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I would think the 8 weeks are important in the sense that even if you're able to retain 2 or 3 of the offensive lineman it puts you in a much better position to succeed than needing to replace all 5. Some guys will perform at such a high level that we will never be able to afford them. We saw that with Nate Johnson in basketball. We need to at least position ourselves to keep a few guys below that tier so at least we have a foundation to build off of.

I caught that too! This might be a situation to where JoMo/Goodrich sits and waits for NIL Funds to actually happen, JoMo runs out his contract to get a extension(he would have to win 8 Games+ IMHO for that to happen), or the Administration decides to do nothing(Worst case scenario).

BTW I may be in the minority but I said this last year when all the Joe rumors were swirling. Very similar this year. I absolutely agree with whoever mentioned it in the past few days .. the rumors are all being generated by Joe’s agent. Watch other rumors pop early in the search cycles for OCs in the NFL etc. I believe Joe’s options to leave for bigger and better pastures are extremely limited. I don’t believe James Franklin will look at him as a first choice or maybe second/third based on how he’s building his staff. I also think he remains comfortable from the standpoint of family life, nice house in Hudson, grandkids around - his son is off next year to play college ball and he has his routine at Akron down to where maybe he can keep a better eye on his son’s career va working his ass off as a OC for some other program with less familiarity. I could be completely wrong but this is my gut feel.

Good point, I didn't even think about that side of it.

No contract extension out of the gate and included in this letter definitely signals this IMO

As the AD of a school whose football program is currently experience academic hardship, it's an easy line to throw in to show that academics are still a priority (even if every common-sense-having human being on this earth knows that academics haven't been a priority in revenue-generating athletics for years across the country).

Some thoughts... - Love that Goodrich took the time to craft this letter. Not sure I recall any recent ADs doing something like this. - I do wonder if the importance of the next 8 weeks silently refers more to JoeMo's decision rather than the other categories mentioned. Fundraising is really the only other crucial component to the next 8 weeks. The NCAA has a new 1-window transfer portal from Jan. 2-16 which only means players have to be in the portal by the 16th (recruiting doesn't end on the 16th). Talent hasn't been the issue, at least not nearly as big of an issue as coaching and financials have been. Every school is going through talent overhaul YOY. It comes down to financials and coaching as the key denominators between programs. - I re-read Goodrich's bio. Something that stands out is he negotiated the JMA Wireless Dome naming rights agreement at Syracuse and the Yuengling Center naming rights deal at South Florida. If I'm not mistaken, the football stadium's naming rights deal ends within the next 5 years. I wonder if he'll be here to negotiate another naming rights deal for his resume. That could be a big step in the financial health of the football program.

That's a completely different scenario in which academics were the priority, and it was pre-NIL. It was also about one in a million that it happened at Akron. Nice story nonetheless.

Has anyone heard the little known story of a guy that came to UA on an academic scholarship and then just happened to try out for the basketball team? Haven't heard it told in a little while

I think it eventually stabilizes a bit. But certainly there will always be some that are going place to place.

It sucks, but that's the life of things. The thing hopefully Akron can do a bit to help is to get the amounts these guys end up getting elsewhere. Akron isn't going to be able to pay much NIL no matter what happens. But I would think there's something there with "we can develop you, and look at the cash our guys are getting elsewhere." Clearly, they did some developing this year with guys. Could almost convince me that Moorhead is the guy for this, haha

"...many new faces who are eager to join the Akron Zips footbal program in pursuit of a...University of Akron degree" WHAT?!?! How many players will be joining with intentions of staying four years and earning a degree? They are after the money, the opportunity to perform with field time and prove they belong at a higher level, and ultimately chase the dream of playing in the NFL. Do any guys sign with a program out of high school with intent of being there four years and earning a degree? In football and men's basketball, the days of "student-athletes" are over. I'd be surprised if that the percentage of those who stay for all four years of eligibility and graduate is over 20%. Does anyone have numbers on that outcom?

Nor that Goodrich will be particularly bothered either way.

I don't necessarily think it means anything other than he hasn't left yet. That's not to say he will or won't be leaving.

