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Puzzling AS HELL! Indeed. And what boggled my mind was how they seemingly kept trying to ram square pegs into round holes with the QB talent we didn't have. Good coaches don't do that. In maybe six consecutive weeks' postgame pressers JoMo said, "We've got to find a way to get Lingard more touches." What does that freaking mean?! You call the freaking plays! WTF?

What went Right and what went Wrong? Quarterback: Unbeknownst to much of the fanbase, DJI had offseason shoulder surgery and was not the same QB coming into 2023. He finally settled into a groove against Indiana, but even during that game it was DJI’s running ability that stood out as opposed to what would he considered a prolific passing day. JU was put in a tough position and expected to do more than he was capable of with the exception of 3 games (Kent, EMU, and Ohio). In those 3 games, the offense used more max protects in the passing game and relied heavily on the run. JU was 58 of 92 (63%) for 624 yards and 2 touchdowns versus 1 interception during that span. The biggest difference in those 3 games was the limited amount of turnovers as he still completed around 60% the rest of the season. Bullock simply was not ready and it seemed his accuracy issues stemmed from processing too slowly. He has all the tools physically to be a premier QB in the MAC, but he is not where he needs to be mentally at this point. Running Back: Lorenzo Lingard was as good as advertised and criminally underused during the first half of the season. This year’s offense needed a big back who could break tackles and potentially provide an explosive play at any given time. Lingard was that back. Despite the lack of touches earlier in the season, Lingard still finished close to 1,000 yards total (rushing and receiving combined). Drake Anderson was underutilized to some extent as well. The better offenses figure out ways to get players like Anderson the ball on the perimeter and in space, whether that be moved into the slot, screens, sweeps, etc. Something we did not do much of this year. Wide Receiver: Adams never seemed quite right and it was later confirmed he attempted to play through an injury. Losing one of, if not the best, WR in the MAC will hurt any offense. Gathings really came into his own and if he can keep his emotions in check, should continue to develop and become a legitimate weapon in the future. George was unable to improve on his 2022 season statistically, but a lot of that had to do with the issues at QB. Same could be said about Caleb Anderson, just to a lesser extent. Walker and Golden provided solid options from the slot, while Adrian Norton seems like a star in the making and will be exciting to watch in the coming years. Tight End: It was thought TJ Banks would take a larger role in the offense and provide a threat across the middle of the field. Although Banks was solid, it was Newell who really surprised. Newell continued to improve as the year progressed and he has the potential to be as good as any TE in the MAC. This year’s offense was most effective when Banks and Newell were on the field at the same time. Offensive Line: Although the OL showed improvement by end of year and gave up less sacks than 2022, they were still subpar as a unit. Blanchard, Kindred, and K. Davis missed substantial time due to injuries. All started at points in the season. Chambers was shifted from the right side and ended up receiving the most starts at LT. Frank nailed down LG and is now out of eligibility. T. Williams was inconsistent at C, which is to be expected from a redshirt freshman. The RG spot saw a number of different faces before Lyons became the starter in the last few games. Nate Williams was moved back to RT and played really well the last 3 games. This unit had more depth this year, but unfortunately not enough quality depth to lose starters for significant time. The 2022 and 2023 classes brought in a substantial upgrade in athleticism. Unfortunately, outside of T. Williams (2022 freshman) and Frank (transfer portal), we didn’t get to see much of that improved athleticism this season. Interior DL: There was some concern coming into the year with Holt and Harper moving on. Terray Jones stepped in and was just as good as either player. He was also the only pass rush threat on the interior. Lavea was a load against the run and provided a solid combo with Jones. Robinson never lived up to his 3 star rating coming out of high school, yet became a key contributor as a backup. Freshman Marcus Moore looks to be another star in the making and should only get better from here. JUCO Tyler Carter (I believe he should be listed as a redshirt