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If Ali and his family think that going elsewhere is in his best interests so be it. It's no different really than someone taking what they perceive to be a better job. However, I think he's going to find that being a minor player playing 10 to 20 minutes on a p5 team isn't nearly as rewarding as being a major player on a competitive MAC team for a coach willing to overlook your flaws.

Quick note on these updates: Rivals was bought out by On3 and is still listed as Rivals, but the ratings are now using On3’s formula—so basically everyone and their brother is a 3-star. That being said, just ignore the star ratings I’ve listed below. I’m leaving them there for now until I decide whether to update everything using On3 or 247 moving forward. Neither site is all that accurate when it comes to MAC commitments or departures. Ben Finley - [Grad., Returning] - (5.7) 3 ⭐️ HS / (5.4) 2 ⭐️ Portal - Grad transfer from California, Finley committed to NC State out of high school before making the move out west. He was clearly the best QB on the roster during the 2024 spring game and went on to throw for 2,604 yards while completing nearly 55% of his passes. Finley posted a 16-to-9 TD/INT ratio and played a big role in the offensive line lowering their sacks allowed to 30 this past season. He’s been listed by some media publications as a preseason All-MAC selection and is back for his final year of eligibility. HS FILM. - Portal Offers: Utah State. * Michael Johnson - Transfer from Syracuse. Johnson originally committed to Penn State out of high school, later transferred to FAU, and eventually landed at Syracuse. Now, he’ll take over the role Tahj Bullock played last season and has more than enough ability to be effective in those same situations. So far in his college career, Johnson has rushed for 132 yards and passed for 31. Brayden Roggow - [Redshirt Freshman, Returning] - (5.3) 2 ⭐️ - Roggow is a tall quarterback with some mobility. He had a very successful high school career and throws a catchable ball. In the 2024 Spring Game, he looked solid (for a freshman) and came in as a more polished passer than Bullock or Wasel did out of high school. Roggow saw five snaps against Ohio State, completing 1 of 2 passes with an interception. Despite his upside, he didn’t seem to separate himself from Broughton during the 2025 spring game. HS FILM. Johnny Brookhart - [Redshirt Freshman, Returning] - NR - Walk-on. HS FILM Cibastian Broughton - [Freshman, New] - (5.5) 3 ⭐️ - Broughton is easily the most gifted prep quarterback Moorhead has brought in. He’s got excellent vision as a runner and knows how to press angles and create opportunities for himself when scrambling. As a passer, he can throw effectively from multiple arm angles and has plenty of arm strength. One of his highlights even shows him flicking a 50-yard pass on the run. If he weren’t undersized, Akron probably has no business landing a recruit like this. If opportunities aren’t there at quarterback in 2025, Broughton may end up seeing snaps at receiver in his first year. HS FILM The QB room is in the best place it’s been since the current staff took over. Finley will have a chance at all-conference status if he can clean up his TD/INT ratio by 2 or 3. This also will be the first time a starting quarterback has returned in Moorhead’s system fully healthy at Akron. DJ Irons, never quite seemed 100% in 2023. Typically, quarterbacks take a step forward in their second year in any system, so there’s plenty of reason for optimism. Added: Cibastian Broughton Michael Johnson Removed Before 2025 Season: (5.5) 3 ⭐️ - Tahj Bullock - TP = Colorado State Removed Before 2024 Season: (5.5) 3 ⭐️ (JUCO) - DJ Irons - Graduation NR - Jeff Undercuffler - Graduation (5.2) 2 ⭐️ (TP) - Dijon Jennings - TP = Weber State (5.4) 2 ⭐️ (TP) - Ryan Jankowski - TP = UMASS (5.4) 2 ⭐️ (TP) - Steele Wasel - TP = Oklahoma (walk-on) Before 2022 season: NR - Calvin Cloud - Walk-on. (5.3) 2 ⭐️ - Joey Marousek - (Baldwin Wallace)

This you? Your opinion sure has changed a lot in two weeks.

