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Who is QB1? I don’t think there’s much doubt Finley is the leading candidate. Finley makes quick decisions and throws a catchable ball. He also has enough mobility to be effective in the run game and when scrambling. Finley has played at a high level in the past, so there shouldn’t be many overwhelming moments for him at the G5 level. Bullock has not developed as much as I hoped. My take is that he is mentally processing too slowly because his physical tools are not lacking. He is still an asset to the offense due to his bruising running style and should be utilized in short yardage/goal line situations. Will Akron have much of a run game? Purely speaking about the running backs, the answer is yes. There is not a RB on the roster with the makeup of Lingard, however, all of the backs are made for RPO type offenses. What I mean by that is they have a rapid burst once the ball is in their hands and catch the ball well out of the backfield. They can make the first defender miss and have enough speed to create explosive plays. Who will replace All-MAC receivers George and Gathings? The first choice would be Norton. The true sophomore has the make-up to be an all-conference player in just his second season. If Adams is healthy, he will return to his role in the slot, leaving the typical third receiver position up for competition. It’s possible that player is not currently on the roster. Multiple offers have gone out during the spring. How about the OL? It’s still a work in progress, but the starters will likely resemble most of the first combination displayed in the Spring Game. They were facing a defensive front that is reasonably one of the better defensive fronts in the MAC, so it’s hard to say how much improvement has been made. What was clear was the increased athleticism as the offensive line (especially the tackles) were able to climb to the second level of the defense and give the run game room on the speed options and perimeter plays. Inside runs were harder to come by in the Spring Game. Is there a better defensive front in the MAC? Maybe, but not by much. Miami has one all-conference defensive lineman and two all-conference linebackers returning (Zips have Nunnally and McCoy), so they can lay claim to this title in the pre-season. Zips have impressive depth at defensive tackle and linebacker. The only question is at the backup defensive end spot. The 2023 JUCOs could step up or perhaps one of the redshirt/true freshmen will see significant time. How’s the secondary looking? Long, athletic, and physical. Coach Renna and former CBs coach Bell have done an excellent job recruiting and developing talent. The downside? There is a void of actual game experience outside of Golden-Nelson, D. Lewis, and a few of the transfers. There may be some growing pains early in the season, but this is a talented group that should be assisted by the excellent defensive front. What’s the status of the Special Teams? Jackson returns at punter and was solid in that role in 2023. Wiley was strong down the stretch on FGs and PATs. Zips received a commitment from an FCS Freshman All-American kicker in March. New long snappers will also be arriving soon. Is the roster complete? No. By my count there are currently about 5 open scholarships. Most of the recent offers have gone out to wide receivers and offensive linemen. The roster is in the best place it’s been since Moorhead’s arrival and this year’s spring portal options are much deeper than last year’s. There is a good chance a difference maker or two will be signed. Who are the new coaches? QB - Michael Shuster (Duke Grad Asst.) WR - JD Brookhart CB - Kresean Reed (Northern Arizona CBs) ST - Ryan Matviko (Offensive Analyst) Which MAC team has been hit the hardest by the portal? Ohio. The Bobcats have also brought in some players who should be quality replacements, but they will be heavily tested this year. A substantial drop off in wins from the previous two seasons would not be a surprise.

I was able to attend today's scrimmage. It was offense (blue)/defense (white), just like last week. Below are some notes and pics - #15 Ben Finley continues to impress. Had a couple nice TD tosses. Zips fans will find this kid an absolute breath of fresh air. Unflappable...doesn't get rattled after a bad pass or a WR drop. Accurate. A different level of QB than we've seen in an Akron uniform for a while. You will all love him. Ben can run if needed...but we gotta keep this kid healthy. Ben zips one over the middle. Tahj started the scrimmage. Other than a couple spot appearances by Wassel and Ruggow towards the end of practice, he and Ben split the reps. In the right situations, Tahj is dangerous. He was wearing the "can't hit me" green jersey today, so rushing attempts aren't all that informative...but he obviously is a handful for a defense when he decides to use his feet. Steele got only a series or two, but did toss a TD. Ruggow got one series. He'll definitely benefit from a redshirt. Not a knock on him...he's just got a lot to learn. #22 Charles Kellom had a great day. He looks like he will definitely contribute this year. Two receiving TD's! (this one off a Finley swing pass). Nice TD celebration by Charles & Co. #22 pulled in a 35 yard TD on a 3rd and 18 from Ben Finley. This was Steele's 5 yard TD toss to Adrian Norton. At the 5 yard line, lined up behind redshirt Fr. TE Aiden Diaz, Hester scampered around the left tackle for a rushing TD. Hester had 2 TDs today, and the OL lifted the diminutive RB to the sky. #17 Justin Campbell, a Ball State transfer, had a couple nice grabs, including this one over the middle from Tahj. The defense made some big plays today. Here, #11 Davonte Golden-Nelson jars the ball loose for a turnover. Here you go, @taylormade28 🦾 Big Ben meets with Soph. WR Paul Davis and Charles Kellom after Kellom's long TD reception. Steele Wasel had the "best hair award" last week. Hester nabs the honor this week. Great day for Blake. He got a lot of opportunities, and delivered the goods with a couple TDs. This OL sat out todays scrimmage. A familiar face is again prowling the Akron sideline. The scrimmage concluded with a pick six of Tahj Bullock by #13 Freshman Rodrick Hunter! Joe was as positive as I've ever heard an Akron coach after the practice. He emphasized he felt they got better today. He told the team they should be very pleased with how they executed. Pleased, but not satisfied.

