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Some USL2 stats for Zips players this season. Caleb Borneo-4 goals in 12 games for Kings Hammer Stefan Dobrijevic - 4 goals in 7 games for Akron City Remi Agunbiade - 3 goals in 10 games for Akron City Kamdem, O’rourke, Buebendorf - 1 goal each on the season

2024 Rewind: Jim McElwain retired after leading the Chips to a 4-8 record at the conclusion of his sixth season in Mt. Pleasant. It was a year full of injuries and frustration for CMU. Matt Drinkall, the former Army offensive line coach, has been tasked with turning the ship around in Mt. Pleasant. He inherits a program that’s lost some of its edge in recent years. Recruiting under Drinkall: 2025: On3 - 11th in MAC 247 - 9th in MAC Chips on Offense: CMU will look different offensively, and it’s likely some of the starters will routinely change as Drinkall works to find the right fits for his new scheme. Joe Labas is expected to start again, though he didn’t show much in limited spring game action. Labas threw for 1,114 yards with 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions on 59% passing last season before going down with an injury. Behind him is Jayden Glasser, who I thought was the best prep quarterback prospect in the MAC from the 2024 class. Running back is up for grabs, as CMU returns very little production at the position. Defensive back turned running back Nahree Biggins will compete with Tulane transfer Trey Cornist for early snaps as the staff looks to sort out the backfield. Wide receiver is wide open as well, with no returning player logging more than 25 receiving yards a year ago. That said, Langston Lewis and Tommy McIntosh look like the most likely starters heading into the season. Decorian Temple will reprise his role at tight end, though he’s rarely been involved in the passing game to this point. The Chips return just one full-time starter and another part-time starter up front—which might not be the worst thing for a unit Drinkall will demand more from. CMU’s offensive line graded out in the bottom tier of the MAC last season, per PFF, and will need to take a big step forward for the offense to find any kind of rhythm. Chips on Defense: It remains to be seen what scheme Drinkall ultimately decides to go with, but CMU does return both starting ends from last year’s three-man base front in Michael Heldman and Kade Kostus. The duo combined for 52 total tackles and 5.5 sacks and should provide some stability up front. Nose tackle is a different story—options there are limited to players who saw fewer than 70 snaps or none at all at the G5 level. Linebacker will be a strength of the defense, led by All-MAC Second Team selection Jordan Kwiatkowski. He’s the clear anchor of the group and will likely be joined by former backups Dakota Cochran and Fernando Sanchez, who now step into larger roles. The secondary returns plenty of production, including both starting safeties in Caleb Spann and Elijah Rikkard. Starting cornerback Jaion Jackson is also back, giving the unit a solid foundation. Backups Aakeem Snell and Brenden Deasfernandes figure to round out the starting group, at least early on. The Chips will role out new specialists in kicker Cade Graham and left footed punter Declan Duley. Position Advantage: Outside of offensive line, Akron should hold a clear advantage across the board on offense. Defense is a different story—CMU holds the edge on that side of the ball, particularly in the front seven. QB - Akron RB - Akron WR - Akron TE - Akron OL - Even DL - CMU LB - CMU DB - CMU ST - Even Way too Early Prediction: CMU reminds me of the Buffalo situation last year—except the Chips have less overall talent. For CMU to win games, they’ll need to lean heavily on the run game, limit turnovers, and squeeze every bit of production they can out of this roster. Defensively, there’s reason for optimism. With a good chunk of production returning, CMU has a shot to be solid on that side of the ball. If the defense can keep games within reach, the Chips should at least be able to stay competitive in the MAC. The last time CMU visited Akron, the Zips were marching for a game‑winning drive when the quarterback and running back botched the mesh point—each thinking the other had the ball. A CMU lineman scooped it up and lumbered 60 plus yards to the end zone, untouched, with no Zip in position to catch him. That won’t be the case this season. Akron should be able to exploit a coach in his first year of MAC play still finding his footing and a CMU roster that doesn’t boast overwhelming talent in 2025. Most media are higher on CMU than I am this season. I’m calling a Zips win, 21-17.

Remi had the third goal for Akron City FC in last night’s 3-0 win.

15 & 11 in 23 minutes on 4/5 from the floor today. 2/2 from 3. 2 blocks too

Jordan knew about the abuse and did nothing. Over 20 wrestlers went to him asking him to do something. His response was that's Dr. Strauss, what are you going to do about it. Now he claims he never knew. A champion liar and immoral human being who put power over principle. And still does.

It appears from all information here that our schedule is set. Looking forward to the official release of the full schedule by UA.

Lots of high RPI teams on the schedule. Good challenges and opportunities for the Zips. OOC schedule is very strong and I’m guessing that Xavier on the road will be a battle. Creighton will likely bounce back and be better as will UConn and St John’s. Not to mention an October Tuesday night game in Ithaca, NY at Cornell.

Defending national champion Vermont finally released their schedule today. as ZipTopper told us in late June, the Zips Will play at Burlington on Saturday September 13. weird start time of 6 pm game will be televised on ESPN +