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I've been lurking for the past few years, not posting at all and just an occasional visit to the site when I want to learn the real story of what's happening in U of A Sports, since there is no legacy media reporting unless you want to pay for the ridiculous Beacon, although when they do write, Brad Bourneval and Mike Bevin do a nice job. I can always count on @TennZip, @Hilltopper, @clarkwgriswold, @72Roo @Spinand @Blue & Gold to give great insights to the Zips programs. Any-hoo, I wanted to take a moment to recognize both Softball and baseball. I went over to Firestone Stadium this past week and joined the "dozens" of Zip fans and a teeny sliver of administration folk to watch the women play. They made Akron proud, in my opinion. They battled back after a lethargic start and was competitive going forward. Great coaching by Coach Nicholson, and, although not on the level with Miami or Ohio, still a wash with the other three teams. Way to go Zips! And baseball...it may look like it's the same ol' - same ol', but I watched a lot of their games and they too have improved, and Coach Faulds has done a nice job with what he has to work with. The major difference, once again in my opinion, is they need at least another power hitter, and as always, pitching hurt. If they could get two strong starters, and one more closer, they could be in the hunt for a tournament slot in the next two seasons. Anyway, just wanted to post something about the men and women who go pretty much un-noticed on campus and in then news. Go Zips!

Once a kid mentally decides to enter the portal, whether that's actually in December/April or weeks or months before the window opens, there is nothing the program can do to control that kids actions anymore. If an education is not important to that player, they check out entirely, often not bothering to finish their courses. There is nothing the program can leverage against the kid to enforce his actions. Meanwhile, the kids who stay suffer collectively due to their actions. Once the portal changed, this education requirement should not be enforced. The programs who are still maintaining the requirements are rich enough to fake it. The problem isn't all on the kids currently in the program, it's the kids who check out mid semester because they know they are hitting the portal.

With all the recent conversation about Akron football APR scores it makes me feel even more grateful to have Groce running a basketball program that we can be proud of. On numerous post game interviews over the years I've heard him talk about players getting their degrees and praise individuals success in the classroom. He's the embodiment of what a college coach should be. He could be looking to cut corners and bring in unruly characters in hopes of adding an extra win or two, but he's not. He genuinely seems to care about his players and their long-term futures.

If this was 2014, I get it. But nowadays...how do you even calculate who is credited for a player's graduation after they've been at 4 different schools? We get 40 new kids every season and the NCAA is complaining about them not graduating? Who knew? When Joe signed on, at his press conference he stated "I don't just want kids to get degrees...I want my kids to get meaningful degrees (not just major in eligibility)". That noble goal lasted about 47 minutes, then the portal concept blew up and put the kibosh on any football-academic fantasies. The bulk of today's players are no longer in college for an education. It's a job. Their goal at UA isn't to get a degree, it's to perform good enough to get noticed by a bigger program. Along with the training tables being cut last year, was the academic support staff reduced too?

The Zips made an appearance in the College Football 26 trailer. Turnover Tire!

The 1:32 mark has a nice little surprise.

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.

As far as I know, this is the most championships won by Akron athletics in a single year. MBB Regular and Tournament MSOC Regular Men’s Indoor T&F Swimming & Diving WLaX Regular and Tournament Men’s Outdoor T&F Also the best finishes by Softball and Baseball in years Best finish by Football In 6 years

Win 6 to become bowl eligible which will create a national “Free Akron” campaign that will shine the light on the ridiculous irony in the NCAA rules.

The hits just keep on coming and coming! The program looks bad. Joe looks bad. The NCAA looks bad and like clowns. But most of all the university, that has excellent students pursuing excellent degree programs, looks bad. Despite all this I believe building a quality, winning football program is achievable. I'm tired of feeling bad every time football is mentioned. I'm hoping Nemer and Goodrich are the people we need. The right people can do amazing things.

This is about as excited as I can get over a back up QB. He was a really impressive player out of HS. He will be a big improvement over Bullock. Strong, athletic kid. His dad is probably the most accomplished UA football player ever, if you look at the breadth of his overall football career. He played in the USFL and has coached high level positions at P5 and NFL staffs. His name usually pops up whenever the Zips decide they need a new HC (about every 3 years) He came to the Zips from Arizona State while I was at UA. He used to wear a burgundy corduroy jacket around campus that was swag from being on Arizona State's Rose Bowl team. Great player. To be eligible to play for the Zips in the fall I recall Mike Sr. had to take something insane like 24 credit hours over the summer, and he did it.

GPA or under/over on wins?

SMU deserves the death penalty again for bragging about this.

Tomorrow is senior day, there is an amazing group of players graduating (Max Bowman, Andrew Horvath, Brett Dietrich, Ian Pennington, ETC) Also Zips looking for the sweep!