Just throwing this out there. We need QB depth, we've been "ass" for several years, and General Booty is available. Perfect fit if you ask me.

Speaking of great promotions.

Everything you need to know about TP and Fear The Roo Collective. https://on.soundcloud.com/6HFv9

Would hope this means Groce isn't planning to go anywhere anytime soon

Other info from the scrimmage - Kellom was the starting RB. #9 Jordon Simmons (Sr. Michigan State transfer) was the second RB, and broke a nice 35 yard run early in the game. He also started the 2nd half. Blake Hester broke a 30 yarder in addition to his 2 TDs. Starting OL was: TE: Newell LT: James Jayvin LG: Keon Kindred (Maryland transfer) Center: Tyhler Williams RG: Colin Lyons RT: Josh Blanchard (USF Sr. transfer) Next OL was: LT: Nick Stopiak LG: Keylan Davis Center: Max Mobley RG: Jerrod Burrell RT: Jonas Mann Starting 3-man front: Edge: Jon'Trell Mixon Edge: Andre Proffitt Nose: Nathan Kapongo 4-man front #1: Edge: Bennett Adler Interior: Marcus Moore Interior: Lama Lavea Edge: CJ Nunnally 4-man front #2: Edge: Bennett Adler Interior: Andre Proffitt Interior: Lama Lavea Edge: CJ Nunnally Perez missed a 35 yarder. Wiley was on kick offs and was the PK in the second half

Payton better.

Below is a list of all the outgoing transfers since Moorhead’s arrival. An * has been placed beside players that Moorhead’s staff brought in. Only scholarship players are listed as I did not include the high amount of walk-ons that have left the team. QB: Joey Marousek = DII Ryan Jankowski = UMASS *Dijon Jennings = Weber State *Steele Wasel = N/A RB: Jonzell Norrills = DII *Cam Wiley = DII *Anthony Stallworth = N/A *CJ Price = Jackson State Blake Hester = N/A WR: Anthony Williams = Alcorn State (Started 2 games and played in 7) Jasaiah Gathings = UCONN *Caleb Anderson = Alcorn State Oran Singleton = JUCO - Eastern Michigan *Dakota Thomas = JUCO - Southern Miss TE: Tristan Brank = Retired *Caden Clark = Retired *Marquell Darnell = N/A Nik Ognenovic = N/A Brycen Yarmo = N/A OL: Xavier Gray = Liberty (Started and played in 14 games) *Max Banes = Houston (Started 1 game and played in 8 ) Jordan Daniels = Charlotte (Started 4 games and played in 5) Owen Murphy = East Carolina (Started 9 games and played in 11) Ryan Beckman = East Carolina (Played in 2 games) *Ka’Marii Landers = JUCO *Jourden Hale-Frater = JUCO Ronan Chambers = Auburn Nate Williams = San Diego State Alex Robarge = Southern Illinois Tony Georges = Kent State Caleb Herring = N/A Brian Kilbane = N/A DL: Curtis Fann = Western Carolina (Played in 10 games) Bryce Wilson = Western Carolina (Played in 9 games) Nazir Sy = Northwestern State (Started and played in 6 games) Ryan Johnson = Southern Miss Janirr Wade = JUCO - N/A David Hooks = N/A Julian Richardson = N/A *Antonio Smith = N/A *Devon Robinson = N/A *Kyle Thomas = N/A LB: Jeslord Boateng = Louisiana Tech (Started 11 games and played in 12) Luke Bauer = Morehead State (Started 8 games and played in 11) *Jaharon Griffin = Alcorn State Andrew Behm = Southern Illinois Connor Francz = DII Ryan McClain = N/A Juan Jarrett = N/A Reggie Corner = N/A Yveny Petithomme = N/A DB: Charles Amankwaa = Rutgers (Played in 1 game) Ronald Jackson = Montana (Started 3 games and played in 15) Tyson Durant = Washington State Corey Thomas = Virginia Rishad Hence = Eastern Kentucky *KJ Martin = NC State *Jaden Woods = East Tennessee State Adetutu Daranijo = N/A Chu Ogbonna = N/A Woobendy Guerrier = N/A Randy Cochran = N/A MyJaden Horton = N/A *Cam Threatt = N/A

