottle of Mountain Dew for dinner.

Somehow need UMass to be the 4th, 5th, or 8th seed to get onto the Sweaters side of the bracket. Or... Miami drops 2 to any combination of UMass/BG/Toledo/Ohio (I don't see them losing otherwise) and Akron wins out to take the 1 seed. Separation is occurring between Buffalo and the rest of the field for the 8th seed. The tournament field might be set here soon if Balls, Central, Northern, and Eastern don't find some magic.

So, for roughly for a million dollars per school, you're willing to pimp us out like a Howard Street hooker selling half and halfs for twenty dollars a throw on a Monday night?