We can criticize the NCAA, question the formula that results in the classification, gripe about NIL and question the dedication of the modern athlete to academics, but one inescapable fact remains and that is that the University of Akron football program is the only program in this position. Every other school is operating under the same constraints and standards yet UA is the only program in this position and that's damn embarrassing.

One way or the other, the axe of reality is going to fall on most of the G5. The money just isn't there, and even some of the rich programs are sacrificing the Olympic sports to prop up football, which, let's be honest, even at Toledo few really care about it. Front-loading entire athletic departments toward football and basketball while cutting other sports is eventually going to invoke some interpretation of Title IX or spur the advent of new legislation to protect scholarships and opportunities for students who actually go to classes, pass classes, and graduate instead of smoking dope in the elevators of the Exchange Street Residence Hall (Sorry to vent but I had enough of that when I was moving my kid into his dorm room). At this point, as a loyal UA alumnus, I just don't give a damn about football anymore if it's going to be a money-draining, losing embarrassment. Joe must go.

We can criticize the APR system all we want, but every other school is under the same system.

First of all, the APR is a joke. In the Portal/NIL era, academics don't matter. The only reason Akron is being punished is because we don't make the NCAA enough money. Second of all, how embarrassing. Two straight years of penalties. Pure negligence by JoeMo and his staff.

This NCAA bid for women's lacrosse is gaining some significant exposure for UA and our athletic program- more than I think any of us would have expected. Realize most people in Northeastern Ohio know literally nothing about lacrosse- how it is played, what to watch for, what the rules are, or even how it is scored. Even fewer are aware of the skill, intelligence, and athletic ability necessary to play it at a high level. Encourage all of you to find out- you will probably become hooked- it is the fastest growing sport in the US. Aside from that- the screen showing that the Zips have clinched a space in the tournament has received over 1,000 likes on instagram in just 48 hrs. These are not UA fans- this is a national recognition liking the achievement of a new "guy on the block" so to speak. They are happy to see a new program succeed in a new location. Outside the tradition "hotbed" of the middle atlantic and northeastern states. They are also curious, checking us out- exactly who is this new lacrosse "power". I hope this might translate into a few transfer portal inquires and new areas for serious recruiting possibilities! All in all- all positive for the Zips!

So, social media says the Zips are going to the Virgin Islands in November for the Paradise Jam. Other teams are Charleston, Evansville, Green Bay, Yale, UMass, Oregon St and Iona. TV coverage. https://www.basketballtravelers.com/mensparadisejam

THE WOMEN'S LACROSSE TEAM CONTINUES TO EXCEED EXPECTATIONS AND SET NEW RECORDS! They completely dominated Eastern Michigan in the conference semi final. They destroyed them with a 16-4 victory! For context, Akron lost to EMU in the regular season. EMU had the offensive player of the year (held scoreless by Akron today) and the league goalie of the year and Akron put 16 on her today. They play for the conference championship saturday- not bad for a team picked to finsh last in the conference. Go Zips

it will probably be a while before the zips announce the official schedule. Some schools have announced their schedule. Huge early season test for the Zips. Zips play at Ohio State on September 5. https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule Zips will play at Butler on September 27 https://butlersports.com/news/2025/5/8/mens-soccer-mens-soccer-releases-2025-schedule-featuring-matches-with-six-ncaa-tournament-teams.aspx

A10 team St Louis University will play the Zips in Akron on September 23. They were in the NCAA tournament last season after finishing second to Dayton in conference. https://slubillikens.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule

Kent just fired a coach for debt/legal problems after already extending him. There were allegations of verbal abuse, drinking on the job, etc. that they neglected to investigate. Their program has the nation's longest losing streak and is 1-23 these past 2 seasons (their lone win coming against a FCS squad). Whatever they did to circumvent the APR threshold is the least they could do. Akron's APR issue seems to have stemmed largely from Arth/Portal, and the APR is a joke regardless. If anyone is mired in a quicksand of stupidity, it's the NCAA. Kent basketball had 2 players quit the team last season (one was allegedly punched in the face by a teammate), they've had numerous DWI/DUI issues over the years, the 2022 diss track debacle, and a head coach who was part of a large recruiting scandal at Indiana (not to mention he called Akron the Yankees). In a college athletics world judged solely by what is done on the field of competition, Kent hasn't beaten Akron in football/men's basketball since March 2023. In addition, Akron are back to back MAC champs and have won 3 out of the last 4 MAC tournaments. Furthermore, regarding the high ground - speaking quite literally - Akron is located in SUMMIT County, and according to Britannica, sits at a higher elevation than Kent. It's over, Anakin. Akron has the high ground, and Kent State Still Sucks.

While not Zips-related, I though this was an interesting college football article. Whoda thunk Randy Moss' kid would have his head screwed on straight? Kudos to him...wish his character wasn't an anomaly nowadays. Turns out any temptation to play elsewhere was no match for an increasingly scarce characteristic in college sports: loyalty.

