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It's a beautiful thing we all have different stories. Some fanbases all have one game, or worse none. Shows how spoiled we have been for great moments

Sammy Hunter posted this on his Instagram. Love to see them all still connected like this!

Once we beat Wake and Minnesota we'll be favored in all of them

Goodrich's positivity and vision are much welcomed. You can't do the improbable unless you can envision it and proclaim it can be done. When Andrew was at USF he tackled attendance at football games. No one believed he could make big improvements for the usual litany of excuses. He had near sellouts of three games when the local skeptics felt he couldn't do it for one. It's possible at UA. This team has potential and more talent than in the past. They can go 6-6. With W's over RMU, KSU, EMU, CMU and UMass all we have to do is take one from UNLV or OU. That is doable. I think there is reason to be excited about this season. I will do my best to help sellout homecoming. Why not? It's better than sitting around complaining.

I’ve been saying for ages that Akron Kent should kick off the mac season. Best weather, most hope (nobody is 1-8+) and won’t conflict with big buckeye games

I watched some of the Freeman's game today when the World Cup was not on and Freeman looked good scoring 14 points and 11 rebounds including 6 offensive rebounds. At the end of the game he was a beast on the offensive boards givning Minn multiple offensive possessions.

We got the MAC 2026-27 Defensive POY 💪😤💪

After the loss to Canada the Puerto Rican team traveled to the Bahamas. Next game is Monday 7pm; Bahamas vs Puerto Rico. A match-up of Sammy Hunter vs Enrique Freeman.

I like his enthusiasm/optimism if nothing else.

Pads go on in one week. I can't wait. I plan on making the trip to Wake Forest and am very excited. I hope the QB pans out, watching the interview with Joe Moe he did bring up a good point when he said the QB has not played in a relevant game for like four years so there is going to be some rust to get off. He is obviously the key and it should be different knowing the team is his unlike the last two schools he was at. The position coaches are all great at making sure the players are ready to go and have been together for a long time with the exception of Mack at defensive line but they brought in some monsters so if the defensive line can get some pressure it could be an exciting team. I am really excited to see Aboor play and Williams (that man is huge at 6'6 340). Aboor was getting playing time as true freshman at Ohio State, he is older now and I'm sure he has physically developed if he is hungry, the pedigree is there he can possibly come in and dominate at that end position....

I believe Shammah is new as well. Imagine the conversations being had among everyone there. The new guys need to be sponges. Incredible opportunity for them to soak in all the Akron winning culture.

I see we have three more 2027 football recruits! Owen and Luke and Samuel McGrath an OL from Roseville, Michigan 6-6 290; Ronnie Taylor an athlete running back from Cleveland Villa Angela -St. Joseph 6-0 200; Jaleone Carney a DL from Louisville Trinity High School 6-2 285! All three look to have good size and should help down the road!

Another clip of Joe. Interesting when he discusses their plan for building the roster and replacing players lost in the portal

My kids play NBA 2k and tell me that Freeman is on the roster and they can use him as a player so it makes sense he would get a check.

I do not believe that anyone has posted about a Belgium defender that will join the Zips in Fall 2026. Sam Bunch, welcome to the zips. Look forward to watching you on the field....starting on August 20th. https://www.instagram.com/p/DYjh4mfgXpY/

I'd love for the JAR to look like it does in that AI generated graphic 😅

Mahaffey-Akron Fantasy Camp was 2025-26. At UC, Eric is likely pulling in a minimum of $400,000 more than the Zips best offer. Eric and his fat wallet can hook up with big bro' at mom and dad's at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Evan would be pretty huge to have for his leadership in transitioning from Groce to Ford. I think MMK and Halligan will be, too, but Evan seems like he'd be in a better position to lead. His defense and energy on the court would set the tone for the rest of the team. I really hope this happens.

I agree. Joe took over a well-funded juggernaut when he accepted the Zips job. 13-35 should have been 35-13. The practices we couldn’t hold last season should have kept the team fresh. Instead we struggled in the red zone. i think the Zips lead the MAC in NIL funds, and student body support. That alone’s gotta be worth 2-3 wins this year? Joe’s had every possible advantage known to man after taking over for Tom Arth. I can’t believe the team hasn’t improved every year since he’s been HC. Oh wait…it has.

Enrique had 10 points and 10 rebounds in their loss to Canada. Played 26 minutes

Tibs loves that size linebacker.... Seems like if he could mold one thats what he would make

I assume his agent will shop his services around, especially if someone would be willing to give him a standard contract, but you're 100% correct in that this is good news that he at least has a spot.

