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UAB, Akron schedule football series for 2019 and 2020 I like this match-up. I think it's nice to be part of the UAB comeback, as long as they remain on the losing end.

How is running and managing various sports streaming events not a (free) senior capstone project for communication majors?

Or hopefully it will be

JT 2017 nominee for HOF

Yes, hopefully their progrum won't be up to speed yet. I'll bet TB's Alabama history & connections had something to do with this.

I knew Akron had a lot of transfers, but didn't realize there were that many.

The last time Akron had any sort of D1-A (FBS) success, it was on the backs of local recruits under Lee Owens. There was a stretch from 1999-2005 where the team had winning seasons in five of seven years. ... the last two being seasons where Brookhart lived off Owens' local kids. Brookhart then turned back-to-back No. 1 MAC recruiting classes (with kids being recruited by the schools you mentioned) back to the basement. It's not the local talent base, it's the coaching. TB has a track record of winning, so lets see where this (and continuing to get P5 transfers) takes us. Still, if you are going to go after HS kids in NEO, why not Summit County? It's the one major county in the region that actually is growing, and the HS football has been making major strides in the past decade. I'd say it has easily surpassed Mahoning and Stark counties (two of the historical hotbeds) and is quickly gaining on Cuyahoga. Look at some of the HS ball being played here. St. V has won two state titles in D3 and made another finals appearance in the past 5 years (with teams that probably could've competed for the D1 title). Hoban, also D3, won it all last year, and is probably the favorite to win it again this year (just took two-time defending D1 champ St. Edward down to the wire last week, 10-7). In Division II, Nordonia just went to the state finals two years ago. Hudson, in D1 two years ago (with wins over St. Ignatius and Mentor) and in D2 last year, made the final four. Stow, last year, made the D1 final four. This year, looks like they could make it back (with a QB UA is recruiting). The City Series, while not having any elite teams any more, probably is the best city league in Ohio. ... The Cleveland Senate sucks outside of Glenville. Toledo sucks. Cincinnati pretty much sucks. Columbus has a couple good teams ... out what 12? Dayton is OK now that it only has like 3 teams. ... The City Series usually has four teams that can somewhat compete with the suburban/private counterparts ... Buchtel/Ellet then usually two of Firestone/East/Garfield ... with only North and Kenmore being dead weight. That will likely change, too, starting in the next couple of years when the city goes from 7 schools to 5. ... It'll be the same number of athletes, just at less schools. That should lead to an even better on-field performance from the remaining city teams. Look at Buchtel. They are 0-3 but lost by 6 to Beechcroft (which I'm guessing is one of the non-shitty Columbus city teams since they are 3-0). Then lost by 7 to Benedictine (a team that won back-to-back state titles in 2013-14); and then by one to Canton GlenOak ... a perennial D1 playoff team that is 2-1 with a win over one of the best big-school teams in Virginia (a state everybody is gawking over in recruiting) and then a 3-point loss to a historically good program in Massillon. Buchtel is probably a couple extra good players (which they could get in two years ... if they don't go to St. V or Hoban) away from potentially being 3-0 against three solid/very good teams. With all that said, even if you focus on Summit, that doesn't preclude you from going to the nearby counties ... Stark/Cuyahoga/Mahoning/Lorain/Lake to get recruits either. Outside of Stark, all are a tougher sell now, but easier if you continue to win ... and then maybe.