Leaderboard

Missed this one while I was there recently but I did find this. Went in to talk to the shop owner and his first question was "Are you from Ohio?" 🤣

I’m not 100% sure but I’m pretty sure that most programs say goodbye to players when they enter the portal, it’s common practice. It’s not a matter of being stubborn it’s just a reality. Can you imagine if you didn’t do that? Every kid could just enter the portal and see what they get and come back if they don’t find what they want. And what does a program do while they are waiting for a kid to decide if he’s coming back? Do they just not recruit or offer until each kid makes his decision? They could end up in late spring with no kids. They really have to move on when kids enter the portal. I agree that Joe is a good person and a good football mind, but is he a good head coach? That remains to be seen. My other issue with him, is that he doesn’t seem to be a good promoter/ambassador of the program - unless he’s doing it very quietly behind the scenes (which in and of itself would say he’s not). This program needs a good coach and a good salesman to the public and student body. Like everything, wins would solve most of these issues. It just feels like since he’s been here it’s been one step forward and two steps back - stuck in an endless cycle.

I’m purely speculating, but from the outside looking in, Joe Mo doesn’t seem to have the type of personality to attract donors (for NIL purposes) like Groce seems to have. I just don’t know how fit he is to be a HC in this age of CFB. I heard Summers was only able to come back as a walk on after entering the portal. I swore I read something on here or elsewhere where he said he wouldn’t take somebody back who entered the portal (which I get to an extent but you have to put stubbornness aside when the program doesn’t have $ to work with). Feel like that was in reference to Jordon Simmons. I think he’s also somewhat to blame (most goes to Arth) for the bowl ban mess, but understand it’s a delicate balance and tough position to be in. I think Joe is a good football mind, seems like a solid person, and is pretty much doing the best anyone else would be doing here in this era of college athletics. But if we want to be a respectable G5 program, he needs to adapt. Additionally, regardless of who the HC is, the University/Alumni/fan base need to step up their support. I don’t think any HC is going to produce a regular winner here without a respectable budget and NIL support.

Cornell comes in with a record of 7-1 and they've outscored their opponents 24-2 on the season. They've also scored 11 goals in just their last two matches. Gonna be a tough road match and we'll likely need multiple goals to win it.

Jordan Gant > Jordon Simmons (9 carries for 33 yards on the season...Georgia State is 1-4)

I think Darlington would do a great job helping to develop future players in the Crew Academy.

University of Akron sees largest enrollment increase since 2021 http://bit.ly/4mdmYAK

Love watching Darlington play. From the Zips to his stint with the Crew he was the best at his position in with every team he was with. I hope he stays with the Crew in some role. My only fear is that Jimmy Haslam owns the Crew and he has proven to be an idiot with all teams he owns. He only cares about the dollar and that hs led to many bad decisions.

Darlington is calling it a career after this season. One of the most decorated MLS careers of all-time. https://x.com/tombogert/status/1975339814569578979?t=Craoy3wgEtF467OFkkPw0w&s=19

Let's get this season started with thoughts of what's known, and what's to come. That 24-25 Post Mortem is hopefully done.

I know of an area college coach who had a player come to him after the season and tell him he was considering entering the portal. The coach apparently thought this was a ploy by the kid to get more love and be asked to stay. He told the kid he'd recruited him once, wasn't planning to do it again and showed him the door. LOL.

Zips first Homecoming win since 2017? First back-to-back home wins since 2017? Zips are rollin'! 🙂 Miami always seems to beat the Zips by playing simple, straightforward, mistake-free football. And the Zips historically hand them the game with penalties and turnovers. I predict the Zips win if Finley tosses zero INT's. We'll lose by 7 points for every INT he tosses.

Then maybe we can move on from this '24 post-mortem 😄

With Finn back, coach T better have some magic to limit Finn. I don't think we win a shoot out. I would try to control the ball and take advantage of every opportunity. Gant has racked up big numbers without the 70 yard runs; so, I'm encouraged. Will Finley hit 65%+? Since these guys bounced back mentally from an embarrassing beating, I look for our guys to keep that mental edge. Zips. 24/ Red Birdies 20

Yes, I don't see why we would have to deal in absolutes. When a player leaves you can leave the door open for them to possibly return, but at the same time make sure they're aware there is no guarantee their roster spot would be available if they want to return. Coaches would still have to look to fill openings, but if player A decides to want to return and you still have both an open scholarship and a need at that position why wouldn't you take them?

