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From pure football perspective, it's exciting to have a kid that's one of the best athletes on a local state championship caliber HS program coming to UA. From an overall perspective – We’ve had a lot of transfers coming into the Program with some baggage. Bowden seems to have an uncanny knack for getting these kids to make the most of their second chance, which is great. But that type of “mercenary” player can’t be the Program’s backbone. The backbone should be the 4- or 5-year kid. But you couldn’t get too many of that player type coming off a couple 1-11 seasons (and the ones that weren’t 1-11, weren’t much better). Jatavis was obviously a 4-year kid that saw through the bad records and recognized the potential of the Program and Staff early-on. But he was special. If you coach at any level, it’s rare that you get a kid that’s one of the best athletes, and also the toughest competitor and a leader. That package just doesn’t come along too often. This kid’s on-the-field resume is solid. That Coach Wattley speaks so highly of his character and leadership tells me he’s also got something the other kids don’t. I look forward to great things from him in the future. The caliber of UA football recruit is rapidly trending upward. In recruit’s eyes we’re now being viewed as a winning program where, if you perform, you will also get a good look from the NFL. Bowden and Amato have done nothing to make me doubt they can identify the talent necessary to run with the big dogs in the MAC. I love it. The season can’t start fast enough for me!

New M & P appointment: Matt Newhouse http://www.gozips.com/general/2016-17/releases/20160825fq7o12

I discovered this Sports Illustrated article today, and I think it clearly deserves its own thread -- and also I have that problem with the page jumping around when I try to scroll to the bottom... I couldn't find anything on this issue elsewhere on this site. Anyone see anything in BigSoccer? Crossfire United, the Seattle-based youth soccer club that DeAndre Yedlin played on for (according to this) four years, is essentially taking MLS to court to collect a FIFA-mandated portion of DA's transfer fee from SSFC to Tottenham Hotspur FC. The article indicates that Hotspur first tried to also pay off the University of Akron for their part of Yedlin's development "rights" -- but parties at the UA said "Naaaah!" and called MSL to alert them to the money Akron didn't want! It states in the article that the "solidarity fee" due under FIFA rules to youth development clubs is 5% of the transfer fee. 5% of what I believe was 3.5 million Pounds Sterling amounts to, um, a good chunk of cheese. About 175,000 pounds, or more than 230 grand in American bucks. How that is divided between multiple development clubs is not determined. I imagine that over time, if these fees added up, they could add up into the millions of dollars! For both American universities AND youth soccer clubs. That would truly revolutionize the role of these institutions in player development. http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/06/29/us-soccer-youth-club-compensation-crossfire-deandre-yedlin-mls-fifa

Ninth local verbal commitment. Bowden has done something that hasn't been done in a long time: get D-I level kids from Akron to stay home.

Time to add another Akron to that.

http://www.ohio.com/sports/zips/ua-soccer-second-ranked-zips-motivated-by-heartbreaking-loss-in-ncaa-tournament-1.707184 please get well, quickly....Stuart Holthusen

I've been a diehard Zips fan since 1993. I've waited 22 years to see this happen. God bless Bowden. And Amato.

http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/divison-i-mens-soccer-preview:-aug-26-28_aid39719 top Drawer talks about the akron game and 4 other games. One encouraging note. We know that Georgetown's goalie is a first team all american pre season selection. The encouraging note is that Georgetown's 2 center backs and 2 outside backs from last year....all graduated. Go, Zips.

Since Jatavis committed without even taking an on-campus visit, I think it is safe to say he saw something in Bowden, Amato and the Zips that few other HS recruits at that time did.

I have two comments: 1.) We are already getting P5 recruits. Quite a few of them. They just have a stop at the P5 school before attending UA. 2.) I agree that we need that level of 4-year P5 recruit to go to "the next level." But there are multiple levels you first need to ascend: Level 1 - You absolutely suck. Zips status - Completed. Level 2 - You are competitive, but either don't know how to win, or don't have the athletes to win. Zip status - Completed Level 3 - You begin beating like-talented, and less-talented teams. However, you're note quite ready for prime time. You're bowl eligible. Zips status - Completed Level 4 - You compete for championships. You beat upper-tier, like-talented MAC teams at home, and go 50/50 with them on the road. Zips status - In process Level 5 - You've "arrived." You consistently play for MAC championships and expect 9+ wins per season. You expect to beat lower-tier P5 programs. You begin wooing some lower-tier P5 recruits straight out of high school. Zips status - Not yet started Level 6 - You outgrow the MAC and move to a P5 conference. Zips status - Not yet started. We have completed Level 3. The "Next Level" for the Zips is Level 4. Everyone wants to skip levels, but it isn't possible. Actually it is...only in the negative direction. Hire Rob Ianello and you go directly to Level 1. After the Zips lost highly-competitive games to OU and CMU at home last season, I wasn't pissed off. For the first time in the history of InfoCision I watched the Zips play solid football against a solid opponent. After those games, we went on our late-season tear and the rest is history. That point in time reminded me of a Winston Churchhill quote: "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." For the Bowden era, the beginning has ended. Do the Zips complete Level 4 this year? I hope. The Level 5 teams like NIU and Toledo look like they're having a lot of fun. I want a piece of that action.

And to confuse things even further, there's also a private school in Rochester NY called University of Rochester, which is not associated at all with RIT.

I sure hope that Marla Ridenour of the Beacon does an article Friday morning about the season opener. I know that she has been busy writing articles about Clayton Murphy and he deserves all of the credit that he is getting. However, I do hope that she finds time to write about Akron U.s best sports team.

This is a pretty great clip. Bowden brings in an ice cream truck for after practice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4Rwsj6Sh3c

i thought this was a well informed and thoughtout preview http://www.hustlebelt.com/2016/8/20/12562720/2016-akron-zips-football-preview