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At the pre-season event Guthrie stopped by our group and said hello. We told him about the past post-season banquets and how well attended they were. He said had no idea such a thing was done before, and wrote himself a note to look into reactivating it. Maybe he lost the note.

On the survey please complain about the loud constant "music" during the football games that overpowers the speakers. Hate it!!!!!

I would welcome a Post-Season Reception at the JAR like they have done with the successful Tip-off Receptions. This team needed celebrated one last time. It just seems like we miss out on building something more when we have momentum in our favor.

Beat out Ohio and Temple according to 247.

On my phone but we’ve received a verbal from a safety from Youngstown Ursuline named Taiwan Davis.

On the engaging the fans level, I received a very nice thank you phone call today from Evan Wilson on behalf of the program thanking me for my continued support. Nice touch. I suspect the big donors like @NWAkron get calls from Enrique but I very much enjoyed getting the call from Evan.

Thoroughbreds eat a lot of oats. It probably wouldn't be the best move for him.

Sorry guys, been away from the forum for awhile, not because I wanted to be. the good news: Chris Bassett had another quality start for the Blue Jays last night going 6.2 innings giving up 5 hits and 1 run against the Mariners. He had 4 K’s against 4 walks. When he’s on he’s 12-0 with 6+ IP, a Jays record. the bad news: His alma mater is in the middle of another build (hard to call it a rebuild). the good news: We have a team, the kids are trying, and it’s a great excuse to get outside on campus in the spring.

The t-shirt cannon is long gone. Broken. It's only $4 grand for a new one. Anybody want to donate one? NW Akron?😅🤣

There was a Kentucky fan on Facebook complaining about the players entering the Portal before a new coach was hired, and saying that part of Kentucky's problem was the players playing for Coach Cal instead of Kentucky. I laughed. Kentucky fans are absolutely delusional.

Follow up- minutes after receiving the call I received an email informing me that the Zips Athletics Day of Giving is only 9 minutes away! LOL.

I was really expecting to see Lyles' name in the portal.

This looks beautiful. Well done.

Do I get a special badge for winning? LOL

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/university-of-toledo-announces-plans-to-merge-four-colleges-into-two/ar-BB1liP8K?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=40a0e957f5c64a6e86cd9485914ac30d&ei=29 UT merging colleges. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/business/cost-cutting/2024/02/20/another-wave-campus-cuts-hits-midwest-especially-hard Wright State University Wright State University, also in Ohio, announced last week that it is cutting 34 academic programs. “It should be noted that 22 of these programs were already being deactivated by the departments and colleges in which they were housed as a routine process,” Provost Amy Thompson wrote in an announcement. “A listing of these programs is available on the Academic Efficiency and Effectiveness website.” Targeted programs include a mix of undergraduate and graduate programs. It remains unclear whether the cuts will be accompanied by job losses; a university spokesperson told Inside Higher Ed, “Employee impacts were not assessed.” Baldwin Wallace University Facing a budget deficit, Ohio’s Baldwin Wallace University is cutting 23 staff positions, reorganizing 13 academic programs and maintaining a hiring freeze through December, Ideastream reported. “Like many universities across our country, both large and small, BW must always work to maintain a balanced budget. During the past two years we have operated with budget deficits, which we cannot continue to do,” university officials said in a statement earlier this month detailing plans to fix financial issues. “To address the operating deficit, we have looked at every area of the university over the past few months to ensure that we are operating as cost-effectively as possible. As a tuition-driven institution, it is imperative that we are operating efficiently so that every possible resource can be devoted directly to the student experience.” Majors targeted for elimination include French, German, religion and philosophy. Marietta College Marietta College in Ohio plans to shed 36 jobs over the next three years, cutting a mix of administrative and nontenured faculty positions, administrators announced in a forum earlier this month. The move comes after officials conducted an academic program review in the fall, which led to the college announcing it would drop 10 low-enrollment programs. Now it’s making personnel cuts. In all, 22 faculty positions and 14 administrative jobs are set for elimination. Additionally, officials plan to leave 13 currently vacant positions unfilled, according to a news release. Tenured faculty will not be affected by the changes, according to the announcement. Though Marietta’s enrollment has remained stable, administrators noted that tuition revenue has declined as the college has invested more in financial aid; operating expenses have also increased. “It is vitally important that we maintain an operational expense base that can be supported by our revenues,” President Margaret L. Drugovich told the campus community at the forum. “We must address these issues at Marietta now, so that the college’s future holds as much promise as our past. It is our turn to set the stage for the next chapter in the history of this great college.”