The running game has been mostly an afterthought during Moorhead’s tenure, but finally eclipsed the 100 yard per game mark in 2024. Jordan Gant - [Redshirt Junior, New] - NR (HS) / (5.5) 3 ⭐️ Portal - Transfer from Tennessee State. Gant was named a freshman All-American in 2023 before taking a reduced role in 2024. Gant does not have elite speed, but he is shifty and has excellent balance. He also sees the field well and is a solid receiver out of the backfield. Gant should be the starting running back this coming season. - Other Portal Offers: Bethune-Cookman Taven Curry - [Redshirt Junior, New] - Transfer from UL Monroe. Chris Gee - [Junior, New] - NR (HS) / NR (Portal) - Transfer from Colgate. Gee amassed 833 yards and 4 touchdowns over the past two seasons with Colgate. Gee is built in a similar vein to former RB CJ Price. He has a solid burst, quick feet, and can make the first defender miss. Gee will push for immediate playing time. Marquese Williams - [Redshirt Sophomore, Returning] - (5.7) 3 ⭐️ HS / (5.6) 3 ⭐️ Portal - Former transfer from Minnesota. Williams was a high producer in HS and had multiple P5 offers. Williams did not see the field at Minnesota and played less than 15 snaps this past season. Williams was not overly impressive during the 2024 spring game and will more developing before he claims a bigger role in the offense. HS FILM. * Sean Patrick - [Redshirt Freshman, Returning] - (5.4) 2 ⭐️ - Patrick is extremely shifty in the open field and understands how to press angles. He has a knack for making defenders miss with subtle movements. Patrick may not have elite speed, but his excellent feet and elusiveness in the open field makes up for it. Patrick redshirted in 2024 and will have a chance to secure a role this coming season. HS FILM * Fahrell Freeman - [Redshirt Freshman, Returning] - NR - Walk-on. HS FILM * Luke Reed - [Redshirt Freshman, Returning] - NR - Walk-on. HS FILM * Simmons and Kellom did a fine job replacing Lingard. Simmons parlayed his success into an opportunity with Ole Miss, while Kellom is still searching for a new home. The current running back corps has the ability to produce the same type of numbers if given the chance. That said, despite the best rushing season we’ve had under Moorhead, it was still bottom tier of the conference. Scholarship Players: Jordan Gant Taven Curry Chris Gee Marquese Williams Sean Patrick Added: Jordan Gant Chris Gee Taven Curry Removed: NR - Jordan Castleberry - Graduation (5.2) 2 ⭐️ (HS) - Charles Kellom - TP (5.5) 3 ⭐️ (TP) - Jordan Simmons - TP = Ole Miss Removed Before 2024: (5.5) 3 ⭐️ (TP) - Lorenzo Lingard - Graduation. (5.4) 2 ⭐️ (HS) - Drake Anderson - Graduation. (5.4) 2 ⭐️ (TP) - CJ Price - TP = Jackson State (5.4) 2 ⭐️ (TP) - Blake Hester - TP Removed Before 2023 Season: (5.5) 3 ⭐️ - Cam Wiley = West Texas A&M (DII) - NR - Star Rating Take: (5.3) 2 ⭐️ (5.4) 2 ⭐️ - Jonzell Norrils = Old Dominican (DII) - NR - Star Rating Take: (5.3) 2 ⭐️ NR - Anthony Stallworth - TP? - Star Rating Take: (5.2) 2 ⭐️ NR - Dae’Vontay Latimer - TP? - Walk-on

In another thread I mentioned a conversation with a friend who's a D1 coach. He mentioned that "culture" was the best way to combat the transfer portal. After seeing Ali depart it's pretty clear - great culture is like a COVID shot. It keeps you from dying. It likely keeps you from getting severely ill. But it doesn't provide full immunity. Note - if anyone hijacks this thread with political/COVID thoughts, their post will be immediately deleted, so save yourself the typing. Ali departing is a blow due more so due to his potential than his to-date production. It's widely noted that he was - * Offensively inconsistent - could score 32 points one night, and 5 the next * ISO Ali - dribbling ad nauseum, and putting up a shot regardless of the situation * A complete disappearing act for long stretches But he has a great turnaround J, length, size, shooters touch, and would only get better. If his head doesn't get in his way, his best 1-2 college seasons are definitely ahead of him. And we won't see them. Bandaogo departing is obviously a lesser impact. But he was a good shot blocker. And moved his feet well on defense, taking more charges than a 7-footer should. He also improved his FT shooting over the course of the season. He and Freeman seemed to have a solid friendship. And unlike Ali, Bandaogo didn't show flashes of anything this year that would get a P5 coach to attempt recruiting him away from Akron. I can only speculate the staff let him know his future role, as it played out at this season's end, would be diminished in 2022-23. And he might be best suited to try and hook up elsewhere. I guess we'll know for sure when he signs. I do trust that Groce will fill their spots with serviceable players. If he could get a kid like Duvivier to come from Oregon for a senior season where his team's destined for a sub .500 record, selling quality kids to play alongside Freeman, Casteneda, Dawson and Tribble...coming off a MAC Championship and a strong NCAA tourney showing, should be easy. There’s an old saying…”No matter how unbelievably smokin’ hot a girl looks, there’s at least one guy somewhere out there that got tired of putting up with her sh*t.” I think of that every time we pick up someone from the transfer portal. If we can land a Xerius Williams...a Casteneda...an LCJ...a Duvivier, Cheese or Banks...we're in great shape. If we lands a Trimble, Hester, Dailey, Guyue, Wynn (with all due respect), etc. we're not going to have a lot of fun at the JAR next season. I trust Groce. Just gotta have some faith and be patient over the next couple weeks. And hope the portal yields some team-oriented ballers with minimal baggage.