Damn. This guy lost 2" in height since he committed. His X bio says he's 6'7" 😂.

Started almost every game at LT for N. Alabama last year. PFF graded him solidly as a pass protector.

Joe Moorhead: [Joe stands up] Well, then, I guess there's only one thing left to do. ZipsNation: What's that? Joe:

Good to know this is simply all Joe's fault, because it means once he's gone, and we hire a decent replacement, poof! Problem solved! I love easy answers! Sarcasm aside, unfortunately like most problems this big they are also complex, with no easy answers (I watch a lot of docs and shows about plane crashes and other man-made disasters, and it is almost NEVER a single cause or issue, it's always a chain or series of them) or single scapegoats. Not just with respect to Joe, but Nemer - I don't think that just because he made a PR statement that contains PR instead of details and wonk means he doesn't care about the problem and/or is ill-equipped to fix (or is secretly fine with it because it will help him cut or drop down the program). Maybe time will tell that he IS incompetent and/or anti-football, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt until we have a lot better reason to feel otherwise. We're just gonna have to be patient, because this isn't getting fixed overnight nor does it seem Joe will be out the door before the season starts.

Craig is an interesting guy. He is from Canada and was a hockey player. He is a lot of fun and the players really like him.

Every scholarship athlete can earn 2 points per year. 1 for staying in school and another for keeping grades above a certain threshold. If you have 85 scholarship athletes that means a team can earn 170 points per year. If you have 80 then it would be 160 and so on. They take the points earned and divide it by the points possible. That score is then multiplied by 1000 to arrive at APR. For Akron to be at a 913 it would be the equivalent of us scoring a 155/170 (based on 85 scholarships) a year. You don't get penalized for players who transfer to another school. The penalty would be if they drop out of school entirely or enter the portal, but don't enroll anywhere (which would also be the equivalent of dropping out).

That makes you a dummy in my book

I just saw this. It is damn embarrassing. Bad football is a little more palatable if we can say the kids are at least excelling academically. When they are inadequate on and off the field you have to wonder what the hell is going on.

It's the head coaches job to make sure the players are holding up their end of the bargain.

Malik Henry working!!! 🤩 👏👏👏

6’ 6”, 340 lbs. Zips have had 3-4 serviceable OLs in any of the past few seasons. They should be 2-deep with options this year. We should have a legit team and a manageable schedule this season. Gotta at least go 6-6. I’m feeling 7-5, which is insanity. I’ll make my stone cold lock prediction after I see an August scrimmage or two.

Zips sure have had quite the haul of Championships!!! We are a lucky alum and fan base, sure hope everyone appreciates it.

Evan Wilson will be a GA at Arkansas State next year.

Just a reminder that Post #1 in this thread is up to date with all of this year's new commits. 35 commits in total 17 on offense (2 QB's) 17 on defense (8 DL) 1 specialist JoeMo's a beast. The workload for a mid-major HC in this new portal era blows my mind. So let's get to a bowl 💪😤💪

Zips Softball split today's doubleheader with Buffalo, which moved them to 13-9 in the MAC and clinched a spot in the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2017. Top six teams play May 7-10 at Firestone Stadium.

I forgot this game was streamed and only caught the fourth period. That was fantastic! These ladies are for real and they are playing their best when it counts most. This program has coach Elaine Jones fingerprints all over it. She develops the talent she is given and recruits at a high level. The program couldn't be in better position and it is due to her leadership. I hope she stays to build a legacy of champions. Congratulations Zip LAX!

Proud of our baseball team. Nothing but class!

Hard to make a timely decision when the desperation money naturally doesn't flow in until later in the process. Without a doubt he was contacted prior to entering the Portal, and I would imagine any body language expert would confirm that from the interview. The person doing the interview conducted himself in an odd manner. I don't think Nate came off particularly stellar in the interview because of the position some of the questions put him in and his apparent lack of preparedness for said questions. I do also, though, appreciate the unprompted comment about his decision coming late in the process and putting Akron in a difficult spot. Showed some self-awareness and understanding of the situation at least. I thought his comments regarding his conversation with Groce were interesting. Doesn't sound like it was the cleanest breakup, although I expect nothing but professionalism from Groce which it sounds like occurred.

New 2026 recruit announces commitment on Instagram. Austin Thum, Defender from San Jose Earthquakes Academy. https://www.instagram.com/p/DI9nXHWThw2/?igsh=MTY2bXBjaG1scWFvNg==

At least we know Joe's system now and can have realistic expectations for Michael Johnson Jr. When Bullock committed and played, we were so confused and ultimately disappointed in year 1 with his throwing ability, not realizing he was brought in to be an under-center running back.

Freeman and the Pacers will be in Cleveland for the 2nd round of the playoffs. How cool is that for Enrique!