Leaderboard

Ah the never ending star debate. Haha. I’ll try to give a little insight into the industry. Overall, yes stars matter, but it’s not an exact science. For Rivals, the guys that do the national coverage give all the ratings and stars. The kids that go to the Rivals camps will be rated and usually be given a more generous rating. For kids that don’t go to the camps, the national writers will review highlights and give their best judgement. However, their main job is to write articles and get views/subscribers. Ratings and stars are secondary. So schools that are not Power 5 tend to get shafted in coverage. In Akron’s case, not many media members are paying much attention and just assume it’s the same ole Akron. They also assume the players being recruited probably aren’t as good as some others being recruited at more traditional powers in the MAC or elsewhere. Recently On3 came into existence and poached some Rivals employees, so the coverage may not be as extensive as it has been in the past, but Rivals is pushing to remedy that situation. 247 is a little more generous in their star ratings than Rivals. Many of their 4 star ratings should not be 4 stars in my opinion, but rating them as such tends to get more media coverage and the kids will post their best star ratings on social outlets. It’s a smart business move by 247, but it inflates the amount of 4 stars. Same could be said about the amount of 3 stars. On3 has tried position themselves as the top dawg by using Rivals, ESPN, 247, and their own ratings to make a “composite” and promote that as the top source. Some analysts rate more heavily on potential, while others rate more heavily on where the kid currently is. The amount of scholarships and which schools have offered also play into the ratings. Keep in mind, many of the guys rating these players never played or coached, but that’s how this industry is setup. In my opinion, the better players will “pop” off the film regardless of anyone’s expertise or rating.

Attaching updated scholarship chart per the roster. All newcomers are now listed we are aware of except for Deontae Williams. Maybe he's a greyshirt? As @catdaddyp previously mentioned, Janirr Wade and Juan Jarrett are no longer listed. The scholly chart shows 85 players, but 34 new additions (when I believe the max is 32. Of course, we never claim to be 100% accurate..just strive to be. A thought is that potentially 2 players were medically disqualified and that opened up additional positions. Michael Snowden is one player we know who that happened to. Zips Football Scholarship Chart.xlsx

Looks like he's back.

The wood outside the 3pt line will be a bit darker, but still nice. Some schools try too hard to get noticed and do crazy stuff with their floors and fields. NIU's dark floor with the weird eyes, Kent State's giant lighting bolts and Eastern Michigan's gray field are all terrible. I really wasn't really even a fan of our most recent court with the kangaroo heads in the key. Follow the KISS theory. Keep It Simple Stupid. We have a nice new logo. Let it shine.

LZlp - thank you very much for the quick reply and clarity. Zipmissus - you tend to make incorrect and unfounded comments toward my posts. Have we met? I am starting to think that you are trolling as my ex-mother in law. Go Zips!!!

UConn...BG...UMass? I think of those 3, BG was the better program, and they lost to the Arth-led Zips? I always like the players recruited by Army and Navy. If that is the type of kid your program is attracting, you're doing things the right way.

I second this. Remember the Akron Basketball trio bobbleheads? Imagine if they did this for the 2010 National Champion team. How much fun would that be to collect?

According to 247, he holds 19 offers, including UCONN, Army, BG, and UMASS. This kid is a talent. Great get. Also, our recruiting has taken a massive step in the right direction when it comes to regions. When's the last time we recruited the New England area this hard?

Samson Okunlola for sure.

Learned to love the new logo. Go Zips!!!!

Yeah, that court is beautiful! Simple can be amazing if done right, like in that pic!

AHA, I have already negotiated my punishment with the ZipsNation authorities and will not appeal their decision to place me on double-secret probation.

I get a kick out of these "we're getting out of the MAC" threads. Guys, if you haven't noticed, enrollment issues haven't turned around yet, so budgets are tight. That alone makes a conference affiliation move impossible, unless it's going downward to a non-BCS conference. Secondly, what does Akron (or any other MAC school for that matter) bring to the table for a larger/more prestigious conference? Great attendance? Big share of a large media market? Nope and nope.

Thank you for starting my morning with a good laugh! Welcome to the dark side. 🤣

What great pickup. With all of those offers, I am surprised that he has no stars. It is starting to make me question the value of stars. Go Zips!!!!

maybe Max Tucker? https://247sports.com/college/akron/Season/2023-Football/Offers/?RecruitState=MA

We landed a commit from Boston. My best guess is Osinubi. Unless it’s a DB, in which case I have no idea.

https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/college/2022/08/01/former-central-catholic-rb-jonzell-norrils-making-a-name-for-himself-at-akron/stories/20220726016 Piece about Norrils from the Toledoblade. If it has a pop up about subscribing, just change to reader format by hitting the AA in the browser.

How many of the home football games are scheduled to be played at the JAR?

As good a hire as you could hope for. The guy's got a yeoman's task ahead of him...

When is Akron soccer going to do a Darlington Nagbe bobblehead for season ticket holders? I love my DeAndre Yedlin bobblehead from a few years ago........but the DeAndre bobblehead is lonely. A DNag bobblehead is badly needed.