If quarterback play lives up to its potential and the offensive line gels quickly, this year’s offense has a chance to be explosive, especially with the skill positions being talented and deep. Defensively, there are plenty of question marks up front, but this unit could surprise. The question is how long it will take for this year’s defense to sync. There’s enough talent on that side of the ball to keep Akron in all of its conference matchups, and Tibesar always has them playing a physical brand of football. I also expect special teams to make a bounce back this year, as there are players in place who should be able to not only make routine plays but have the ability to produce a big play from time to time. Honestly, I feel there’s enough talent on this year’s roster to win most games on the conference schedule, but this year’s lineup is more difficult than last year’s, so similar results in the win/loss column wouldn’t be surprising. At Wake Forest - Wake may be hard pressed to reach the eight wins they collected in 2025, as they will be working in a good amount of new starters. However, they still have more overall talent than the Zips. Even though I’m calling a win by the Deacons, it’s Week 1 and wild things can happen. 0-1 Vs Robert Morris - Robert Morris was probably better than their three wins indicated last season. Unfortunately for the Colonials they lost almost all of their production on both sides of the ball. Chances are they’ll struggle to hit three wins again in 2026. Zips win handily. 1-1 At Minnesota - Unless the Gophers are completely looking past the Zips and towards their conference lineup, this will be Akron’s second loss of the season. Depending on which publication is being utilized, Minnesota sports around nine players on preseason All BIG teams. 1-2 Vs UNLV - It’ll be nice having a strong G5 program come into InfoCision. What won’t be nice is the likely loss that’ll come with it. UNLV is expected to be a contender for the G5 playoff spot this season. Who knows if that’ll come to pass, but the Rebels will likely be too much for the Zips to handle. 1-3 At Central Michigan - The Chippewas should be strong along both lines of scrimmage and field one of the better run games in the MAC. There are questions about who will be the starting QB, but if the Chips figure that out, they are going to give opponents all kinds of issues with their power spread offense. Akron caught CMU by surprise last year and I doubt that happens again. Also, I don’t like the Chips physical style against Akron’s remade defensive front. 1-4 (0-1) Vs Eastern Michigan - There hasn’t been much separating Akron and Eastern Michigan over the past few years, and despite EMU returning a bunch of production, I suspect there won’t be much separating the two programs again this year. This will be EMU’s second road game in a back-to-back, and it could also be the highest attended game of the year for Akron. If that turns out to be the case, there will certainly be more energy in the stadium, which should help lead the Zips to their first conference win. 2-4 (1-1) At Miami - Miami has been picked as one of the best teams in the MAC again. If rumors are true that the RedHawks have the most revenue share of any program in the conference, then Miami should be fielding the strongest team on a consistent basis. The Zips have had issues scoring points against Miami whenever they’ve played over the past few years, and I doubt that changes in 2026. Miami wins. 2-5 (1-2) At Kent State - Zips shouldn’t have lost to Kent last year. They won’t lose this year. Akron takes back the Wagon Wheel. 3-5 (2-2) Vs Ohio - This could be the year all the coaching changes finally catch up with the Bobcats. Couple that with losing all-conference quarterback Navarro, who bailed out the Ohio offense with his scrambling ability an insane amount of times, and this may line up as an “upset” victory for the Zips. Ohio has plenty of talent, but QB play is what has set them apart in recent seasons. I’m expecting a drop-off and calling for a Zips win. 4-5 (3-2) Vs Western Michigan - Western Michigan was the most physical team in the conference last season, and that will probably remain true in 2026. WMU returns a lot of production on the offensive side of the ball, including the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year in quarterback Lowry. However, the Broncos are replacing a number of players on defense. At this point in the season, I feel like the Zips will be situated to take one of the two games between Ohio and WMU, so if I’m wrong about Ohio, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a win against WMU. That said, since I called a win against Ohio, I’m going with a loss here. 4-6 (3-3) At UMASS - The Minutemen should be improved over last year, and if they aren’t, their administration may be forced to make yet another change with the coaching staff. Especially considering how they’ve sunk plenty of money into the program, by G5 standards. Regardless, this is a matchup the Zips should win. 5-6 (4-3) Vs Buffalo - The Bulls lost a ton on defense, multiple playmakers on offense, and will be replacing practically their whole offensive line, although it won’t matter much by this point of the season as Buffalo will have already figured out what they have. Even so, I’m calling for another win for the Zips and a bowl invite, as this staff usually has Akron playing their best football at the end of the season. 6-6 (5-3)

I know I am going to get bashed for this, but Joe Moe has said they have the lowest budget than any other team in country. Apparently it is close to two million dollars. I don't think that is a woe is me mentality it is a realistic mentality and pointing out that something has to change. The Big 12 signed a sponsorship with Monster Energy and every team in the Big 12 got 1 million dollars sounds great, Ohio State just signed a sponsorship with JP Morgan and Ohio State alone gets 17 million dollars because all of their sports teams are going to wear a patch on their uniforms... I'm not saying I want the jerseys to look like billboards but any type of sponsorship money would be nice. Players that have transferred from JUCO and FCS schools have said that they had more at their other schools. I agree the only reason players are coming to Akron is to get the chance to play so they can go somewhere else. The mere fact that Gant stayed is amazing I truly hope he has a great season and it pays off, I think Hull could have left as well and got paid.