That’s very interesting. Sounds like he and Joe had a pretty in depth conversation, but if this all hinges on getting a significant amount of money donated into the program I think they are going to be disappointed. If Franklin offers joe the Virginia Tech OC job he will be out of here in a heartbeat.

Team shop at the football stadium.

If you search "Akron Zips" on eBay and sort by newest items, you can sometimes find some good stuff that I assume is from former athletes and staff members. Other than that, the Bookstore website is decent but expensive.

I believe he can do that, they have done Guardians jersey customization for me in the past as well. They can do cadcut stuff in custom shapes and stuff so I believe so, although I don't know if they are partnered with UA

Does he make custom Zips gear like Akron Felt did? Some of my favorite items are still ones I had made there. I'd take a blank hoodie or shirt and get Akron logos out on.

Video starts out as ragebait but near the end it actually seems like they had a good time

Just received this email...doesn't sound like Moorhead is leaving Hello Zips Nation!! Thank you for all your support this football season. We had energetic crowds, especially in the suites and club spaces. We had a lot of fun with a big Homecoming victory over Central Michigan, and we had great student support from the AK Rowdies, Spirit Squads, and Pride of Ohio Marching Band. While the year certainly had plenty of drama, our 2025 campaign ends on a high note. Our victory over Bowling Green this week gave us five wins this season, which is the most we’ve had since the 2017 campaign and gives us plenty of hope for an even brighter future. While I am pleased with the progress, like so many of you, I have higher expectations for our football program. Trust that our coaching staff and student-athletes share in these higher expectations. In our first meeting after the conclusion of this football season, Coach Moorhead and I reviewed the calendar and came to the same conclusion that so much of our success next year will be dependent on the next eight weeks. Over the next eight weeks, we will evaluate our football staff, operations, roster, academic efforts, and recruiting and retention strategies as the transfer portal opens and closes. Inevitably, we will see some of our young men enter the transfer portal and we will also identify many new faces who are eager to join the Akron Zips football program in pursuit of a MAC Championship and University of Akron degree. In an effort to help us recruit and retain the highest caliber student-athletes, persons who possess both talent and high character, we are asking you to please make a gift to the Akron competitive excellence fund today. Click Here to donate to the Akron competitive excellence fund today. We acknowledge that many of our peers have more resources than we do, however, that does not scare us. We will confidently move forward as we believe that the most important resources are a healthy team culture and support from all stakeholders throughout our Akron community. Trust that we will never use financial resources as an excuse. While they do help, we identify as and aspire to be the pound-for-pound best athletics program in the nation I hope that over the past six months we have demonstrated that our new “Make The Climb” culture of competitive excellence will bear much fruit and that your investment will be put to good use. Join us, as we “MAKE THE CLIMB” and help us as we work to as hard as possible over the next eight weeks to get to eight victories next season. Best wishes and Go Zips! Andrew Dr. Andrew T. Goodrich Director of Athletics University of Akron Go Zips! #MakeTheClimb

Letter from Dr. Goodrich "Over the next eight weeks, we will evaluate our football staff, operations, roster, academic efforts, and recruiting and retention strategies as the transfer portal opens and closes. Inevitably, we will see some of our young men enter the transfer portal and we will also identify many new faces who are eager to join the Akron Zips football program in pursuit of a MAC Championship and University of Akron degree. "

The best Zips gear selection I ever saw was at the Salvation Army store on Brittain Rd last year, they had tons of brand new stuff donated from the bookstore. Not sure if they are gonna have more this year though

Akron Felt is no more, the old owner didn't pay taxes for multiple years. One of the former employees started his own business doing the same thing. https://www.simos.cc/ He has totally rebuilt the business but is doing a great job, we use him to do all the repairs on the RubberDucks uniforms, highly recommend

Troy lost in 3OT to USC on a buzzer beater 3. Edit: I found the highlight. What's worse is Troy should've won but the receiver on the outlet pass lazily attempted to secure the ball. USC stole it with 6 seconds left, passed it up the court with 3 seconds left, and the guy took 2 dribbles before getting the shot off at under .6 seconds. Brutal.