💯 . It’s always the OL and DL that needs the most attention in turnaround situations. This will easily be the best OL since Moorhead’s arrival. That’s not saying a whole lot compared to the past two years, but I think this year’s iteration has a chance to be at least mid-tier in the conference. The athleticism has increased tremendously. I think this will pan out to be our best transfer OL class. I’m also anxious to see T. Williams and K. Davis take the next step in their development and see who emerges from the 2023 class.

Good. From Arth’s first year until now, the one constant has been below average OL line play as a whole. Must fix at all costs.

Here’s what I’ve gathered from our MAC opponents during the spring. So much will change in the coming months due to portal activity, so take it for what’s it’s worth. BGSU: Redshirt freshman Lucian Anderson (2023 HS signee) is taking most of the first team reps at quarterback due to last year’s starters being sidelined with injuries during the spring. Senior safety Trent Sims (2020 HS signee) has been moved to linebacker. Scot Loeffler expects some of the freshmen running backs to see significant playing time this year. BUFFALO: Bulls will be playing a spread offense and attempt to move quickly. No mention of who leads at quarterback, but there have been several clips of redshirt junior Gunnar Gray (2023 JUCO). EMU: Junior defensive end Jeff Adam (2024 transfer from Iowa State), junior safety Bryce Llewellyn (2024 transfer from Charleston Southern), junior defensive back Dramarion McNulty (2024 JUCO) are new comers that have been singled out for leading and making plays. On offense, this is supposedly EMU’s most talented QB room since Chris Creighton’s arrival. KENT: Junior Tommy Ulatowski (2022 HS signee) and redshirt freshman JD Sherrod (2024 transfer from Troy) are competing for the starting quarterback job. Kenni Burns believes the offensive and defensive lines will be the strength of the team in 2024. 5 true freshmen played on the OL at different points during the 2023 season and all 5 return. NIU: The quarterback competition is currently between redshirt junior Ethan Hampton (2021 HS signee) and redshirt junior Jalen Macon (2024 transfer from Arkansas PB). OHIO: Defensive leaders are junior safety Adonis Williams (2022 transfer from Navy), redshirt junior defensive end Bradley Weaver (2021 HS signee), and redshirt junior MIKE linebacker Shay Taylor (2021 HS signee). TOLEDO: Mostly just pictures and a few clips. Hard to tell much of anything.

Named first team All-MEAC in 2023.

Last category. As I mentioned last year, this one is tough as some of these guys will actually end up being safties. It’s not even a “may” who I missed on below, but a bad oversight on my part when it comes to Daiquan White. I also did not see Raion Strader making such an early impact. HS/JUCO CBs: BOWLING GREEN - Kal-El Pascal CENTRAL MICHIGAN - Bryce Rowe TOLEDO - Zachary Rogers EASTERN MICHIGAN - Jaylyn Monds EASTERN MICHIGAN - Jordan Toney TRANSFER CBs: TOLEDO - JaDarrius Perkins BOWLING GREEN - Ja’Corey Benjamin TOLEDO - Terrell Crosby NORTHERN ILLINOIS - Kiwaun Davis OHIO - Jacob Proche 2023 CBs and how they fared: OHIO - Byron (Tank) Pearson = 16 Tackles and 2 Interceptions. BUFFALO - Charles McCartherens = 33 Tackles and 3 Interceptions. EASTERN MICHIGAN - Jaheim Jenkins = N/A Redshirted. CENTRAL MICHIGAN - Jamari Allen = N/A Redshirted. BUFFALO - Jayden Lewis = N/A Redshirted. Who I missed on: EASTERN MICHIGAN - Daiquan White. Honestly, I have no idea know how I left White off the list first go round. Overlooked him somehow when he was a huge get for EMU. Should have been top 2 on this list when I originally made it. 19 Tackles and 12 PDs. MIAMI - Raion Strader - 57 Tackles and 12 PDs. Zips actually offered Strader out of HS. He was an excellent cover corner, but was on the lighter side. I wasn’t sure how long it would take him to add the needed mass. Strader quickly added the weight and started 12 games. I’m not going to touch on kickers and punters because I honestly don’t know and I don’t pay attention to the specialist recruiting sites. Just like with all positions, I expect our specialists to perform at a higher level this year.

Of the three categories of UMass fans, only those identifying as primary Hoop fans had a majority not liking or hating the moved. Now this was on the hoop forum and few football fans voted but those either loved it or liked it. All sports fans overwhelming like the move.

not sure why they wont bring back the basketball celebration banquet. It was an enjoyable event back when KD was here but Charles and Seth have no interest. I thought it promoted the program well much like the pre season tip off event .

The first question is really this: "Did you know that the University of Akron is a Division 1 school?" 😂