senior, not redshirt sophomore) did not contribute much and his claim to fame as a Zip will be getting ejected on back to back penalties with under a minute to go to finish out the season. Kiawan Murphy did not show much and will need to improve in the offseason to at least provide depth going into 2024. Edge: Ryan Johnson was the only for sure starter heading into the season and he transferred out after 4 games. CJ Nunnally burst onto the scene from the JUCO ranks and was one of the MAC leaders in sacks and tackles for loss. It’s not easy to find a lineman that is equally strong against the run and pass rush, but Nunnally is. LaJoshua Jackson and Antonio Smith were also JUCOs who flashed some pass rush ability in backup roles. JUCO Kabbash Richards was hurt for a portion of the season and did not contribute much. Bennett Adler came on as the year progressed and became more than just a run stuffer. He displayed a bull rush against Ohio, exhibiting some pass rush ability. Linebacker: Despite losing Bubba before the year began, linebacker proved to be the strongest position on defense. Former JUCO Antavious Fish flashed his hard hitting prowess in 2022 and the lightbulb came on in 2023. He and sophomore Bryan McCoy finished the year with just under 100 total tackles a piece. Transfer Shammond Cooper proved to be the best blitzer of the bunch and graded out the highest amongst the LBs. Jaharon Griffin moved into a bigger role with the injury to Andrew Behm and may not relinquish that role going into 2024. Cornerback: While not considered a top unit in the MAC, this group was much improved from 2022. Durant again made it difficult for anyone to beat out him out and ended up starting 10 games. Judson Tallandier had an up and down season in pass coverage, but was excellent in run support. Joey Hunter and Golden-Nelson had their moments and also missed substantial time with injuries. Cam Threatt did not play much of a role and may be moving on as it sounds like he already has his degree. Safety: I expected this unit to take a significant leap and become one of the better units in the MAC. That did not happen, yet this group was still solid. Nate Thompson was inconsistent, but did finish the season strongly. Although KJ Martin does not have the stats to back up, I thought he had a better year than 2022. Corey Thomas was the biggest surprise and proved to be extremely versatile. Thomas also finished the year as the highest rated player on defense. Lewis was one of the reasons why the defense was improved in 2023 as he was a major factor at the nickel position. Special Teams: The punting unit was strong and Dante Jackson was an upgrade over the previous punter. Kickoff and kickoff return were also solid. Field goal kicking was a disappointment until the final few games and part of that has to be placed on the coaching staff. It’s difficult for any kicker to be replaced from game to game and in some cases kick to kick. There has to be some consistency with the unit. Coaching: The offensive play-calling was maddening for most of the season. As much as the staff deserves credit for last year, they also deserve just as much criticism this year. The majority of the season it felt like round pegs were being forced into square holes and the staff did not adapt to their personnel until the end of the season. On the other hand, the defense was much better than some probably realize as they were forced into bad positions time after time. Tim Tibesar and his staff did an excellent job on that side of the ball. Recruiting and Wrap-up: I still 100% believe this staff is recruiting at a high level and had the best class in the MAC this past offseason. I also 100% believe the offensive staff badly underperformed with the talent at hand as mentioned above. I was wrong in that 2023 would be the turnaround year. There were 7 games decided by one score. This program is close to turning the corner and should have already done it. I expect another strong recruiting class will be brought in, which will finally give the program several strong classes stacked. That being the case, 2024 must be the turnaround year. Talent gap will no longer be an excuse and it probably shouldn’t have been an excuse this year outside of Kentucky, Miami, and Ohio. There was enough talent in place, with good coaching, to make a bowl game. Portal opens in December and I think our last commitment came in June, so we have about 7 months of roster transition ahead.

I haven’t spoken to him or seen an offer yet, but Maddox is a kid we had on campus and were in on before the P5 offers came in.

You absolutely cannot go into 2024 without at least bringing in someone to compete with Bullock.