My thought going into this was that a kid should be able to sign autographs or make an appearance at a car dealership for a little pocket money but this has evolved into full scale professional sports.

Was really impressed by the whole scene today. Great weather, good crowd and some good football. Loved having the band there too, great atmosphere. Glad they had the pro shop and concessions open also. Football wasn’t perfect but really hard to tell where they are at this point.

Ohio State transfer Bowen Hardman has committed to Akron.

Maybe. What I am certain of is the older you get, the faster you get old. 70 is really old to still be in the workforce. He and his wife appear to be in great health. Another saying is, there are three speeds in retirement: go-go, slow-go, and no-go. There is much more no go than the others. They might just want to enjoy their go-go years. I don't blame them one bit.

DT transfer from UTEP. Former JUCO that is originally from London. Played less than 50 snaps last year, but played well in his limited time. 2 years of eligibility remaining. This one feels like a replacement for Robinson.

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know. Imagine what PCCC fans are thinking... "Man... Akron gets another player who knows that 61 is greater than 60..."

Ignore the quote.

It's on Athletics first. Marketing, ticketing, promotions, student engagement, game day experience (concessions, team store, in-game entertainment). It all has to be better. They had a generational Zips athlete in Freeman and did almost nothing to capitalize on it. Little things like concessions closing with 10 minutes left in a game. the team shop being closed on multiple game days, players being introduced in the freaking dark. You can't do things like that and expect to be seen as a serious athletic department.

Here’s a name to monitor. Jonathan Denis. Played C at Miami (FL) alongside Seymore. Originally committed to Oregon when Moorhead was there.

Heard something very interesting from a well-placed source. Next year's team should be named the Wentz Financial Group Zips - Mr. Wentz wrote the necessary checks for each and every newcomer.

@catdaddyp, have to think the staff will look to bring in another QB with Wasel transferring out, right? Finley appears adequate. Behind him you'd have Bullock who in my mind is a gadget QB, and then a true freshman in Raggow. With our meat grinder schedule to start the season, have to have some insurance there.

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For a spring game the crowd was ok. Nice to have the band there. Agreed that Finley is the hands-down starter. Need him to stay healthy. Special teams is scary. At least the FG kicking. Zips were trying a couple different holders, so maybe that contributed to some of the misses. But if nothing changes, fans will be sweating out every FG, whether it's a 27 or a 45 yarder. In the two scrimmages I attended up to the spring game, Wasel was the 3rd QB, and Roggow was 4th. Neither got very many reps up until the spring game. Both played a fair amount last Saturday and Roggow looked much more comfortable. Jordon Simmons looks to be the #1 RB. Seems to have both power and speed. Kellom looks to be #2. To be honest, I'd put Blake Hester at #3. He had a nice spring. Defense looks solid. Corners played well. Stout up front. LB's are the strength. OL has a ways to go. Hopefully it gets sorted out in August. Adrian Norton looks like the #1 WR. Walker and Campbell seem to be solid. I hear JD is on the road, meeting with a couple Portal WR's this week. Seems like Joe is happy with the assembly of talent he has this season. I'd like to think in Finley can stay healthy that we'll finally see Joe's offensive reputation manifest itself on the field. It should be MUCH better than when Irons, Tahj and Undercuffler were taking snaps.

So in a rebuilding year the Zips added two transfers from WVU, one from NC, one from OSU and another from Cornell. While also bringing in the top high school basketball player in the state of West Virginia? I'm so ready for this.

Sounds like the crap Arth did. Lame. Give the fans something to be excited about.

That's 2 per quarter. Let's run everyone out of the gym!

I realize that this is the college sports world we live in but I am not a fan. That's by no means a criticism of Bud Wentz. I appreciate all he does for the program. I was a believer of the basic principle that a college athlete should be able to make some pocket money by doing things like doing autographs or showing up for a business outing but it has become the wild west in the the absence of any meaningful regulation. It's really refreshing to get some inside insight into the program. I wish this was a weekly show.

