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2024 Rewind: Jim McElwain retired after leading the Chips to a 4-8 record at the conclusion of his sixth season in Mt. Pleasant. It was a year full of injuries and frustration for CMU. Matt Drinkall, the former Army offensive line coach, has been tasked with turning the ship around in Mt. Pleasant. He inherits a program that’s lost some of its edge in recent years. Recruiting under Drinkall: 2025: On3 - 11th in MAC 247 - 9th in MAC Chips on Offense: CMU will look different offensively, and it’s likely some of the starters will routinely change as Drinkall works to find the right fits for his new scheme. Joe Labas is expected to start again, though he didn’t show much in limited spring game action. Labas threw for 1,114 yards with 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions on 59% passing last season before going down with an injury. Behind him is Jayden Glasser, who I thought was the best prep quarterback prospect in the MAC from the 2024 class. Running back is up for grabs, as CMU returns very little production at the position. Defensive back turned running back Nahree Biggins will compete with Tulane transfer Trey Cornist for early snaps as the staff looks to sort out the backfield. Wide receiver is wide open as well, with no returning player logging more than 25 receiving yards a year ago. That said, Langston Lewis and Tommy McIntosh look like the most likely starters heading into the season. Decorian Temple will reprise his role at tight end, though he’s rarely been involved in the passing game to this point. The Chips return just one full-time starter and another part-time starter up front—which might not be the worst thing for a unit Drinkall will demand more from. CMU’s offensive line graded out in the bottom tier of the MAC last season, per PFF, and will need to take a big step forward for the offense to find any kind of rhythm. Chips on Defense: It remains to be seen what scheme Drinkall ultimately decides to go with, but CMU does return both starting ends from last year’s three-man base front in Michael Heldman and Kade Kostus. The duo combined for 52 total tackles and 5.5 sacks and should provide some stability up front. Nose tackle is a different story—options there are limited to players who saw fewer than 70 snaps or none at all at the G5 level. Linebacker will be a strength of the defense, led by All-MAC Second Team selection Jordan Kwiatkowski. He’s the clear anchor of the group and will likely be joined by former backups Dakota Cochran and Fernando Sanchez, who now step into larger roles. The secondary returns plenty of production, including both starting safeties in Caleb Spann and Elijah Rikkard. Starting cornerback Jaion Jackson is also back, giving the unit a solid foundation. Backups Aakeem Snell and Brenden Deasfernandes figure to round out the starting group, at least early on. The Chips will role out new specialists in kicker Cade Graham and left footed punter Declan Duley. Position Advantage: Outside of offensive line, Akron should hold a clear advantage across the board on offense. Defense is a different story—CMU holds the edge on that side of the ball, particularly in the front seven. QB - Akron RB - Akron WR - Akron TE - Akron OL - Even DL - CMU LB - CMU DB - CMU ST - Even Way too Early Prediction: CMU reminds me of the Buffalo situation last year—except the Chips have less overall talent. For CMU to win games, they’ll need to lean heavily on the run game, limit turnovers, and squeeze every bit of production they can out of this roster. Defensively, there’s reason for optimism. With a good chunk of production returning, CMU has a shot to be solid on that side of the ball. If the defense can keep games within reach, the Chips should at least be able to stay competitive in the MAC. The last time CMU visited Akron, the Zips were marching for a game‑winning drive when the quarterback and running back botched the mesh point—each thinking the other had the ball. A CMU lineman scooped it up and lumbered 60 plus yards to the end zone, untouched, with no Zip in position to catch him. That won’t be the case this season. Akron should be able to exploit a coach in his first year of MAC play still finding his footing and a CMU roster that doesn’t boast overwhelming talent in 2025. Most media are higher on CMU than I am this season. I’m calling a Zips win, 21-17.

That’s sweet. Too bad my son is too young!

That’s awesome, but there is no way she knows what she’s talking about.

15 & 11 in 23 minutes on 4/5 from the floor today. 2/2 from 3. 2 blocks too

Slightly off topic but didn't know where to post this. The Exchange Street demolition renovation project is finally done & it looks nice. Also, there is now a Swenson's in the plaza at the corner of Exchange and Goodkirk 🙏🙌🙏🙌 I noticed it for the first time yesterday & stopped by. I asked the young girl working there how long they'd been open and she said "I just started working here, but about 3 years." What?