Here is some more thinking outside of the box. Feature a MAC vs Sun Belt weekend the week before what is called Week Zero. Here is some more. Stop making revenue generation the driving factor in every decision. It's a public institution. Make benefiting the public the driving factor. Hint: Florida isn't Ohio.

I think the staff & players are too optimistic about Tahj. Of course I hope I'm dead wrong.

Congratulations again to former Zip Ryan Kingsford. Kingsford had the game winning goal tonight for Loyola Marymount. Last weekend, James Madison upset #4 overall seed Georgetown in the round of 32. Tonight, Ryan Kingsford scored a goal for the Loyola Marymount Lions at 67 minutes and Loyola Marymount defeated James Madison 1-0. Loyola Marymount has now advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals and will travel next week to battle #5 overall seed West Virginia. Ryan played for the zips in 2021 and 2022 and the zips were not able to win an NCAA tournament game in either year. I will be rooting next weekend for Ryan and his LMU team mates to win their 4th NCAA tournament game this year.

The OL and DL are almost always the biggest issues in turnaround situations. We were fortunate to land some solid DL that could contribute immediately in the last two cycles. OL is harder to come by. We hit a home run in the portal with Whigan, but were unable to replace his production after he ran out of eligibility. Landers was also a home run as a freshman before we lost him for whatever issues (grades?) and didn’t really have an adequate replacement. Blanchard seemed to be coming on before his injury. T. Williams, K. Davis, James, Morris, and Mann are all athletic and have plenty of upside. Unfortunately, T. Williams was the only one of the young bunch to fully contribute this year. I think Blanchard and Kindred will turn out to be portal successes, but injuries hampered them this season. For the most part, outside of Frank and T. Williams, we were still heavily reliant on the previous staff’s OL recruits in 2023. I know it’s an old mantra, but that’s basically where we’re at unless we somehow land a few plug and plays out the portal. Agree the discipline isn’t always where it needs to be. So many dumb penalties this year. It has to be cleaned up.

Great 4th quarter comeback to go with the 4th quarter near miss yesterday against opponents from higher rated conferences.

One thing we can all, agree on, between the local college team and local pro team we have seen some C R A P football the past few decades. I’m using a LOT of restraint describing it cuz I like this place

In 2015 the Zips had a 8-5 5-3 record and won the Idaho Potatoes Bowl. In 2017 the Zips won the MAC East with a 7-7 6-2 record and played in the Boca Raton Bowl. Who wouldn’t take that over 5-37 since Bowden was fired?

Fun fact: Jacksonville State is actually in Alabama.

No, he’ll be a redshirt freshman.

It's pretty freaking hot in Florida. These games would be early season when most snowbirds are up north and the rest of the state is hiding from the heat inside. I'd be hard pressed to go to one.

I didn’t see the documentary (I stay away from all football documentaries and football tv shows/movies) and I get the point being made, but Joe Moorhead did not step into a situation anywhere close to what Urban Meyer inherited at Florida. Meyer also had Chris Leak at QB before the version of Tim Tebow that everyone now knows stepped into the limelight. I think the staff got just about everything they could out of the team in year 1 (or what JoeMo is now referring to as year 0) and did an excellent job defensively in year 2. Outside of the NIU game, I thought the team left it all on the field in just about every contest this season. I’m not sure what the NCAA record is, but 3 OT losses in a season must be somewhere near the top. Like I mentioned earlier, the only games I felt we were outmatched talent wise was against Kentucky, Miami, and Ohio. If recruiting continues at the current rate, I don’t see that being the case next year. Better talent, especially at QB, can cover up a lot of mistakes. I hope we see a high level of effort, reduced dumb penalties, and better coaching to complement next year’s talent.

This is starting to smell like budget cuts, like baseball saw last season. Are other mid majors prostituting themselves out multiple times a season to pay the bills? I remember when the Dialer opened and the team was bowling and making positive news. I remember respectable crowds showing up. I remember decent (not great) stuff going along with the game to keep people interested. Now it seems we’re prostituting our players to keep the athletic department going. If the Browns offered a million dollars and a ham sandwich we’d probably play them too.

