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If not Red Panda, how about :

The Starter: Unless something drastically changes, R. Poffenbarger will be the starter in 2026. Poffenbarger was named an FCS All-American during his time at Albany where he threw for 6,613 yards and 60 touchdowns across two seasons. From there, he went on to become a backup at Miami and North Texas, sitting behind Cam Ward and Drew Mestemaker respectively. Poffenbarger throws a catchable ball and, at least during his Albany days, didn’t turn the ball over much. He’s not necessarily a “dual threat” quarterback, but he has enough mobility to pick up yards on the ground when needed. If Poffenbarger can produce anything close to the numbers he put up at the FCS level, Akron’s offense will have a chance to be the best it’s been in the Moorhead era, especially considering all the weapons surrounding him on the offensive side of the ball. Next in Line: B. Roggow moves into the backup role by default. The redshirt sophomore has been in the system for a few years now and, ideally, will be ready if called upon. Of course, there’s always the chance Broughton or Beals leapfrog him depending on development and overall performance. C. Broughton is an impressive athlete at quarterback. My question is whether he remains at quarterback if, for whatever reason, he’s unable to move up the depth chart. I’m not ruling him out as potentially being an all-conference player, but I am suggesting there’s a possibility it could happen at a different position. It’s still early for those types of decisions to be made, though. S. Beals is a talented freshman with a load of potential. This is the second year in a row Akron has landed a quarterback that had power program offers in high school. Beals isn’t the scrambler Broughton is, but he has enough wiggle and speed to make things happen on the ground when he needs to. He has plenty of arm strength and could make some noise sooner than most would expect. Outlook: This is easily the most talented quarterback room of the Moorhead era. Of course, physical ability is only part of the equation at quarterback. Plenty of players have the arm talent and athleticism but never put it all together because of the mental demands that come with the position. That said, I believe Akron has its starter in Poffenbarger, and I expect him to have a strong season in 2026. Beyond that, there is enough young talent in the room to make me believe at least one of the underclassmen will emerge as a highly successful quarterback over the next few years. New: Poffenbarger (Gr.) = North Texas S. Beals (Fr.) Returning: Roggow (R. So.) Broughton (R. Fr.) Out: Finley (Gr.) Johnson (Gr.)

It's so hilariously bad that if it were $15 and not $35, I'd probably have bought one.

Sure, there's spots for them as well. They're not nearly as local, but adding Wright State, NKU, and Marshall to YSU and CSU fills out a lot of the nonconference schedule with games that at least have something to bring to a local fanbase. You figure the MAC-Sun Belt challenge probably stays, so even with a 22-game league schedule if they do that, you've got 3 games left after that to do whatever with.

That's pretty flawed logic. Kent or CSU could have been the culprit with one of the other 3.

I'd gladly give up Penn State- Shenago, Concord, Heidelberg, etc.... for CSU or YSU.

Well right, and playing annual games against local rivals home and away would create another game that matters at least a little bit. And since we're all mid majors whose ceiling is the Round of 64, who cares if they're "beneath us" or some crap.

Likely the same AI that gave me this soccer t shirt ad

@72 Roo, you posted this 👇 in another thread. I did not know this was the case. Can you elaborate a bit? You are not in the extreme minority. This team is slowly rebuilding with the biggest jump at QB. 6-6 is definitely within their grasp and 7-5 is possible, but not probable. Regards the football budget, I am not worried. Goodrich and Pottorff know it is low and they are working to add to it while suffering the cuts the university has mandated to right its financial situation. Both will be resolved over time. As mentioned in another post today we are a program that competes well in most every sport. Baseball would have been a top competitor had they not lost their top three pitchers this season, all of whom will be back.

It’s a shame, because they deserve better. I also think they’re going to surprise a lot of people this year. I’m probably in the extreme minority here — maybe even alone — but I think football takes a sizable step forward this season while hoops takes a step back. QB1 and the entire offense really is going to make some noise this year.

I'm honestly not opposed to the top 40-50 programs splitting off and forming a professional league. It might be what's best for collegiate athletics as a whole. Perhaps that could help create stability for everyone else. It's evident we'll never get back to what things where 10-20+ years ago.

It's 2026. He can identify as a Kent graduate if he wants and who are we to say no? I'm team Kenni. Win that lawsuit.

A few teams have tried enforcing contracts. I know Mensah ended up settling with Duke that way he could transfer to Miami. I'm not sure what kind of compensation Duke ended up receiving. I'm also not sure if we've seen one of these contract disputes make it all the way through the legal system to see what the higher courts decide. There should be some sort of uniformity in these contracts and some governing body to enforce them. Having to fight legal battles everytime a player decides to leave school A to go to school B because school A pays him $50k while school B promises him $100k frankly clogs up the court system and costs taxpayers unnecessary money. We're both paying for the schools additional legal team needed to fight these cases and paying for the judges who have to hear them. The only real winners are lawyers and their billable hours.