In Men's soccer, The coaches can only begin coaching 15 to 16 days before the start of regular season. I think that the actual first practice with Jared, Ger, Michael, et al.....will be around August 4 or August 5.

For those who may want to watch Remi Agunbiade, Jack Roman, and Matthew Paiva in the USL 2 playoffs at 7:30 pm tonight, I believe the following is free… https://sportsengineplay.com/USL/USL-League-Two-662798/2026-USL-League-Two-Playoffs/game/Flint-City-Bucks-vs-Peoria-City-Central-Conference-Final-2026-07-24?video_id=6a5e1aaeac813b6037971eed I downloaded the SportsEngine Play app on my Roku and was able to watch free last Sunday.

That's a step forward, beating out multiple other FBS schools for a recruit.

2009 - Without this one, do the others happen? (yes) got Keith his 1st (I hate Doug Penno and banked shots) 3rd straight MAC Championship game 5th seed (knocked out Miami for some redemption) beat Toledo in OT in the 1st round (freshman Humpty Hitchens forced OT with a 3) Nate Linhart, McKnight brothers, Steve McNees 4th straight 20-win season

The only one I could easily not choose is 2009 because it was very ho-hum. Double digit win vs. Buffalo (meh) and even though it was our first, there were no other storylines. 2011 was one of the greatest championship games in college basketball history IMO. Major rivalry, OT, 2 blocks to win it, fight at the end - it had everything. 2013 was an unexpected beatdown - given the Abreu situation - against a team that was in the Sweet Sixteen the year prior (albeit a different coach). Semi rivalry and a packed house in Cleveland with one of the best teams in Akron basketball history cutting down the nets. 2022 was awesome because of the Diss Track storylines. Major rivalry and an absolute butt whooping of PCCC. 2024 was hilarious given how it ended. Major rivalry, incredible finish, and the start of an on-going 3Peat. 2025 was simply an incredible comeback capped off by a fantastic finish. Semi-rivalry, big bro/little bro storylines, and the beginning of one of the most unlikeable teams in Miami OH. 2026 was 2025 but with an even better finish. Shammah's shot will go down as one of the greatest shots in Akron basketball history. The view I had straight on from behind Shammah made it even better, tracking the ball all the way just praying the distance was right because it could not have been better aligned. Not to mention prevented Toledo from ending their 46+ year drought. I voted 2025 simply because it was the first championship game my daughters were in attendance for and my wife was pregnant with my son so technically he was there, too. That being said, we've been very blessed over the last 20 years with incredible March basketball at Akron. Go Zips!

2024. I was at the game for 2024, 2025 and 2026, all epic, but the sheer improbability of this win against a hated rival in 2024 was my favorite. All three of those games had endings that unleashed absolute euphoria in the Zips section I was in.

I agree. If I remove my Zips colored sunglasses I just don't see him making the NBA at the wing position. Making the NBA is already challenging enough. Only 450 players in the world (which the NBA is a true global game) are on NBA rosters. Now taking away what he does best by moving him away from the basket just further reduces his chances.

The MAC season? They should play the first week or two every year like they used to when 25,000 people would be at games.

Enrique has enough on film now between his limited NBA play and the G-League. At this juncture he needs a team to believe in him more than he needs stellar rookie league performances.

It really does feel like a great get off of the portal (with the added bonus of knowing exactly what we're getting)!

Eric can sit with his parents and watch Evan play in March Madness. Cincinnati season will be over by then.

11 points and 2 rebounds in 14 minutes!

Travelled to Lansing, MI Monday afternoon and was treated to a first half show by Jack Roman and Remi Agunbiade. Wish I could find video to share.

Freeman starts his quest for a full time job with the NBA in the summer league. Here is the link to the Timberwolves schedule with all the games being telecast https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/schedule

The mailman accidentally delivered my neighbor's College of Charleston alumni magazine to me. There is a small article about Coach G. See below.

Thanks again to @TennZip and all who scoured our opponents’ websites to provide us the majority of the schedule prior to its release. 👏👏👏

I think Zips fans are going to love this LB in a few years. While he has good size, he may not be quite as athletic as some of the other linebackers we’ve recruited, but he’s incredibly physical and has a good nose for the ball. Reminds me of Bubba in that sense.

As @TennZip predicted, the Villanova match is on October 31. https://villanova.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule

Richie Laryea moves on to the round of 16.

I know some people want him to go somewhere other than Minnesota, and I understand the reasoning behind it. But who knows if he'd get a deal with another team. I'd rather see him in Minnesota than see his NBA career end ealier.

Ivory Covington had previously announced his intent to join the Akron zips for the 2027 season. @Zip_ME87 spotted today....that the speedy winger from Atlanta will join the zips for fall 2026. Welcome, Ivory. https://www.instagram.com/p/DaGoUExiaEW/?img_index=1 This was Ivory's original announcement about 2027. When I look at both instagram posts, I am very impressed by Ivory. He is a very appreciative young man...Very excited about this young man joining the Zips. https://www.instagram.com/p/DRfq03kiQYL/?img_index=1