I just saw this and laughed at the stupidity of the Tweet. I think they should start thinking outside of the box by stop letting the television networks do their thinking for them.

Kent State should be the first game of the season, every season, and it should be played on a late Saturday afternoon...presumably good weather and all day for tailgating. It's the only way for the rivalry to mean anything more than pride. This way, the season isn't yet sunk, and one team starts off with a winning record and some momentum while the other will likely not have their head above water the rest of the season. Given the current status and long abysmal histories of each program, I don't think there is a better way to feature the rivalry and garner alumni/fan interest and attendance.

I think you are largely right, but there are degrees of competitiveness. Akron is on the low end. We can compete for a couple of quarters against good MAC schools, but not nearly enough for four quarters. When I think of competitiveness, I think about more than talent. I don't know how many have watched the Netflix series about the Florida Gators during the Tebow years, but there was an almost psychotic level of competitiveness on their team. It isn't something any fan could see because the competitiveness was being developed away from and out of sight of the fans at times when most fans are asleep or in bars. The competitiveness translated into wins. Florida won not because they learned how to win. "Learning how to win" is a stupid phrase because winning isn't learned, it's earned away from gameday. They won because they competed hard on every play at a level the average person couldn't imagine during practice, off season workouts and games. That's where Akron needs to get to.

Which is a huge reason for the frustration with JoeMo. When you hire JoeMo, you expect to not have to worry about the offense. The fact that we have a pretty stellar defense in his second year but a putrid offense is puzzling as hell.

Comparing prior and current staff records was not exactly apples to apples comparison. Although I’m not a fan of Arth, Covid screwed up 2020 and skewed how he handled 2021 personnel. So let’s throw out ‘20 and compare two years v two years. Arth (and staff) 2-22 JoMo 4-20. Arth got the two wins and lost 2 of the last 4 to Ball St and Western on last minute plays. Progress was coming (albeit slowly). I would also argue the 2021 schedule was a hell of a lot tougher (both OOC and within the MAC) than this year. So only two wins, but one vs a Bryant team that made the FCS playoffs ( or maybe just missed) and BG on the road, while not a very good team, they were coming off a win vs Minnesota just a couple weeks earlier. Last year JoMo needed OT to beat an average FCS team and the worst NIU in 20 years and this year needed two miracles to beat the worst team in FCS and the worst in FBS. Frankly, they were both failures in relatively comparable time frames, yet only one is heralded as an offensive guru and keeps telling everyone how he could be somewhere bigger and better.

Just imagine what a solid offense do for the defense. Long drives give the D a breather and actually putting points on the board let’s it breath and give different looks.

No, if you watched the presser the article was woven together (accurately and fairly, IMHO) with postgame press conference quotes. Edit: Oops, actually there were also quotes from DJI and Alex Adams: “Tahj, for next year, he's going to be like another DJ, but he might be better,” said UA junior wide receiver Alex Adams, a first-team All-MAC selection in 2022 who dealt with injuries throughout the 2023 season and missed five games, including the final three. “[Bullock has] got the [ability to] run. He's got the throwing, too. Everybody just ain't seen that yet. But I ain't going to say too much. They've just got to come to the game and see.” A Zips captain who's aiming for a shot in the NFL, Irons said Bullock has “a great, great future.” Irons said he's also convinced the UA program is in good hands with Moorhead, though everyone involved must “buy in” to capitalize. “There's definitely progress being made,” Irons said. “It's just I feel we have to learn how to finish together by playing complementary football. One time, it'd be the defense doing great and the offense wouldn't be, or special teams doing great and the offense and defense wouldn't be or vice versa. I feel like it's just that one little hump we've just got to get over, but once that happens, Akron, it'll be turned around.”