Jordan knew about the abuse and did nothing. Over 20 wrestlers went to him asking him to do something. His response was that's Dr. Strauss, what are you going to do about it. Now he claims he never knew. A champion liar and immoral human being who put power over principle. And still does.

How about those less than manly modeling photos Dr. Jellyfingers took of him? Another very disturbing part of the documentary was the doctor was telling the athletes he was giving them vitamin B12 shots and mixing in anabolic steroids into the injection without the athletes knowing. Around that time, the sports he oversaw had massive increases in team performance.

Two things can be true at once while not having a direct relationship.

I'd be interested to know if they were only exploring for themselves.

What should boil everyone's blood is that one of the people involved with covering up the abuse is a current congressman representing Ohio. Who never bothered to be there for ANY of the Victims, but cried and begged the victims to say something nice about him and to keep the stories a secret while he rand for congress.

Let's be real here: College Athletics WAS NEVER competitive, it was always the illusion of competitiveness to favor a class of overpaid managers who pad their resumes while collecting 6 and 7 figure salaries, generating billions in profits "non-profit revenue" on the backs of unpaid college athletes. Yes, the athletes should be paid. Yes, the athletes probably should unionize. Yes, Millions of Dollars should be considered income, and yes they should pay taxes. College athletes already employ professional agents, and have for decades. Where have you been to not know that only a handful of top schools "do well" why the rest are just there to feed the trough for everyone else? That's literally been true for the entirety of me following college athletics before athletes started getting paid. Why TF does everyone have a problem with people sharing in the profits they generate? It's a really fucked up mentality.

The removed the grove of Dawn Redwoods which was disappointing.

What evidence do you have that "the cuts" made any difference? UA was still Number 1 in North America. It's more like Kyoto and Tokyo fell off, more than magical "we made cuts, so now we're better". Because that at face value makes no sense. The ratings are based on papers published, and citations of those papers: "These rankings are based on research output (EduRank's index has 32,967 academic publications and 788,899 citations attributed to the University), non-academic reputation and the impact of 99 notable alumni. UA also scored in the top 50% across 177 research topics." So past performance can have an impact on these rankings. Which means "the cuts" wouldn't necessarily be felt until later, as the scaled back programs will start publishing LESS which means LESS citations and notable alumni.

Never seen somebody so committed.

Inaccurate probably means the exploration is true.

It appears from all information here that our schedule is set. Looking forward to the official release of the full schedule by UA.

Lots of high RPI teams on the schedule. Good challenges and opportunities for the Zips. OOC schedule is very strong and I’m guessing that Xavier on the road will be a battle. Creighton will likely bounce back and be better as will UConn and St John’s. Not to mention an October Tuesday night game in Ithaca, NY at Cornell.

Defending national champion Vermont finally released their schedule today. as ZipTopper told us in late June, the Zips Will play at Burlington on Saturday September 13. weird start time of 6 pm game will be televised on ESPN +

