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That would be awesome. My question is, what would that framework be? What if the framework was this simple below the P4 level. 1. Eliminate scholarships for college athletes. We are the only country bankrupting universities with athletic departments. 2. Allow college athletes to earn a living. This is America. 3. Restrict transferring to one time. Eliminate the obnoxious. 4. Academic standards that require movement towards a degree. This is actually helpful to kids. 5. Better regionalized conferences. Better rivalries. 6. Needs based financial support for athletes who cannot otherwise afford college. Help those who need help. 7. Schools agree to not charge out of state tuition for varsity athletes. Stop the shell game.

Some of the top streamers in the world are converging on... The University of Akron!

Kamden Held, who was on the zips fall and spring roster......has transferred to Wisconsin Green Bay https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ48YGbTrPG/?hl=en

Hollobaugh flipped his transfer commitment, whatever you want to call it to Ohio

No idea because I'm not sure how GPA factors into APR. This was from the 2023-24 academic year... Football paced the combined list with 38 Zips earning between a 3.0-3.99 for the spring semester and 44 for the 2023-24 academic year. Assuming the APR YOY improvement trend for football holds true this year, I'd imagine the 2024-25 team posted even better GPA numbers.

When is Groce leaving???

GPA or under/over on wins?

Akron has to be under 2.5 right

I believe you are going to get your wish but not in the way you think. What's going to happen, is the P4 schools are going to break away from the enforcement policies of the house settlement. If what I am reading is true, they won't want to abide by the salary constraints. That will leave the rest of us with a more manageable framework. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/conference-expulsion-no-penalty-structure-frustration-mounts-as-college-sports-enforcement-comes-into-focus/

What could go wrong with the P4 deciding our fate? https://frontofficesports.com/charlie-baker-power-conferences-will-enforce-house-settlement-not-the-ncaa/ I've been saying it for years. Schools like Akron need to separate from the P4 and chart a better course for ourselves.

as always, great find.... Top Drawer soccer has him rated #129 in the class of 2025. https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club-soccer-articles/mls-next-flex:-under-19-players-to-watch_aid54577 Braxton Hayes, Nashville SC – The central midfielder remains an intriguing prospect who has trained with the NEXT Pro team. The Maryland native could get run as a key player centrally.

SMU deserves the death penalty again for bragging about this.

Zips have a 2025 midfielder from Nashville SC Academy. Was with US Youth u15 in 2022. https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ7NXohR74H/?igsh=dDQ0N3FnNjFzam4=

That's for sure definitely sounds like old school coach Bob Knight-like approach along with team hazing that is no longer tolerated this day and age! Teammates kicking a teammate tossed out of practice! I wonder if there were just no strict guardrails like Akron Children's has in place at UA now at her previous programs including Case. I would have thought athletes at a school like Case would have been even more sensitive to these types of bullying tactics then DI athletes and it doesn't appear she had any of these types of issues at Case where she was incredibly successful. Definitely came in without the DI experience but other than that her resume was quite impressive and she is known to have deep ties with the local clubs though maybe the reputation was more known locally as those ties never did pay off for Akron. https://athletics.case.edu/sports/womens-soccer/roster/coaches/jen-simonetti/245

Sounds like she would have been a great high school JV football coach in the 1960s.

I would throw out the name Drew Crawford who was an assistant Zips men's coach and is now an assistant at Yale. North Canton native, knows the area, good character.

First named that I thought of was Brian Jankowski. A Strongsville native who was a volunteer assistant at Akron in 2010 and 2011 under Chris Pfau. Jankowski is currently the associate head coach at Ohio State. This program needs someone from NE Ohio that has D1 experience.

This is sad for women's soccer. But it is also an opportunity to get it right with a change in leadership. It will be the first chance for Goodrich to show that he can find the best coaches when openings arise. This program should be top of the MAC year in year out. In fact, like the men it should aspire and perform at a level higher than the MAC. If all that is in the Beacon report is true I am glad to see a change. Ignoring medical advice is a total focus on short term outcomes at the expense of long term success. Our ladies deserve better and we should demand it.

This program is a dumpster fire

some of the most concerning................. The investigation began this year after an Akron Children's Hospital sports physical therapist outlined a dozen concerns in an email sent to UA on Feb. 6. In the email, the physical therapist accused Simonetti of pushing back on medical advice, including when a concussed athlete was sent to the emergency room because she had unequal pupils. In another alleged incident, Simonetti told an athlete she was having shin pain because she was "unfit." That athlete was later diagnosed with a tibial stress fracture and was recommended for surgery, but a member of the coaching staff reportedly said the recommendation was made "because surgeons want money." Hospital staff, who sometimes worked with Simonetti, said they felt she ignored their injury reports.

Here's the Beacon article on the firing. Unfortunately it is paywalled. Some ugly allegations. I'll try to get a summary up later if I have time. https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/education/2025/05/21/akron-zips-womens-soccer-coach-fired-jen-simonetti-platts/83742740007/

Jen Simonetti is no longer on the goZips website and Maggie Kuhn is listed as interim head coach. It would appear she’s been dismissed.

It seems crazy to me that they 'can't' sustain a baseline of football success there, as we have also struggled to do. They have 'flashes' of it every so often when they hit on a star player or coach like Edelman, Cribbs, Hazell, etc. I guess it's try, try again when they hire a new coach after this season. BTW, Antonio Gates is going into the HOF this summer.

ESPN posted an article ranking all FBS QB rooms. I thought some of you might enjoy this tidbit. https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/45145716/ranking-all-136-college-football-fbs-quarterbacks-tiers-2025-season

Best guess is he’s being brought in to play Nickel. He actually played well for CMU back in 2022 (excellent against the run and so/so against the pass), but his playing time’s taken a big dip since then.