Ryan Kingsford is a great player and a tremendous guy. Sad for us that he transferred, but it seems to be working out for him. Happy to see him doing well and I also hope to see LMU advance to the 2023 College Cup. It's a tough road, but it can be done as we saw our 2018 Zips do. Coaching and mentality. Humility and confidence; not arrogance and cockiness.

The Zips get a 75-72 OT win over the Pitt Panthers!

OSU paid YSU $800,000 to play this season. I assume the Zips will make a similar amount plus a large payout from Kentucky for the buyout. I suspect UA may reconsider if someone's willing to cut them a check for a million or so. I don't like them getting peeled and being the sacrificial lambs, but hell they're getting peeled by MAC teams for free. Of the litany of things that are wrong with this program the schedule is one of the lesser of my concerns.

Kentucky buyout - Was certainly looking forward to an SEC school coming to Akron but understand taking the big buyout given our situation (crappy team, no butts in seats, GREAT economy). There's a certain amount of pride seeing P5-level schools show up in Akron - Syracuse, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Iowa State ... a feeling of we belong on the same field as those guys and you'll come to our house on occasion to play us. Neutral site games, 3 P5s away and even an FCS supposed victim makes it feel, year after year, like we need to do 'tricks' to survive. Give me Toledo's 2024 schedule all day long. Seems to say they have some respect for themselves and are above 'that.' Funny how they seem to go bowling every year too (I know ... that doesn't matter and schools lose $ ... then why do any schools even bother ...). Adding tosu - What GOOD does that game do for The University of Akron brand?!? We get our asses handed to us and make ourselves laughingstock for Akron-grad and other tosu honks at the same time! Far less impact if we get beaten by another P5 school outside of Ohio while taking a payday. Can't wait for family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to drag AKRON's name through the mud yet again next year. TERRIBLE move, Guthrie. $ going to stadium/progrum improvements - Bought one season ticket this year after a long hiatus. Attended one game and won't be back until we're at least competitive again in the lowly MAC AND the game-day focus/experience is on the game itself instead of everything else between plays. NO WAY I'm going to try to get two words to in somehow to the people I'm with before the sound system blares again. I'll have family and friends over for food and big screen TV before I put myself through that lousy experience again. Tarping - ESPN and CBSSN generally do a decent job of keeping camera angles tight. Nothing says "We KNOW people don't and won't attend our games." more than tarping large sections of a stadium off. Compared to many other stadiums across the country, ours is beautiful and just begs for something on the field to return butts to seats. Don't hide YOUR embarrassment under a tarp, Guthrie. More scheduling - Is it REALLY that hard for the MAC to schedule rivalry games when weather is decent and on a SATURDAY?!? The ESPN/CBSSCN baloney sandwiches on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in November just suck but, hey, we do what the 'fancy man' tells us to do. #MACTION! Can we just get some DECENT pitch-and-catch football? Thanks to streaming, I can watch almost all if not all games around the country any given week and I have. It's a pleasure to watch teams like SMU, Troy, UTSA, Memphis, Liberty, Western Kentucky, App State, James Madison, Wyoming, Fresno State, South Alabama and even Jacksonville State. They may not win every game but damn near every game is at least watchable/entertaining and reasonably fundamental.

How about just play on a Saturday you morons

Guthrie's football experience is showing: Clark College- no football San Francisco State- no football since 1994 Wisconsin Green Bay- no football University of Akron- well....

tarping empty stands is thinking outside the box? ok, Charles..

Not sure why anyone would have expected anything different. Pathetic excuse of a football "program". I'll always watch and stick around, always support. But im not sure why I would even think about buying any Akron merch, tickets, donations, etc. in this holiday season. I know they dont care, but show me success then i'll buy bakc in financially. Until then we'll always be the pathetic football school in the corner of Ohio.