Well, now that Ali is going maybe they'll find a package deal somewhere.

I was still basking in the afterglow of NCAA tourney qualification and an almost/should - have win. Then this gut punch came around. How could any player reward Groce with telling our coach he deserves better? This is selfish. This is the product of bad advise. This is already yesterday's news. I'm over it and looking forward to what Groce does to fill the spot. Ali will land at a bigger school or one that will supposedly give him more publicity. But will he get better? I doubt it. Groce developed Ali. John tolerated his back-downs, his 15 seconds of dribble-dribble, his turnovers and his immaturity. Why? Because Groce was the best teacher to coach him out of it while also giving him playing time. I don't think Ali will get either at another school. I feel bad for Groce most of all. He was rewarded with ego driven selfishness. But out of this arises opportunity. Opportunity to put together a better team, one that buys into being a Zip. One that loves teamism and ZeeFence. Our program will continue to get better with better talent, facilities and fans. All Ali wants could have been achieved here. Bad advise leads to bad decisions. Now he will live with it. Ali can do whatever he wants. So he did. Ali who? I already forgotten. In Groce WeTrust!

Imagine if the Akron Beacon Journal allowed George Thomas to write detailed stories like this about Zips Football and Zips Basketball. Maybe the community would buy into the local Division I program. Appreciate the information catdaddyp.

Clearly, the Zips are in a worse position than they were 2-3 weeks ago, however, the only relevant point of comparison is 2-3 weeks ago versus next March.

Yeah, whatever dude. I don't wish you bad. I just don't care anymore. You're not on my team. 🙄

"Stretch 4" drink!

Count me in as believing in Irons' potential if the turnovers can get cleaned up. I'd like him to maintain his health as well. He was beat up last year and I recall reading about injuries in JUCO as well. Better O-line will help, but avoiding the contact and sliding or stepping out of bounds every now and then will too.

Valid concern! But the OL last season was atrocious and he could barely get past 1-Missisippi before someone was tomahawking his arm. If Joe can shore it up, I think Irons will be great. The entire OL returns and should be a year bigger and stronger. New recruits will provide depth and competition. And I think just by the nature of Joe's higher-level offense being less predictable, it'll greatly help the situation. If I'm wrong, feel free to bookmark this post and wave it in my face in early November. 😁

Enrique Freeman would like to have a word with you.

What many of these kids need to understand is that a person at the talent level to be an average or above average MAC player isn't going to draw any NIL money anywhere.

3(?) Scholarships are now open to bring in guys that can immediately fix the offensive struggles. I find that quite exciting.

Not a system fit. When you fall out of the regular rotation and the team proceeds to go on an incredible 8 game winning streak including a MAC Title, the writing is on the wall that maybe this system isn't right. He was not a key defender or rebounder, and a liability on offense. This team needs offense. Positive outlook regarding the Transfer Portal: any incoming transfers won't transfer again. I think what you're going to see is Year One become a trial period. For the team, is this guy truly a fit schematically, mentally, emotionally, etc.? For the player, is the program a fit, can I transfer up, etc.? We'll see 2-3 years of an incoming player post-transfer instead of 4, but that's no different than a JUCO or a non-redshirt freshman who sees little PT his freshman year. More talent is out there than ever before and that talent will have more of an immediate impact than ever before with at least one year of collegiate development under their belt. We'll see more disappointing regular seasons as teams take time to develop the chemistry, but better end of season runs like what we saw this year with the Zips. Just my outlook on the whole situation.

You guys are pretty good at convincing yourselves these departures mean nothing lol. If they players are on the team, they're good. If they leave, they sucked anyways. The staff has their work cut out for them if we want to repeat or more.

I'm a little surprised/disappointed that in nearly two pages of posts on Ali's departure no one has stated "good riddance" or "don't let the door hit you in the...." You're slipping gentlemen. LOL.

