Leaderboard

There is no question that getting to start every game sped up the process, but I think of all the games where there was no 3rd scorer for the Zips and all the different lineups Groce used. It would have been fun to see Aziz and Freeman on the court together. I wonder if Groce would have used the high low post game at all? Oh well, best of luck to Aziz.

This weekend's games at Toledo are on ESPN+ and the video broadcast is very good quality for MAC baseball. I can't comment on the announcers since I have it on mute while at work.

QUARTERBACK Redshirt senior DJ Irons landed on the All-MAC 3rd team despite missing several games in 2022. Senior Jeff Undercuffler filled in admirably in DJI’s absence. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Jankowski, redshirt freshman Dijon Jennings, and true freshman Steele Wasel will compete for snaps, but probably will not see much playing time this season. RUNNING BACK Last year, redshirt juniors Cam Wiley and CJ Price split time and neither back was able to separate himself from the pack. Former 5 star (and current 3 star) Florida grad transfer Lorenzo Lingard has entered the fold. Best bet is Lingard will earn the starting spot by the time the season rolls around. What role does redshirt freshman Charles Kellom play? He exhibited a subtle shiftiness and the ability to quickly change gears during limited playing time, which was hard to detect from his high school film. WIDE RECEIVER 1st Team All-MAC junior Alex Adams has the slot locked down and is backed by sophomore Bobby Golden. Redshirt senior Daniel George was curiously left off an all-conference team last season. George was backed by junior Caleb Anderson who may have a chance to compete for SJL’s old role. Although, Western Kentucky transfer redshirt junior Dakota Thomas will probably have first crack. Redshirt sophomore Jasaiah Gathings flashed early in 2022 before an injury derailed his season. This may be redshirt sophomore Myles Walker and redshirt junior Anthony Williams last chance to make an impact. TIGHT END Snaps were split almost evenly last season between redshirt senior TJ Banks and former Zip Tristan Brank. Redshirt sophomore Caden Clark and redshirt freshman Marquell Darnell are the likely candidates to push Banks for time. OFFENSIVE LINE Gauging by the recent outgoing offers, it is pretty clear that the staff is still searching for interior OL help. Sophomore Ka’Marii Landers and junior Nate Williams have the left and right tackles locked down. Junior Ronan Chambers is the top backup at the tackle spots. Redshirt juniors Tony Georges and Alex Robarge, along with redshirt sophomore Brian Kilbane are the current leaders on the interior. That being said, expect some push from redshirt freshmen Tyhler Williams and Keylen Davis. Redshirt sophomore Colin Lyons returns from injury and redshirt freshman Jourden Hale-Frater may be ready to contribute. Freshman Jayvin James is on campus, but is probably not ready to compete for significant minutes. DEFENSIVE TACKLE Redshirt senior Ravontae Holt should finally be at full strength. He was a wrecking ball late last year when he was close to fully healthy. Holt will likely be joined by grad transfer Terray Jones. Jones was a multi-year all conference player at Tennessee State. Redshirt seniors Kyle Thomas and Devon Robinson had their moments in 2022. Redshirt freshman Kiawan Murphy may be ready to take the next step and contribute in 2023. DEFENSIVE END Senior Ryan Johnson has the size and athletic ability to become a complete player at one DE spot. 3 star grad transfer Ahmad Rabah will likely fill the other end position. Depth behind them is a concern. Freshman Bruno Dall has plenty of upside potential, but will he be ready in year 1? Expect Julian Richardson to play some DE. Corey Thomas may also be shifted back down for depth purposes during the spring. LINEBACKER All-MAC 1st Team Bubba Arslanian returns for what seems like his 10th year. He will be joined by hard hitting sophomore Bryan McCoy. Junior Antavious Fish has the physical tools, but struggled at times last year. Fish and sophomore Jaharon Griffin will have every opportunity to claim meaningful minutes and display just how far this group has come since coach Moorhead arrived. CORNERBACK/NICKEL South Carolina transfer redshirt junior Joey Hunter and Purdue transfer redshirt freshman Terence Thomas were brought in from the portal and immediately upgrade the talent level. Redshirt sophomores Devonte Golden-Nelson, Cam Threatt, and Darrian Lewis return, as do juniors Tyson Durant and Rishad Hence. There is a good chance that Hunter and Golden-Nelson are manning the CB positions, with Thomas at Nickel, by the time the season arrives. This position must show improvement during the spring. SAFETY Safety turned out to be an area of strength by the end of 2022. Redshirt senior Nate Thompson, senior KJ Martin, and redshirt junior Jaden Woods were playing at a high level. They will be joined by Pittsburgh grad transfer Judson Tallandier who could also play some Nickel. Talented freshmen will arrive after the spring, so where does that leave younger players like redshirt sophomores Noel Roach, DiMarco Johnson, and MyJaden Horton? There is the distinct possibility that the Zips field one of the best safety positions in the MAC this coming year. SPECIAL TEAMS Field goals past 39 yards, consistently flipping the field on punts, and touchbacks on kickoffs were a struggle last season. Freshmen Owen Wiley and Joey Castle were brought in to help remedy some of those issues.

It's probably the all too frequent combination of unrealized "potential" and a coach who feels he alone can unlock the player's true potential. I still remember Hue Jackson raving about DeShone Kizer, Cody Kessler and RGIII and what he was going to do with them (nada). This seems like a draft Manziel in the first-round reach. Best of luck to him.

I think it’s time to start watching the standings. It’s exciting to do for the first time that I can remember. The Zips head into the weekend in a tie for third place with a 4-3 MAC record, 2 games out of first.

Nevada lost in the play-in round too. It was a good non-conference schedule.

An assistant coach on the CSU men's team is married to one of Melissa's assistants. Not sure if that qualifies as close ties in terms of affecting their women's coach taking Zips job. I agree with the comment that it would be kind of a lateral move for him. CSU might also up his pay if they haven't already so they could keep him like they did the first time with Dennis Gates. Just speculation.

Garvin Clarke, Kobe Mitchell and Prince Mosengo depart. Zips add Shammah Scott.

In 2022 Fardaws Aimaq played At UVU and was the WAC player of the year. He was 6'11" and averaged a double double with 18.9 and 13.6 a game that year. Fardaws left UVU to play for Texas Tech in the Big 12 where he put up 11.1 and 7.9 a game this year. UVU coaching staff is legit and they know how to work with bigs. Aziz's move out west was about him finding and filling an open role and using it to improve under great coaching and an opportunity to develop. So glad to see him make the most.

This is the white board in the Purdue locker room. Looks like an artistic interpretation of one of their 3 point attempts.

Fairleigh Dickinson - the shortest team in the country whose tallest player is 6'7" - just beat the tallest team in the country in Purdue whose tallest player is 7'4". We have two open scholarships and they need to go to shooters/scorers. Period.

Unlike our pitching today 😭