To the people on here complaining about the amount of money raised by MBB on the day of giving, I will say the following. You can be part of the problem or you can be part of the solution. Every donation, no matter how big or small will help further the program. Put your money where your mouth is.

I was distracted a good portion of the time, but here were some things I gathered. Most of these names have already been mentioned that were held out: OL - Seymour and Shor WR - Adams, Wilson, Rush DL - L Jackson and Richards LB - Spriggs DB - Jarmon and Hunter QB - Finley is head and shoulders above the other quarterbacks. Bullock should be effective in situational setups, but the offense will struggle if he’s thrust into the starter role again. Roggow looked further along than Wasel to me. Take that with a grain of salt as it was only one day and one scrimmage. All the QBs have some mobility. RB - Definitely no one with the size or ability of Lingard, although Simmons had a nice run and will likely be the starter. No power backs on the roster may come back to bite us in short yardage situations. WR - Norton is the real deal at WR. I’m calling it now, All-MAC year coming his way. I thought JUCO transfer Campbell looked good too. It’s easy to see the upside in Louis and Davis. Not sure if they are quite ready to consistently contribute, but maybe they will have a strong summer and fall camp. TE - The TE group looked good blocking and receiving. This should be the best group of TEs to date. OL - The offensive line had their moments, but were overwhelmed for a substantial part of the scrimmage. To be fair, the defensive front is extremely impressive. Missing a player like Seymore can make a difference. James has come a long way at left tackle. Blachard also looked good. I saw redshirt freshman Mann pancake someone (didn’t get a number) and I think it was redshirt freshman Morris who crushed someone on a pulling block. All that being said, we are still not where we need to be along the OL. We have a chance to be decent if everyone is healthy and development continues, but the recent portal offers make sense. DL - Nunnally is a terror coming off the edge and seems to have added mass. Adler was the other starter at DE. The rotation of Lavea, Kapongo, and Moore at DT is incredibly stout. Easily one of the best (if not the best) interior DL rotations in the MAC this year. I also noticed Cheatom making some plays, but not entirely sure if he was lined up at DE or LB. LB - Linebackers basically blended with the DL, which is a good thing. We already know what have with McCoy, Fish, and Cooper. DB - The secondary looks long, physical, and athletic. I believe the starters were David and D. Johnson at Safety, D. Lewis at Nickel, Golden-Nelson and P. Lewis at Cornerback (I could be wrong on that though). Laing-Taylor easily had the most impressive play with an athletic interception. He covered ground quickly and made the diving snag. ST - I unfortunately managed to miss all the kicks (outside of the opening kickoff by Jackson), so I have nothing to report about special teams. All in all the program is in a great place. The team physically looks the part and much of the young talent is impressive. The defense should be one of the best units in the MAC. The offense has a chance to be really good if Finley is healthy and the OL progresses. There will certainly be more roster movement ahead, so we’ll see what happens.

Finley is legit. Hopefully we figure out a way to keep him healthy until the MAC games start.

Thoughts & prayers with our friends in Omaha. Multiple tornadoes including this monster.

I'm curious how much of our high school recruiting strategy is based on making contact with players who we know are not going to come to Akron out of high school, but will potentially be in the portal in a year or two and we want them to already be familiar with Akron.

Huge moves by Akron after the Gray commitment.

For anyone who hates Akron's new A logo, it could be worse...

Conner Groce is joining the team as well, per his instagram

I don't want to get too excited, but how can you keep calm with this type of personnel infusion. Bud said the goal was to build a program that could consistently go into the second round of NCAA playoffs. I am not saying we are there, yet we do see a glimmer of what may lie ahead one day, however soon that may be.

I also had limited sympathy for the players when they (the ones primarily in the rich programs) said they needed a piece of the revenue pie. When you look at it players get a full ride covering absolutely everything = $120,000 over four years. On top of that they get tutors, gear, nutritionists, medical care and counseling without waiting for an appointment like the rest of the student body. They get cost of living allowances on average about $2,000 per year. On top of that if they come from disadvantaged backgrounds they can get a Pell Grant up to $9,000 per year. I realize the demand on their time is huge, but so is working two jobs to get thru school like I did while playing soccer. NIL needs some sanity. Is the star running back really worth $000K when the linemen blocking for him get little? The very nature of NIL works against teamwork and everyman counts.

Offense and defense both made big plays. Best the Zips have looked in recent memory. Finally showing some depth, experience and talent.

I'm hearing that the president of the Memphis NIL collective, Wilson was instrumental in landing the FedEx investment. He is well known for being a passionate fan of beach volleyball and swimming.

