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Jim, My source is a member of our athletic administration staff. I was in the Tommy Evans lounge before the Kent game and we got talking about how Joe is reshaping the face of Akron football. He gave me the number left and I did not question it. He said Joe is confident the transfer portal will be very favorable to Akron and will play a prominent role in rebuilding the roster for at least two years. Whatever number we have to use going forward Joe will use them brilliantly. We did talk about Akron losing players after spring and it was acknowledged that we would experience it also. But in our case it will be addition by subtraction. We will lose the underperforming players who will not see the field. No comments were made regarding if this would free up scholarships, but I think you are right to think that it has to free some up. Thank you for letting me use "In Joe We Trust". I know I'm special but I recommend you grant the privilege to other ZNO members.

We did talk about how Joe feels about the program and its future. Insiders say Joe feels the program will make a quick turnaround and be competitive. He feels, according to my source, that players in the transfer portal will be interested in Akron because of the issues you stated i.e. staff relationships, system of play, early playing time. But there was more that warmed my heart. Simply, it's his belief Akron is packed with potential to dominate the MAC. We've got the stadium, indoor field house and hungry fanbase. He loves the alignment with president Gary Miller, the board of trustees and AD Charles Guthrie. They all have a common vision and it's focused on winning the MAC. Joe also is still pissed off regarding his treatment at Mississippi State, at which he never enjoyed the alignment he values. That drives him to show them (MSU) and his peers that he can lead a dominant program. I have such a good feeling about the new era of Akron football that we are entering. Joe will probably gets offers from other programs, but I feel he will only entertain Pitt or Penn State, due to proximity to family and size of program. If he gets those offers he will have been fabulously successful at UA and hopefully we will be able to keep success going. This is all my opinion so take it with a grain of salt. I am so excited. When football is successful all Zip sports will benefit. Bring it on! Since I have written permission from BigJim I'll close with In Joe We Trust.

Browns fans threw Steeler fans into urinals, so this is okay. That's some NEO logic there

72 Roo, Thank you for such an informative post and you did the right think in keeping the anonymity of your source. I would give you a 100 likes for the post if I could. I agree that 5 more experienced transfers will transform the Zips football team. We could be the 2022 version of No. Illinois, going from last to first in one season. i still believe there is a lot of young talent on the roster that will be supplemented with these transfers. Also, per GoZips, there are 16 R-Sr and Sr players on the roster. I do not know know if all are on scholarship, but if so, shedding some of the 'underperforming players' will open up scholly's for next years recruiting cycle. I cannot wait to see what this staff does with a full year of recruiting. Go Zips!!

https://247sports.com/player/seny-ndiaye-46093879/ @Blue & Gold thinks he saw Seny at the KSUcks game.

QB Coach Interview High on Irons, and the Zips.👍

We have five scholarships yet to give. Look for JoeMo to bring in more from the transfer portal after spring ball when players in P5 programs will find out they don't figure in the plans of their current schools. We will get a few more good players giving us a talent level that has grown exponentially over last year. In Joe we trust.

The transfer portal still has one 4* and ten 3* QBs looking for a new home. any of these guys strike you fancy?

Groce probably believes in him, but he has to play him. He has no other 3 pt options. Jesus Take the Wheel situation.

Just remember that this program had around 70 Freshmen or Redshirt Freshmen last season. I am confident we will see a big jump next year. This staff can develop players too.

💯💯 Football is king.

Thanks for the reminder, among all of the transfer rule changes I had forgotten one as basic as that. My bad on that. I do still think Wynn is gone as with the new guys coming in, I don't know why he would stick around to play 5 minutes a game. Trimble, on the other hand, could probably find a spot on any team as a shooter, but his streaky-ness could keep teams away. His shooting since coming back from COVID is in the 20% range and that could be enough for schools to pass on him. At that point, Groce believes in him and will give him minutes so I don't see why he'd think he would find a much better situation. I could be wrong, of course.

I was at the game with my boys, man when we started out going o’fer while they put up a double digit lead, the Flushes set the tone. And the Zips never dug out. We caught back up at one point then blew chunks again. As far as the rivalry and the student behavior, they’re 18-22 year old males. What’s the age of maturity? This wasn’t a PGA tournament at Firestone. Some fans forget what it’s like to have a rivalry. I saw Steeler fans thrown into the urinal (trough) at the old Cleveland Stadium by grown mem. I think it’s refreshing that students (however immature they may be) take such an interest in Zips Athletics, something we’ve been hoping for since I attended there. Hell we painted our rivals water tower the night before a rivalry game while they were killing the grass at our high school BITD. That would be “vandalism” and “criminal damaging” now.

This is all very exciting information. Thank you for sharing. Regarding the bold part, was there any explanation given or details as to why he's confident the Transfer Portal will be favorable to Akron? Is it due to all of the P5 connections/backgrounds on the staff, his system, or all-but-guaranteed playing time?

It's hard to see how any of these players as well as some ranked even lower couldn't help us. It's also hard to see them coming here. But there are also uncommitted so far so........... JT Daniels was ranked along with Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence when he came out of high school for example.

Well Cavs Won!!!

I just read that Saturday night the Canton Civic Center is hosting a boys basketball double-header. Game #1 is Akron Buchtel -v- Lake, while the main even in game #2 is Akron STVM -v- Oak Hill Academy (VA). My dad used to take my brother & I to professional wrestling events at the Civic. You could stand on the floor as the wrestlers made their way to the ring. I patted Macho Man Randy Savage and the Road Warriors' Hawk and Animal on the shoulders cheering them on. One night we hung around for a while after the last match & Jake the Snake Roberts & the Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiasi (sp?) came out & talked to us for about 10 minutes. Those are some of my favorite memories as a kid. Akron needs an arena.

Lets schedule a home and away with Pitt 🤬

Definitely. Mumpfield was nothing but gracious.

My idea of progress: Year one- an influx of transfer portal and JUCO talent to bring the program up to speed. 3-4 wins. Year two- Retain players. Improved freshman recruiting class. Continued growth, 2nd year players start to contribute. 5-6 wins. Year three- competing for MAC East title. More movement towards better freshman recruits due to improved program, less reliance on JUCOs and transfers. 8-9 wins. Year four- Zips Nation purchased by Alphabet due to its high traffic and profit potential. Captain Kangaroo retires in Barbados on the proceeds after hosting the largest tailgate in UA history.