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Go get him, Groce!

David Coit has entered the Portal!

I'm just happy they made it from Toledo to Youngstown without stopping to see what we have at UA.

Played mostly RT for a strong NCCU OL. Would be a solid addition.

I thought Hankerson was fine. Not a bust, not a star, but solid player in his role. I believe his stats went up here vs NIU. Thornton definitely more disappointing.

I'm very much enjoying watching NC State throttling Duke.

Better. It’s early, so take it for what it is.

Trimble was a headache that could've built entire cities with the number of bricks he put up. Coit has averaged 15 & 20 PPG these last 2 years. I ultimately trust Groce & Co to build the right team, but I would've loved 15+ per night from Trimble. So no, I don't feel better. 😂

For those of you salivating over David Coit I was in your ranks. But when I raised the issue to our staff in Pittsburgh they said forget it. He will not fit in with our culture, coaching or defense. He is not on our radar. Groce has always said if you come to Akron you have to fit into our culture, not the other way around.

Give me Coit, Harding, and Bishop please Baker/MMK Dawson/Prather Harding/Bishop N. Johnson/Scott Coit/T. Johnson

The way they officiate Edey, Freeman would've fouled out in 2 minutes.

A lot to filter through here ... but generally speaking I'd rather have a player not afraid to shoot - maybe even a bit selfish - over a hesitant player or player always willing to defer. I think coaching can temper some of that ... don't forget Little Loren was a near train wreck as a freshman/sophomore before he and Groce found common ground. Generally speaking, I'd rather not put my chips on a 1-year guy unless I was sure about him and the team. But if the comfort level is there, go for it. (Some guys just don't want the last shot, no matter how much they claim they do.)

😱😱😱

Also worth mentioning everything negative being shared about Coit is (respectfully to those who have shared) total hearsay.

That's disappointing on Coit. We need a killer G in the backcourt. I hope Groce & Co. haven't been spoiled by the demeanors of our departing seniors & remember most D1 athletes are testosterone-filled young men who still have a lot of maturing to do. I respect and am proud of the culture Groce & Co. have built here, but it's a matter of degrees... is Coit really that bad? He must be for Groce not to want to bring such a natural born scorer on board. Idk, but Groce had an awful lot of success at OU w/ The Marvelous Mr. Cooper... who was no choirboy.

A little birdie told me that the early enroll freshman, Roggow, already looks pretty good. Maybe he’s that guy?

Well happy Monday to you, too. Damn. Way to (Kent yellow) pee in our Cheerios...

..and that's what I like about Groce. It is about talent AND culture fit. I suspected that a guy who would chirp at the opposing coach, even in a friendly way, might not be a fit in this program.

If I'm not mistaken, there was a direct pipeline built a few years ago from DeKalb to Akron. 🤷‍♂️ Also, I believe this will be the week we hear of any current Zips transferring out, if there are any.

I hear Akron is a great destination.....

That's because at NIU he was the #2 scoring option. At Akron he was relegated to being a distant #3 option as he had 2 All-MAC players ahead of him in the pecking order. If you have the ball in your hands less and you take fewer shots, naturally you're going to score less. At Akron he was pretty much asked to be a 3 & D role player. That's the role he filled. I wasn't necessarily thrilled with his performance here, but we pretty much got what we recruited.

I thought Thornton was a bust. He shot less than 50% from the line, could not create his own shot, could not drive to the basket, and did not have an outside shot.

More film* against Kentucky who it looked like they played. Incredibly athletic. Would like to see if he showed some flashes against top level talent.

They never did catch that Zodiac killer.

@catdaddyp or anyone on ZNo, Tahj looked so out of his depth last year. Have you ever seen a QB -who looked as overwhelmed as Tahj did- ever make large enough strides to become a lynchpin D1 QB?

My first daring prediction of 2024. The only way Finley is still with the Zips at the start of the season is if JoMo does not announce until shortly before game 1 that Wasil (or a new, as yet to be named, stud from the portal) is the game 1 starter.

I would think Finley has to be penciled in as the starter with Tahj a situational running option

Surprised this kid doesn’t have more offers. Probably actually 6’2 and some schools want taller, but he’ll grow and probably play center. Also guessing he hasn’t done many camps. Gale can move and is a road grader. Love what coach JRod is doing with this line.

I probably post too much, but you guys (and gals) are stuck with me until I ever decide to move back into the athletic realm. I’ll just touch on the football program, which like @MangoZip mentioned is the key driver. I follow turnarounds closely and the successful ones all have the same qualities - culture, coaching, and recruiting. I’m not around the program, but it’s seems the culture is headed in the right direction. Coaching was top notch last year despite not having the overall talent level of some of our peers. (Granted there were some head scratching calls every now and then, but that goes for every staff and there really weren’t that many.) Recruiting has been ramped up in a major way. Really no comparison to the previous staff. In my opinion, high school/JUCO recruiting was top 3 in the MAC for the class of 2023 and the portal was best in the MAC by a long shot. Here are a few comparable situations, but keep in mind all of these programs had more talent on the roster in Year 0. P5: South Carolina - The Gamecocks won 2 games in 2020. Projected to be one of the worst teams in the SEC in 2021 when Shane Beamer was hired, they won 6 regular season games and their bowl to make 7 wins. Last year, they were predicted to win less than 6 games and again be one of the bottom dwellers in the East. Beamer brought in a talented transfer class and won 8 regular season games, just to lose to Notre Dame in the bowl with many players sitting out. Carolina beat out Georgia, Clemson, and a number of other schools head to head for a handful of prospects in the 2023 class, including 5 star Nyckolas Harbor. The 2024 class already has a number of recruits the Gamecocks have beat the elite P5s over and may also beat Ohio State for DE Dylan Stewart. Illinois - Similar to the Gamecocks, the Illini also won 2 games in 2020. They were projected to be one of the worst teams in the Big10 when Bielema took over. They went on to win 5 games and knock off Penn State that year. Illinois landed some key players out of the portal and found some hidden gems in the 2022 class, including (likely soon to be drafted) JUCOs Isaiah Adams and Zy Crisler. Illinois went on to win 8 games last year and did not lose a regular season game by more than 8 points, including a 2 point loss to Michigan. Bielema won some head to heads in recruiting with the 2023 class and has mostly built a border around the state for the 2024 class. G5: (These next ones are probably more relatable since they are on our timeline.) New Mexico State - Jerry Kill took over a program that won 2 games in 2021. He used the the portal and JUCO ranks to fill holes and add depth. It took the team 4-5 games to really find their footing (sound familiar?) and then managed to win 6 games, including blistering Liberty and beating Bowling Green in the bowl for a 7th win. UCONN - One of the worst programs in the past decade. Jim Mora brought in what I considered one of the best portal classes in G5. The Huskies had a difficult early schedule and hit their stride about 6 games into the season. They knocked off Boston College and also beat Liberty on their way to a bowl, which they lost to Marshall. I haven’t followed either NMSU or UCONN that closely this offseason, but know enough that they should be competitive again in 2023. Honestly, we should have beat CMU and Buffalo last year to have had 3 wins. The fact that this staff had the 2022 team within striking distance of every conference game (outside of Ohio) speaks volumes to the progress that was made. Moorhead walked into one of the worst rosters in the FBS (UMASS the other one.) With returners in place and the added JUCO and portal additions, there is no reason why the 2023 team will not achieve as much or more success as NMSU and UCONN in 2023. Just one guy’s opinion, so take it what it’s worth.