Two things. First, I don't enjoy going to games as much either. They are too long and too much dead time. Second, and worst of all, the people who run college athletics don't care if I go or not or not as long as more commercials are sold catering to degenerate gamblers and drunks. My question is this. Do the people at universities know they are killing the sport? There was a time in the past 80 years when professional boxing was the number one sport in the USA. Then it became a gross representation of a sport and is an afterthought. Is that where college athletics are going?

I have been a HUGE Zips football fan for about 30 years but I don't enjoy attending the games nearly as much as I used to. A 1-hour game shouldn't take 3&1/2 hours to complete. Of course winning would probably help more than anything. lol

Yes. Simply because this team will most likely have a true PG and be able to shoot at a much higher clip. "Bigs" Okonkwo will most likely be Freeman-lite; a little bit bigger, maybe more athletic, but not as versatile (no outside shot to my knowledge). Lyles is hopefully able to take that next step. He has the size and I think he has the athleticism. The question for me is can he become more decisive and make quicker decisions? We will see. Baker is a versatile post player. He's maybe a bit bigger than Freeman was, but he has a jump shot like Freeman IIRC. He was nominated to be a McDonald's All American in high school IIRC and had a nice offer list after being a 1st Team All State player and top 10 prospect in the senior class for the state of Illinois. He'll push Lyles for solid PT this year after his redshirt year last season. Brisco is a redshirt candidate for me. He's Freeman size, but listed as a Center on his recruiting profiles. He had offers from TCU & Nebraska in high school, with additional interest from Pitt, Penn State, Pitino's Iona, etc. (no idea if he was offered). There isn't much out there on him except some nice dunk highlights. He's strong but looks to be still growing into his body. A year of development for him could really make him a formidable "big" as a redshirt freshman. If he doesn't redshirt, I could see Amani Lyles type minutes for him. Forwards Josiah Harris will lead the group of forwards in production this year most likely. A high percentage 3P shooter with good size (6'7"), he is our Ali Ali replacement and very similar to Xeryius Williams (better shooter most likely). He was also WVU's rebounds per game leader last season (4+ RPG - and people wonder why WVU was 9-23 last season haha). Legitimately expecting 15 PPG from Mr. Harris. Musiime-Kamali will be an interesting player to watch. There isn't much out there on him, but he looked quite good in his summer AAU highlights. Someone who has seen him practice can probably provide a more realistic analysis and expectation for him, but he has the potential to be a solid contributor. Athletic with potentially a jump shot? 6'6" and long. Played against really good competition in high school/AAU and averaged double digits. Guards Loaded group. Sharron Young is who I believe will be the starting PG this upcoming season. The entire WVU transfer class revolves around Sharron coming to Akron. This kid is special and can do it all. Look for him to be in the running for MAC Freshman of the Year and All MAC in general. Tavari is most likely his direct backup. Tavari needs to make great strides in his game this offseason. He needs to lock in his shot, defense, and decision making. He could be a very special guard, but mental defenses and a lack of effort have held him back. Seth will most likely be the starting SG. His off-the-ball shooting percentage is much much better than his on-ball production. He's big, plays good defense (comes from Huggins' system so of course), and will be a leader on this team. Shammah is going to be one of the first off the bench most likely. There's a chance he pushes for PG minutes, too, but we saw him mostly in off-the-ball guard situations last year. He needs to lock in his shot more, but he really came in at the end of this last season. Nate is most likely our starting 3G/SF. Really looking forward to having Nate healthy all season. If his shot is as good as it was before he got hurt last season, look out. Nate has All MAC potential. Prather Jr is the lone sophomore on this team, and I'm looking forward to seeing him healthy this year. He was held back by the early season injuries last year, but when he eventually played, he flashed moments of being a great shooter. His defense will need to improve, but he could become a better-shooting Chanel Banks. Mahaffey is the other redshirt candidate for me on this roster. Quite frankly, we're just loaded at guard. I think a year to develop after his recent growth spurt would also be good for him. By my count, there are 7-8 guys on this roster that should be able to shoot the ball quite well. There were maybe 5-6 guys last year that shot decently well, and even less that us fans actually wanted to shoot the ball. We also lacked a true PG, which we'll have at least one, hopefully 2+ (Tavari's development being key) next season. We had 3 players averaging double digit scoring last season; I think there's a chance 4-5 guys average 10+ PPG. I think our bench is deeper next season, especially from a scoring perspective. The scoring floor with this team should be higher than last season. Defensively, all 3 transfers were recruited by Huggins - defense shouldn't be a problem next season. This team is very much built like Groce's 2010 & 2012 Ohio teams. We know what happened at the end of those seasons. Just saying. Really really excited for next year.