I can't read article, but maybe they could think inside the box and play games on Saturday and field winning teams and stop scheduling rivalry games during midweek. Geez. 🙄

JFC. Cancel a home game vs an SEC team and then three days later complain about attendance and suggest we play neutral site games in Florida. We are so stupid

Firmly agreed, I wish we would bring a Sun Belt/MAC challenge to football. I'd be much more intrigued by seeing us do a home and home with someone like South Alabama or APP State then getting waxed by 3 P5 schools on the road every year.

You answered your own question. History and traditions matter in college football. Toledo has a long tradition of winning in the MAC. They have a great rivalry with a good program 20 miles away. They are very close to MAC West teams so travel is inexpensive and fans can attend games. Their program benefits the players students alumni fans and general community around Toledo, and all of these groups know it and appreciate the program. That's what a state university should do. It's what Akron should be doing, but can't get out of it's own way.

With the recruiting period soon to kick into high gear again, here’s a look at the past two recruiting classes and how they’ve performed (scholarship offers only). Keep in mind we have one more game to play so the final 2023 stats will change. The 2022 class brought in a few impact players and a wealth of upgrades throughout the roster. SJL, Anthony Whigan, and Alex Adams were all-conference players, while Victor Jones, Curtis Harper, Ravontae Holt, Tim Terry, Cam Wiley, Max Banes, Daniel George, KJ Martin, Nate Thompson, TJ Banks, and Ka’Marii Landers all became quality starters. STEPPING IT UP: 2023 saw former JUCO Antavious Fish and sophomore Bryan McCoy have breakout years at linebacker. Redshirt freshmen Tyler Williams and Keylen Davis (before injuries) became starters on the offensive line. Sophomore Bobby Golden, sophomore Jaharon Griffin, and senior Devon Robinson saw their roles increase. Sophomore Charles Kellom was a key special teams player. KJ Martin and Daniel George’s stats may not reflect it, but I thought they took a step forward this year as well. An argument could also be made for Jeff Undercuffler, but that probably depends on which game is being discussed. STATUS QUO: Nate Thompson wasn’t bad, but may have taken a step back as he was surpassed by KJ Martin and Corey Thomas on the depth chart and in production. TJ Banks was about on par with his 2022 year. Devontae Golden-Nelson had his moments and saw more playing time, though he was not necessarily that much better than the previous season. Caleb Anderson played about as much as he did in 2022, but he was caught behind George, Gathings, and in competition with a rapidly improving Adrian Norton. Redshirt freshmen Kiawan Murphy was limited in his snaps, while Dijon Jennings did not play. Kyle Thomas shined a few times before deciding to redshirt and transfer out. GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION/MISSES: Jaden Woods seemed significantly less disciplined in his play from the 2022 season and transferred out. Alex Adams and Clyde Price’s production regressed due to injuries. Cam Threatt has been a non-factor. (Marquell Darnell and Anthony Stallworth were misses in recruiting) 2022 Recruiting: Transfers: WR - Shocky Jacques-Louis - 2022 3rd Team All-MAC. Graduated. OL - Anthony Whigan - 2022 3rd Team All-MAC. Graduated. DE - Victor Jones - Started 11 games in 2022. 52 total tackles and 5.5 sacks. Graduated. DT - Curtis Harper - Started 12 games in 2022. 17 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. Graduated. DT - Ravontae Holt - Started 5 games in 2022. 18 total tackles. LB - Tim Terry - Started 7 games in 2022. 46 total tackles and highest graded player on the defense in 2022. Graduated. RB - Cam Wiley - Started 7 games. 