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Here’s a name to monitor. Jonathan Denis. Played C at Miami (FL) alongside Seymore. Originally committed to Oregon when Moorhead was there.

Heard something very interesting from a well-placed source. Next year's team should be named the Wentz Financial Group Zips - Mr. Wentz wrote the necessary checks for each and every newcomer.

It's on Athletics first. Marketing, ticketing, promotions, student engagement, game day experience (concessions, team store, in-game entertainment). It all has to be better. They had a generational Zips athlete in Freeman and did almost nothing to capitalize on it. Little things like concessions closing with 10 minutes left in a game. the team shop being closed on multiple game days, players being introduced in the freaking dark. You can't do things like that and expect to be seen as a serious athletic department.

Just throwing this out there. We need QB depth, we've been "ass" for several years, and General Booty is available. Perfect fit if you ask me.

Bass to Purdue. She really likes engineering I guess

How about build a Sweet 16 team and they will come?

Build it and they will come just doesn't work in practice. A new arena wouldn't fix our attendance issues. Even if it provides a small boost at first, the new car smell will soon fade.

You should've been here during the Dambrot years. The number of Sweet 16 teams we had was incredible.

never is a strong word

The JAR is not too small as it only sells out for the Can't game. Most games it is half full. My suggestion is to make it more intimate and comfortable for the spectators. Sacrifice some seating capacity to make it an even better environment. The bleachers are bad. Remove them and put chairs in and upgrade the seating in the lower stands to make them better. Put the students behind the baskets with several hundred at each end. They will go nuts.

Did he and Moss split the travel expenses out to Oregon? And did Oregon & Oregon State play Rock Paper Scissors to see who got which Toledo player?

Zips in the Pros after one month Chris Bassett has a 2-5 record with a 5.45 ERA, 34 K’s, and a 1.68 ERA. I haven’t been able to catch him on the tube yet this season. JT Brubaker’s career is still on hold, although he was traded by the Pirates to the Yankees. He recently started throwing off a mound and the team is looking at him being active after the All Star break. The Yanks are a half game out of first. Looks like there’s a good chance he’ll be playing late into the fall [fingers crossed].

For DL being a strength of the team, we sure are offering a lot of DL's..

Who is QB1? I don’t think there’s much doubt Finley is the leading candidate. Finley makes quick decisions and throws a catchable ball. He also has enough mobility to be effective in the run game and when scrambling. Finley has played at a high level in the past, so there shouldn’t be many overwhelming moments for him at the G5 level. Bullock has not developed as much as I hoped. My take is that he is mentally processing too slowly because his physical tools are not lacking. He is still an asset to the offense due to his bruising running style and should be utilized in short yardage/goal line situations. Will Akron have much of a run game? Purely speaking about the running backs, the answer is yes. There is not a RB on the roster with the makeup of Lingard, however, all of the backs are made for RPO type offenses. What I mean by that is they have a rapid burst once the ball is in their hands and catch the ball well out of the backfield. They can make the first defender miss and have enough speed to create explosive plays. Who will replace All-MAC receivers George and Gathings? The first choice would be Norton. The true sophomore has the make-up to be an all-conference player in just his second season. If Adams is healthy, he will return to his role in the slot, leaving the typical third receiver position up for competition. It’s possible that player is not currently on the roster. Multiple offers have gone out during the spring. How about the OL? It’s still a work in progress, but the starters will likely resemble most of the first combination displayed in the Spring Game. They were facing a defensive front that is reasonably one of the better defensive fronts in the MAC, so it’s hard to say how much improvement has been made. What was clear was the increased athleticism as the offensive line (especially the tackles) were able to climb to the second level of the defense and give the run game room on the speed options and perimeter plays. Inside runs were harder to come by in the Spring Game. Is there a better defensive front in the MAC? Maybe, but not by much. Miami has one all-conference defensive lineman and two all-conference linebackers returning (Zips have Nunnally and McCoy), so they can lay claim to this title in the pre-season. Zips have impressive depth at defensive tackle and linebacker. The only question is at the backup defensive end spot. The 2023 JUCOs could step up or perhaps one of the redshirt/true freshmen will see significant time. How’s the secondary looking? Long, athletic, and physical. Coach Renna and former CBs coach Bell have done an excellent job recruiting and developing talent. The downside? There is a void of actual game experience outside of Golden-Nelson, D. Lewis, and a few of the transfers. There may be some growing pains early in the season, but this is a talented group that should be assisted by the excellent defensive front. What’s the status of the Special Teams? Jackson returns at punter and was solid in that role in 2023. Wiley was strong down the stretch on FGs and PATs. Zips received a commitment from an FCS Freshman All-American kicker in March. New long snappers will also be arriving soon. Is the roster complete? No. By my count there are currently about 5 open scholarships. Most of the recent offers have gone out to wide receivers and offensive linemen. The roster is in the best place it’s been since Moorhead’s arrival and this year’s spring portal options are much deeper than last year’s. There is a good chance a difference maker or two will be signed. Who are the new coaches? QB - Michael Shuster (Duke Grad Asst.) WR - JD Brookhart CB - Kresean Reed (Northern Arizona CBs) ST - Ryan Matviko (Offensive Analyst) Which MAC team has been hit the hardest by the portal? Ohio. The Bobcats have also brought in some players who should be quality replacements, but they will be heavily tested this year. A substantial drop off in wins from the previous two seasons would not be a surprise.

For evidence of that, just ask Infocision Stadium.

What position group does Fulford develop currently for the Zips?

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I have 4 years of eligibility and can make 50% of extra points if the linemen are 5'10 and under.

For a spring game the crowd was ok. Nice to have the band there. Agreed that Finley is the hands-down starter. Need him to stay healthy. Special teams is scary. At least the FG kicking. Zips were trying a couple different holders, so maybe that contributed to some of the misses. But if nothing changes, fans will be sweating out every FG, whether it's a 27 or a 45 yarder. In the two scrimmages I attended up to the spring game, Wasel was the 3rd QB, and Roggow was 4th. Neither got very many reps up until the spring game. Both played a fair amount last Saturday and Roggow looked much more comfortable. Jordon Simmons looks to be the #1 RB. Seems to have both power and speed. Kellom looks to be #2. To be honest, I'd put Blake Hester at #3. He had a nice spring. Defense looks solid. Corners played well. Stout up front. LB's are the strength. OL has a ways to go. Hopefully it gets sorted out in August. Adrian Norton looks like the #1 WR. Walker and Campbell seem to be solid. I hear JD is on the road, meeting with a couple Portal WR's this week. Seems like Joe is happy with the assembly of talent he has this season. I'd like to think in Finley can stay healthy that we'll finally see Joe's offensive reputation manifest itself on the field. It should be MUCH better than when Irons, Tahj and Undercuffler were taking snaps.

OL from Syracuse. 4 years of eligibility. We offered him out of HS as well.

Offered Cornell CB Anthony Chideme-Alfaro. He’s been in the portal since the first window. Excellent size and definitely has the ability to play at this level.

Virginia took Corey Thomas and Washington State took Tyson Durant.

I really don't get this. Why leave for what I assume to be P5 position for only one year? What P5 will take a good, but not great, G5 player from a terrible team? I'm not thinking there are many landing places, so does that mean he focuses on a better G5 team to improve his draft position? Possibly, but, again, it doesn't make sense to me.

No invite for Enrique