Caleb knew. The first time he layed eyes on Darlington, he was more than "special"! https://fb.watch/CAlqYReQbP/

If that were the case, it’s pretty hard not to extend the coach who would have the most wins since 2017 and elevated the program in back to back years, especially with all that the program has going against it (and fwiw I think Joe plays a part in that too).

On the bright side of the JoeMo conversation, Saturday I saw a lot of fire from JoeMo on the sideline. It was nice. He's got a freshman on the team this year who, though undersized, is the missing piece dual-threat JoeMo's been missing here at UA, and he's got a top-shelf dual-threat high school prospect committed for next year.

If Akron can stumble to 5 wins that way it's good enough to take pressure off firing him, but not good enough to extend would likely be the best case scenario.

It's Laramie, WY. You either attend the football game or go cow tipping.

Well said! Precisely why I can't stand OSU and their fans. I have more respect and appreciation for those from Can't. Barely, but still...

Hey, as long as he makes the top 15 or so, that should get him some NBA playing time again this year. Hopefully more than last year!

It's nice to look at the MAC standings and not see Akron in the heap of crap at the bottom. It does my heart good to see NIU flailing in their last year in the conference. Good riddance. If they think it's bad now, just wait.

And that is terrible to hear about! I am very sorry for that family's loss. Crime is everywhere. Is it worse in urban areas? Sure, and that doesn't mean lawlessness and violence is accepted. However, I live in Baltimore City, which has far worse crime than Akron. If you were to believe what is on conservative media (Sinclair is HQ'd here, so it is even more exaggerated), you'd think tourists are being murdered daily in the safest area of cities. It's overblown. I've ridden my bike throughout various major cities for decades, affluent and socioeconomically depressed areas alike, and I haven't had a single aggressive encounter where I felt threatened. In fact, just the opposite. I've been around some outwardly sketchy individuals or small groups, and they were either indifferent to my presence or acknowledged it and were polite. The outsiders gripe about crime incessantly and use it as an excuse to either not visit or to trash the city on social media. Meanwhile, the people who actually live here (like me) know otherwise. Perceptions matter though, and I have no doubt that this is a major factor in limiting the enrollments of both UA and UT relative to their suburban and rural peers.

Don't throw your shoulder out patting yourself on the back there GP1. LOL.

I've said it before, and I will say it again, I think Toledo and Akron suffer because they are urban universities and conservative media outlets are relentless in bashing urban areas, particularly on crime, and that perception influences the decision-making of many people trying to figure out the best options for their children's next career and life step. If I were to guess, most college applicants in Ohio are from rural or suburban areas, rather than urban, so the propaganda cannot be overcome through real-world experience. If UA and UT were smart, they'd be pitching the advantages of being in an urban environment such as the proximity to the hospitals, government agencies, major businesses, and arts and culture. How has Cleveland State been doing on enrollment? Similar to UA and UT?...it is a serious question. I do not know the answer but hope someone else does.

Sorry, but if you think Power 4 programs don't already know about MAC stars, you're wrong. They don't need ESPN broadcasts, and in fact can see very little vs. sending a scout. If you'd like to eliminate that part of the MAC package, please return the approx. $1MM each team receives. Akron's exposure/enrollment/retention problem cannot be extended to all other schools. Miami and Ohio are strong - Ohio has set freshman enrollment records for four straight years. BGSU is holding strong. Kent is doing okay. Toledo and Akron, admittedly, are not, but is that the fault of the MAC and/or ESPN night games? I do agree that Akron faces some tough decisions. The one-year 3.4% increase in enrollment is the first small step in a long, hard recovery. In basketball, John Groce has benefitted greatly from Bud Wentz's largess, but even that success isn't selling out the JAR. If I were a board member, I would seriously question the logic and value of continuing to support a football program, especially in light of the continued budget reductions that destroy the program's competitiveness. In BBall, Akron would be a great addition to the A10. What to do about the white elephant stadium? Convert the tower into academic and administrative space and spend some money to enlarge the field for soccer.