2 for 10 with 5 points and one rebound doesn't get you on the podium. The guys who played well do. If he thinks he should have been there, that is a problem.

Mutual departure. Come on now 😂

He's replaceable. Doesn't phase me.

He sure wasn't there when we needed him in the UCLA game.

Yep. 😂 Both statements can be true though. He can develop into a good player AND not be a system fit for us. Would Big Dog be a system fit for Groce? Nope. Was he an All-MAC player under Dambrot's system? Yes.

I'm high on Irons, but l am concerned with his ball security.

What the NIT also failed to realize is while OSU’s arena was no more than 15% to 20% full for the game the JAR would have been packed had the game been in Akron. If the attendance wouldn’t have been higher it at least would have been close and the atmosphere would have been a 1000 times more electric

Other than Jennings, the "young guys" are sophomores. If DJI (Junior) is the man for the next 2 seasons, I'd expect Jankowski and Marousek will have transferred-out. Eager to see if what Marousek brings to the table. He's been really patient sitting behind Gibson and Irons. If Irons can get some protection I have to believe he'll be great. Strong arm, runs with purpose, tall, athletic, accurate. You never know what disenchanted P5 grad transfer QB becomes available after being leapfrogged by a younger guy. So one could show up at Joe's doorstep after spring ball. But count me among the many who feel Irons will be "the man" for the Zips when September rolls around.

This is the best analysis of A-squared. He was NEVER an NBA prospect -- Cronin was trying to butter him up pre-game to get in his head...and it worked! At best was 2nd team All-MAC, but lacked the consistency needed to be the star. Maybe if not for Freeman, he'd be staying. And maybe he thinks Bobby Hurley will pick him up and he get a second chance against the Bruins. He's not going to be a star at that level. All that said, I wish the kid well, and honestly hope he gets his degree and has a great life! Thanks for your contribution to a memorable season. Now let's go get the Bigs we need to compete for more championships. In Groce I Trust!

Honey, I shrunk the roster!

Absolutely correct. However, this is a situation where you have to control what you can control. I would love to have been able to run it back with the same exact roster plus maybe one piece (Kalle replacement). Reality has taken a couple of weeks to hit our program, though. Even so, 10 years ago I would be excited to return the current level of production from a championship team. If we get to a point (God forbid) that Freeman and X leave us this offseason, then we start to get into the worry zone as far as replacing production. At this point, we basically graduated a senior and lost a freshman who didn't play a ton of meaningful minutes. The ceiling with potential new pieces is higher now, but the floor is also lower than it would have been. It should be an interesting offseason, and I look forward to the challenge that it gives this staff.

What's left... GUARDS Castaneda Tribble Dawson Clarke Mitchell N. Johnson T. Johnson Prather Jr. FOWARDS Freeman Wynn I expect one 6'9"/6'10" PF, one 6'6"+ scoring Forward, and one experienced Guard to transfer in. I think Tavari and/or Prather Jr. Redshirts. It appears Groce may have an opportunity to recreate his OU squads, which were guard-heavy and anybody on the floor could score almost at all. Size wasn't the reason we lost to UCLA. Ali didn't show up and shot-making struggled. We have a massive opportunity to fix that issue. I'm excited.

If DJI can be the man for the next 2 years it will give the younger guys plenty of time to develop and be ready to step in.

I think Aziz could have developed into a reasonable contributor. I don't think he was never going to be All-MAC but I could see him as a 20- 25 minute a night guy averaging 8-10 points and 5-6 rpg. He was also a possible solution to facing larger lineups as with development he could be on the floor more with Freeman. Who knows what goes through the head of a 21 year old kid from Senegal in a distant land where he's learning English as a second language. It seems like staying would be the most comfortable option but maybe there's a better choice for him out there somewhere. I hope he's not being sold a bill of goods.

Ultimately, this will boil down to schools that have NIL opportunities and those that don't. The best players from medium and small schools will play a couple and move up to make some cash. You can hardly blame them, but it absolutely sucks for those of us that follow schools like Akron/OU/Buffalo, etc. These are consistently strong programs that find kids that other programs pass up. It will truly be like starting from scratch every single season.

The man is 7 foot tall and air balls shots two feet away from the basket. Farewell stone hands!

I agree with that. But Ali had carried the team in games and this was the season finale. I am just wondering if there is more to it. That's all.