2024 Rewind: Toledo was a bit of an enigma in 2024. The Rockets arguably had the most talent of any team in the MAC and a favorable schedule that could have positioned them for a College Football Playoff push. Instead, they stumbled to a 8-5 finish with puzzling losses to WKU, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Ohio, and Akron. They did manage to finish on a high note with a wild six-overtime bowl win over a depleted Pittsburgh squad. Jason Candle returns for his 10th season and remains one of the most respected coaches in the MAC. Toledo continues to sit near the top of the conference when it comes to institutional support and resources dedicated to football. Recruiting under Candle: *IN MAC* 2016: On3 - 3rd 247 - 2nd 2017: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st 2018: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st 2019: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st 2020: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st 2021: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st 2022: On3 - 6th 247 - 6th 2023: On3 - 5th 247 - 5th 2024: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st 2025: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st Rockets on Offense: Tucker Gleason is expected to be the starter again after putting up 2,793 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions while completing 60.5% of his passes last season. While those numbers are solid, Gleason's inconsistency at times was a source of frustration for the fanbase—and, as is often the case, there was a vocal segment calling for backup John Alan Richter to get more reps. Richter may be the more polished passer, but Gleason brings added mobility to the position, which gives the offense a different dimension. Running back play wasn’t up to par in 2024, due in large part to injuries and the departure of Peny Boone via the transfer portal. Unlike in 2023—when the Rockets could wear teams down with a bruising ground game led by Boone and the dual-threat ability of DeQuan Finn—Toledo lacked that same punch last fall. To address the issue, the Rockets dipped into the portal and added Kentucky transfer Chip Trayanum and NC A&T transfer Kenji Christian. Both backs bring more explosiveness than what was mostly available a year ago and should help reestablish a more dynamic rushing attack. All-MAC First Team selection Jerjuan Newton is off to the NFL, and while his production will be missed, the Rockets appear to have enough firepower to fill the void collectively. Junior Vandeross, another All-MAC First Teamer, returns as the go-to option, and Toledo added a proven playmaker in NIU transfer Trayvon Rudolph. The receiving corps also gets a boost at tight end with the addition of Jacob Peterson, who posted nearly 500 receiving yards at Holy Cross last season. An offensive line that was strong in pass protection, but often struggled to open holes in the run game returns three of its starters. Pittsburgh transfer Terence Moore is expected to step in at one of the vacant interior OL spots, while part-time starter Stephen Gales will look to lock down a starting role at tackle. Rockets on Defense: The defensive line lost all four starters, leaving the door wide open for new faces to step in and claim significant snaps. On the interior, there’s a bit more stability with the return of Martex Poynter and Essam Carter—two backups from last season who saw meaningful action and combined for 46 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. On the edges, former backup Malachi Davis is expected to take on a larger role, while UMASS transfer Louce Julian should slot in opposite him as a projected starter. Linebacker took a major hit, with the Rockets losing almost all of their production from last season. Backups Damon Ollison and Chris D’Appolonia are expected to step into starting roles after combining for just 20 total tackles in 2024. There’s plenty of potential - and uncertainty - at the position, and how quickly they adjust to increased responsibilities could go a long way in determining the defense’s overall effectiveness. Toledo’s secondary went from elite in 2023 to very good in 2024 after losing some standout defensive backs and their secondary coach, who left for Illinois. Even so, the Rockets still have plenty of talent on the backend and should be strong again this season with almost all of their starters returning. When it comes to recruiting defensive backs, Toledo has been second to none in the MAC, and that pipeline continues to pay dividends. Zips fans are familiar with returning kicker Dylan Cunanan, who was excellent during much of the season. Starting punter Emilio Duran is also back, giving Toledo stability in the kicking game heading into 2025. Position Advantage: Both quarterbacks are pre-season All-MAC selections. Neither team has many running backs that have proven much at the G5 level and linebacker is still to be determined. Akron holds the advantage at tight end, whereas Toledo holds position advantages every where else. QB - Even RB - Even WR - Toledo TE - Akron OL - Toledo DL - Toledo LB - Even DB - Toledo ST - Toledo Way too Early Prediction: Toledo’s ground game ought to be much improved, and if that proves true, the Rockets will look a lot more like the 2023 squad than the inconsistent version we saw in 2024. Defensively, Toledo lost plenty of production and key contributors, but there’s still enough talent on the roster to remain one of the better units in the MAC. There’s always a vocal group of Toledo fans who view every loss as the Rockets simply underperforming—rarely giving much credit to the opponent. In the case of last year’s Akron/Toledo matchup, that group would mostly be right. Akron played well enough to win, but absolutely needed some help from Toledo to pull it out. It’ll be tough for Akron to catch the Rockets off guard again, especially with the game coming earlier in the season, at Toledo, and last year’s result still lingering. I say Rockets get their revenge, 31-17.

Vermont's schedule is now listed on their site and it confirms Akron travels to Vermont on September 13th (6 pm on ESPN+): https://uvmathletics.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule

Dumbest thing the Cavs have done in a long time is draft Jaylon Tyson instead of Freeman.

Freeman had a huge game vs Cleveland today in the summer league. 19 pts and 7 rebounds in 30 minutes.

Not gonna lie, that warms my heart a little..