Somebody else posted this on Facebook. I agree with all.the conclusions. Akron Football: When Exposure Becomes an Auction Block For decades, the Mid-American Conference (MAC) built its football brand on one thing: exposure. Midweek “MACtion” meant that on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in November, when most of college football was idle, the MAC had the national stage. Even if stadiums were half empty, Akron, Kent State, and their peers could say: “We’re on ESPN.” That pitch worked for a while. Players got national airtime, coaches got recruiting leverage, and universities got their names mentioned on broadcasts that reached millions of households. But in the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) era, exposure has flipped from asset to liability. Exposure, Then and Now Before 2021, a Tuesday night breakout could put a MAC athlete on the NFL radar. Coaches could sell recruits on the guarantee of national TV games. For universities like Akron, whose football profile lagged far behind Ohio State, the ESPN window was a rare equalizer. Now? That same highlight package on ESPN is an advertisement for Power 4 programs to swoop in and recruit Akron’s best players away—with six-figure NIL packages. The math is brutal: • MAC collectives average roughly $0.5 million annually. Akron’s is closer to $341,000.¹ • Power 4 schools now routinely spend millions per year per athlete. • A MAC player who shines on national TV is no longer a point of pride—it’s a scouting reel for someone else’s roster. Exposure without the financial power to retain talent just accelerates the talent drain. The Optics Problem Even when players shine, the pictures ESPN broadcasts are damaging. Attendance across the MAC collapses for midweek games: Saturday contests averaged 16,738 fans in 2018, while midweek games averaged just 12,255—a 27% drop.² At Akron, the numbers are even worse. In 2022, fewer than 3,000 fans attended a sunny, 80-degree home game against Miami (OH). For context, in 2005—a Thanksgiving morning blizzard game with –6° wind chill—more than 7,000 showed up. What ESPN cameras show now isn’t “passionate fans” or “hidden gems.” It’s empty stands, lifeless atmospheres, and lopsided scores from overloaded buy games. That hurts Akron’s brand far more than it helps. The Enrollment Squeeze Akron’s enrollment collapse compounds the problem. In 2011, the university had 25,190 students.³ By 2024, it had dropped nearly 40% to 14,813.⁴ That decline affects everything: tuition revenue, student fees that help fund athletics, and the size of the potential fan base. With fewer students and shrinking resources, Akron can’t afford to prop up an FBS football program at the level the system demands. A Conference in Decline The larger MAC picture isn’t rosy either. The league’s national perception has declined sharply since the early 2000s, when it produced NFL names like Ben Roethlisberger, Julian Edelman, Charlie Frye, and Josh Cribbs. In the past 20 years, the quarterback output has been thin: • Keith Wenning (Ball State, 2014) — limited to practice squads • Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan, 2010) — never started in an NFL game • Kurtis Rourke (Ohio → Indiana, 2025) — drafted but unproven The league that once marketed itself as a talent incubator now serves as a farm system for wealthier schools. The Core Problem: Exposure Without Retention For Akron, the ESPN window no longer sells. National visibility doesn’t build fan support, it doesn’t stabilize enrollment, and it doesn’t retain talent. Instead, it broadcasts the program’s weakness: low crowds, heavy losses, and players destined to leave once they succeed. The very tool meant to elevate the MAC now underscores its irrelevance. Exposure without retention is brand erosion. The Path Forward Akron faces a stark choice. Staying in the FBS MAC means continuing to cash the occasional $1 million “buy game” check and enjoying ESPN visibility—while enduring blowout losses, talent drain, and empty seats. Dropping to the FCS would lower costs and restore competitive balance, but at the expense of national profile and big payouts. Neither option is glamorous. But pretending that exposure alone is still a benefit in 2025 is self-deception. The NIL era has changed the rules. Without new resources or a strategic reset, Akron’s midweek ESPN appearances don’t build the brand—they auction it off. ⸻ Sources 1. NIL reporting: MAC collectives average ~$536,000 annually; Akron’s closer to $341,000. 2. The Ringer: 2018 MAC attendance — 16,738 (Saturday) vs. 12,255 (midweek), –26.8%. 3. University of Akron Institutional Research: enrollment peaked at ~25,190 in 2011. 4. Ideastream: Akron’s fall 2024 enrollment at 14,813.