486 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns. Transferred out. OL - Max Banes - Started 7 games in 2022. Transferred out. TE - Caden Clark - Retired from football. WR - Daniel George - Started 12 games in 2022. 67 receptions for 793 yards and 2 touchdowns. <-> Started 11 games in 2023. 48 receptions for 508 yards and a touchdown. S - KJ Martin - Started 9 games in 2022. 53 total tackles and 1 interception. <-> Started 8 games in 2023. 41 total tackles, a sack, and 2 interceptions. S - Nate Thompson - Started 11 games in 2022. 72 total tackles. <-> Started 6 games in 2023. 34 total tackles and a sack. QB - Jeff Undercuffler - Started 2 games in 2022. 58.3% completion, 791 yards, 5 TDs vs 5 INTs. <-> Started 4 games in 2023. 61.9% completion, 1275 yards, 4 TDs vs 8 INTs. TE - TJ Banks - Started 11 games in 2022. 21 receptions for 175 yards. <-> Started 10 games in 2023. 19 receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown. CB - Devontae Golden-Nelson - Started 3 games in 2022. 11 total tackles. <-> Played in 11 games in 2023. 22 total tackles and 2 interceptions. WR - Alex Adams - 2022 1st Team All-MAC. <-> Played in only 7 games in 2023 and over 400 less snaps due to an injury. 22 receptions for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns. DT - Devon Robinson - Played in 4 games in 2022. 5 total tackles. <-> Played in 11 games in 2023. 13 total tackles and half a sack. S - Jaden Woods - Started 2 games in 2022. 29 total tackles. <-> Played in 4 games in 2023 and Transferred out. RB - Clyde Price - Started 5 games. 349 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns. Missed 2023 season due to injury. JUCO: LB - Antavious Fish - Played in 10 games in 2022. 16 total tackles and 2 sacks. <-> Started 11 games in 2023. 78 total tackles and a sack. WR - Caleb Anderson - Played in 10 games. 5 receptions for 39 yards. <-> Played in 10 games in 2023. 6 receptions for 40 yards. DT - Kyle Thomas - Started 4 games in 2022. 14 total tackles. <-> Played in 4 games in 2023 and Transferred out. CB - Cam Threatt - Played in 4 games in 2022. 5 total tackles. <-> Played in 5 games in 2023 on Special Teams. Freshmen: OL - Ka’Marii Landers - Started 6 games. Went JUCO. TE - Marquell Darnell - Redshirt. Transferred out. RB - Anthony Stallworth - Redshirt. Transferred out. LB - Bryan McCoy - Started 2 games in 2022. 24 total tackles. <-> Started 4 games in 2023. 94 total tackles and a sack. Led the team in tackles. OL - Tyhler Williams - Redshirt. <-> Started 11 games in 2023. WR - Bobby Golden - Played in 7 games in 2022. <-> Started 2 games in 2023. 16 receptions for 134 yards. Also the starting punt returner. OL - Keylen Davis - Redshirt. <-> Started 6 games in 2023. Injured during the rest. LB - Jaharon Griffin - Played in 8 games in 2022 on Special Teams. <-> Played in 7 games in 2023. 14 total tackles. RB - Charles Kellom - Redshirt. <-> Played in 4 games in 2023. 4 rushes for 5 yards. DT - Kiawan Murphy - Redshirt <-> Played in 5 games in 2023. QB - Dijon Jennings - Redshirt <-> DNP in 2023. 2023 Recruiting: The 2023 class produced a number of starters and a handful of players that have all-conference potential. As far as the transfers go, Lorenzo Lingard panned out to be one of the better running backs in the MAC and may collect over 1,000 yards total (rushing and receiving) by end of season. Those numbers could have been much higher had Lingard received more touches earlier in the year. Terray Jones, Shammond Cooper, Lama Lavea, Ben Frank, Judson Tallandier, Tajh Bullock, Jacob Newell, Joey Hunter, and Josh Blanchard were all starters or started at times throughout the season. Drake Anderson was a key backup. Keon Kindred, Phaizon Wilson, and Terence Thomas all seem talented, but were not regular contributors. JUCO CJ Nunnally will surely be an all-conference selection. Punter Dante Jackson produced at a higher level than last year’s punter. LaJoshua Jackson and Antonio Smith flashed their pass rush ability and were solid backups. The other 4 JUCOs did not contribute much and will redshirt. All the freshmen will redshirt except Adrian Norton and Marcus Moore who became key rotational players this season. 