Ali had his moments but in the UCLA game he was a no show in the 2nd half. Big players shine in big games and he just faded. The last shot was terrible and cost us an opportunity to win the game. He is not a good rebounder and gets pushed around under the basket. He obviously had an attitude because he did not start in the Northern Illinois game. He score 20 points in that game and Groce put him back in the starting lineup. The one thing I disliked about Ali all season is that he would talk to the opposing bench. I think if he were a high character guy he would stay with Akron. He needs to put on some muscle and work on his inside game. I will keep track of where he goes but my prediction is that if he goes to a big program he will come off the bench and average 8-10 points. We still have a great nucleus of player and I just do not see his transfer as being a major body blow to this program.

After letting this stew for a few more hours, I’ve got a few more thoughts. All indications so far from people close to the program have told me this is a shocking move, not so much a mutual thing. That could be wrong, but if you just look at the whole Ali-Akron story, you can put 2 + 2 together to understand why this would be shocking. Reading the tea leaves on the past couple of seasons, it’s easy to see that his attitude isn’t always where it should be. He has also shown to be afraid to shoot at times, while also letting possessions die with a bad turnover, a back down, a poor attempt to draw a foul. Also, he had a ton of technical fouls this year for chirping at the refs and opponents. I’m not saying he’s a bad character guy, but under that façade, there’s certainly quite the ego. I’m thinking ego has a lot to do with this move, and perhaps wanting to be closer to home in Indiana now that one of those programs will give him a shot. With that said, I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment that this is BS for a guy to do to a program and staff that found him and gave him a chance. It’s almost like Carry at Duquesne. His only offer, and he’s been given the keys to make this program his. He just didn’t want it for whatever reason. Like I said earlier, it’s just got to be an on to the next one mentality. The Zips still have a top 3 roster in the MAC going into next season. 4/5 starters return along with 3 bench guys and 2 redshirts that all have championships under their belt. The honeymoon is officially over, and the title defense begins today as far as I’m concerned. #1Akron

Re: Ali Ali How often did the ball movement die in Ali's hands? He went iso and more often than not it resulted in a turnover or poor shot. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a mutual departure. I'd imagine Groce was none too happy with Ali's decision to drive instead of calling a timeout against UCLA. And again, his attitude was KSUcks-yellow-pee poor during that 3 game losing streak.

The 1/3 remaining was probably the player that stepped up the most down the stretch. He can stay.

Yep. I cheer for anyone who wears AKRON on their chest. But it's fun watching the young men develop & then tearing up for them on Senior Night.

This is what I posted on social media But I'll be more blunt here. This hurts. This hurts for us and for him. For us it hurts on a personal level in that Groce & Co. gave Ali his only chance and have poured 3 years into developing his game. Now some other program gets to enjoy the fruits of Groce's risk, faith, and labor, while we fans get yet another "what if" scenario. But more importantly, this hurts for Ali because I think he's gotten woefully bad advice. He would have been a team leader here for the next two years on a young team with fantastic locker room and on-court chemistry, enjoyed a luxuriously long leash from Coach Groce, would have continued to have plays drawn up for him, and would have gotten 40-minutes of PT a game if he wanted. He was a perfect fit for this culture and for this system. Good luck getting that anywhere else.

Ali Ali and Sekou Sada Kalle depart.

I actually thought there was a chance Ali Ali would transfer from how he's been talked up by many like UCLA's Cronin ("KD like shots") and his decision-making in the UCLA game. I think this move for him has to do with big moments. Maybe he believes that if he's in more pressure games (a power conference), maybe he wouldn't struggle in the bigger games, like the UCLA game (especially that miss to the corner). I wish Ali Ali best of luck wherever he goes (outside of the MAC obviously), but I trust Groce and staff moving forward. EDIT: I just looked at a conversation I had with a friend after the Zips lost to UCLA. One of the messages I sent on 3/18 was "I think Ali will enter the transfer portal". It was a gut instinct, but it didn't shock me when I saw that move today.

The onlyD1 team in America that was willing to give him a shot and this is his way of saying thanks. Bye bye, I'm not concerned.

If this were Freeman, I would be very upset for a number of reasons. Ali Ali isn't a super star. He's a solid MAC player. Dead to me now

He's believing his own press. Zips will be fine.

Also like the preceeding comment in the article. “There is no level of compromise. They're going to do it the way we want it done or they can find another place to play or they can sit on the bench,” he said. “It's really one of three things. Do it the way this team needs to be done that's led to a 52-25 career head coaching record and five different conference championships at five different schools as a head coach or coordinator or the [transfer] portal's open for business."

I love this Morehead quote from the above article- “Find another place to go where you won't be held to a standard and you don't do it the way you want it done or they can sit on the bench. There's really not much discussion to it and they've learned the difference between a suggestion and directive.”