2023: Transfers: RB Lorenzo Lingard - Started 11 games. 137 rushes for 612 yards and 4 touchdowns. 33 receptions for 313 yards and a touchdown. Highest graded player on offense in 2023. DT Terray Jones - Started 11 games in 2023. 40 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. LB Shammond Cooper - Started 7 games in 2023. 37 total tackles and 2 sacks. Highest graded player on defense. DT Lama Lavea - Started 10 games in 2023. 23 total tackles. OL Ben Frank - Started 9 games in 2023. CB Judson Tallandier - Started 11 games in 2023. 33 total tackles. QB Tajh Bullock - Started 2 games in 2023. 49.2% completion, 228 yards, 2 touchdowns vs 3 interceptions. 56 rushes for 134 yards and 3 touchdowns. TE Jacob Newell - Started 2 games in 2023. 13 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown. RB Drake Anderson - Played in 11 games. 38 rushes for 128 yards and a touchdown. 15 receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. CB Joey Hunter - Started 2 games in 2023. 8 total tackles. OL Joshua Blanchard - Started 4 games in 2023. Injured, but did come back for 15 snaps vs Miami. OL Keon Kindred - Played in 5 games. OL AJ George - DNP in 2023. WR Phaizon Wilson - Redshirt S Terence Thomas - Redshirt JUCO: DE Clarence “CJ” Nunnally - Started 11 games in 2023. 58 total tackles and 7 sacks. Highest graded defensive lineman. P Dante Jackson - Starting punter and was also 2 of 3 on FGs. DE LaJoshua Jackson - Started 2 games in 2023. 17 total tackles and 2 sacks. DE Antonio Smith - Played in 11 games. 3 total tackles and 2 sacks. DE Kabbash Richards - Redshirt DT Tyler Carter - Redshirt LB Gage Summers - Redshirt CB Silas Proby - Redshirt Freshmen: WR Adrian Norton - Played in 9 games. 9 receptions for 71 yards. DT Marcus Moore - Played in 6 games. 6 total tackles. QB Steele Wasel - Redshirt WR Paul Davis - Redshirt WR Jean Louis - Reshirt TE Conner Cravaack - Redshirt OL Jonas Mann - Redshirt OL Jayvin James - Redshirt OL Delvin Morris - Redshirt DE Kameron Cheatom - Redshirt DE Bruno Dall - Redshirt LB Melvin Spriggs - Redshirt CB Zayden Laing-Taylor - Redshirt CB Catrell White - Redshirt S Darius Owens - Redshirt S David Jester - Redshirt WHAT CAN BE GLEANED FROM THIS? There is no doubt the 2023 season was a disappointment. However, there is also no doubt the talent level has increased since Moorhead’s arrival. The team is much deeper. Unfortunately, this program is not currently deep enough at every position to overcome key losses (in-particular QB and OL). That must be addressed. The OL problem will likely take care of itself through development. QB may do the same, but a proven and steady hand must be added to the room. The staff has done an excellent job developing the freshmen and will need to continue to do so. Overall, portal and JUCO recruiting has been strong as well. We know the 2024 high school class is mostly wrapped up, so now we wait and see what the portal and JUCO ranks have in store. As already alluded to, QB is at the top of the list. Key graduation losses this year are: QB - Irons RB - Lingard WR - George TE - Banks OL - Frank DT - Jones CB - Tallandier S - Nate Thompson (?) I think KJ Martin has another year if he wants it. We will also surely lose a handful of players to the portal that will be a surprise.

How much more accurate can a college junior become? If you're watching from the camera's angle in this GIF, you're probably thinking Tahj is a future NFL Hall of Famer. Zoom out for the full picture and none of these throws would be in vicinity of a WR, which is Tahj's issue.