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They made it a little interesting in the top of the 7th, Western Michigan scored a run and had the bases loaded with two out but a little pop out ended the game with Akron with their first MAC Championship 3-1!

This is a strange comment. We have someone coming in that averaged 17.3 ppg on a .520 eFG%. Are we as good and deep at PG as last year? Most likely not, but at the same time it seems odd to call it a question mark. Steveskie is a proven D1 contributor. In fact, will probably make preseason All-MAC lists (1st or 2nd team). If anything I would say the 2 PG you listed for Kent are the real question mark as neither have played a minute of D1 collegiate basketball. The only thing you can judge either of them on is hype.

Overall successful year for athletics. Love to see a spring team go on a run

Zips get four players on the all tournament team, Cantrell, Lee, Glass and MVP Madie Jamrog. Felt like Lily Sullivan certainly could have been included but I guess five is getting a little greedy. 🤣

zips going dancing for the third time in the 2025-2026 academic year! Four when you count our swimming/diving champs. Great day- once again- to be a zip.

Ford has seen Max for the last few years. The fact that he was one of the first additions to the team says a lot about what they think of him IMO.

It took coach JRod a few seasons of recruiting to get the offensive line to a point where there was enough quality depth to compete on a weekly basis. Now the challenge has shifted from building depth to retaining developed talent. This offseason alone, four linemen transferred to power programs — three were high school recruits and one was a JUCO addition. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: coach JRod does as good a job as anyone in the MAC when it comes to identifying under recruited prospects with high upside and then developing them into legitimate contributors. Returning Starters: C. Lyons is the lone holdover from the previous regime and returns as the starting center. He really came on strong toward the end of last season, so having him back is a big plus heading into 2026. A. Jones opened 2025 as the starting right guard before eventually sliding outside and splitting time at right tackle with M. King. Jones also finished the season playing some of his best football and is the likely favorite to lock down the starting right tackle spot this year. A. Archer closed out 2025 as the starting left guard and also logged snaps at right guard throughout the season. His versatility gives the staff options and he’ll likely step back into one of the starting guard spots this fall. Who else returns? A. Fox is a former JUCO All-American who may finally be ready to step in and contribute in a meaningful way. Injuries have seemingly slowed his development since arriving on campus, but the talent is there. For whatever reason, former Alabama signee D. Shor hasn’t panned out yet. One former Alabama insider claimed Shor stepped away from the team in 2022 due to mental health concerns. I can’t speak to the situation, but hopefully he’s able to put everything together and eventually provide a boost along the offensive line. J. Mann is now a redshirt junior and should begin pushing for meaningful snaps. At 6’7”, 310 pounds, he has the physical tools to develop into a solid tackle. J. Gould is another young tackle with plenty of upside, though he’s probably still a year, or two, away from being ready for major snaps. Portal Additions: I. Falkner started at left tackle for DII Missouri Southern State University. He’s built more like a guard, but should have enough athleticism to stick outside at tackle in the MAC. C. Slayden is now on his fourth and final stop after previous stints at JUCO, Troy, and Southern Mississippi. He’s logged snaps at nearly every position along the offensive line throughout his career. Captain mentioned during the spring that Slayden was working at left tackle. B. Smith started at center for Merrimack (FCS) before transferring to South Dakota (FCS) this past season, where he served as a backup across multiple interior OL spots. He should provide depth behind Lyons at center. J. Hoskins comes from a Lackawanna College program set to transition to DII this coming year. He earned 2nd Team JUCO All-American honors while playing left tackle. Hoskins moves exceptionally well for someone listed at 350 pounds. That said, trimming some weight would help maximize his effectiveness at the FBS level. He originally committed to Old Dominion during this signing cycle before ultimately changing course. D. Christman-Gourley is another JUCO addition. Piecing together DCG’s path hasn’t been easy. It appears he went the JUCO route out of high school, though it’s unclear how long he remained with the football program. There are spring highlights floating around, but I haven’t been able to track down any actual JUCO game film. I believe he has four years to play three. Regardless, based on his high school tape and limited JUCO highlights, DCG flashes solid size, length, and agility. He could end up being a strong developmental addition over the next year or two. M. Puckett transferred in from Bethune-Cookman, where he started at right guard the previous two seasons. An injury early last year limited him to just two games. If healthy, he’ll have a legitimate shot to compete for starting reps this year. Puckett was especially strong in pass protection at Bethune-Cookman. J. Stephens played left tackle in a pass-heavy JUCO offense. At times he had issues dealing with quicker edge rushers and probably projects more as a developmental addition right now. N. Hampton is an interior lineman with solid size and a good frame. He played at powerhouse DeMatha Catholic High School before signing with Saint Francis. Hampton only appeared in a handful of games there and should still have multiple years of eligibility remaining. The Freshmen: L. Barthelemy - Barthelemy played both ways in high school, and it’s easy to see the upside he brings to the table. However, it’ll take some time to reshape his body before he’s ready to consistently contribute as a tackle at this level. Similar to former high school teammate and Zip Jayvin James, Barthelemy was lightly recruited out of Florida. Coach JRod helped develop James (transferred out after two years in the program) into Mississippi State’s starting left tackle. The tools are there with Barthelemy, but patience will probably be needed early on. E. Rollins - Similar to Barthelemy, Rollins was also lightly recruited coming out of high school. There’s solid upside here, and he may see the field sooner depending on roster need. Rollins appears to be further along physically than Barthelemy, and projects more naturally as an interior lineman. If he continues to develop technically, he could carve out a role quicker than expected. Projected Depth Chart: This is my best projection for who will see the most playing time to begin the season. Coach JRod typically opens the year rotating around 10 guys before tightening things up later in the season. LT Slayden Falkner LG A. Archer N. Hampton C C. Lyons B. Smith RG A. Fox M. Puckett RT A. Jones D. Shor Last Thoughts: The offensive line lost some key players and guys who absolutely would’ve helped in 2026. Unfortunately, that’s probably something Zips fans are going to have to get used to, as functional offensive linemen are in high demand in today’s NIL environment. All things considered, I think the staff has done a good job bringing in talent that should be able to step in and contribute right away while also adding developmental pieces for the future. After diving deeper into the position, I’m honestly not all that concerned about this group. Returning: C. Lyons (Gr.) A. Archer (R. Sr.) A. Fox (R. Sr.) A. Jones (R. Sr.) D. Shor (R. Sr.) J. Mann (R. Jr.) J. Gould (R. Fr.) In: I. Falkner (R. Sr.) = (DII) C. Slayden (R. Sr.) = Southern Miss B. Smith (R. Jr.) = South Dakota (FCS) J. Hoskins (Jr.) = (JUCO) M. Puckett (R. So.) = Bethune-Cookman (FCS) D. Christman-Gourley (So.) = (JUCO) J. Stephens (So.) = JUCO N. Hampton (R. Fr.) = St. Francis (FCS) L. Barthelemy (Fr.) E. Rollins (Fr.) Out: K. Davis = Pittsburgh M. King = Iowa State K. McManus = Auburn D. Morris = Kansas State J. Moore = Graduation J. Motley-Simmons = Graduation D. Johnson = Graduation

Enrique has to make a splash quickly. The average NBA career lasts around 4.5 years. He is two years into his professional career. G League careers last around 2.5 years on average. Next year could be a make it break period for his NBA career. He's a smart guy. I'm sure he knows this. He could still make a very good living internationally.

All this sounds about right from what I can gather. One SMU insider claimed Abor “lost his explosiveness and was buried on the depth chart,” and also described him as “troubled.” Whether the SMU insider is correct or not, the bigger point still makes sense: we had three scholarships available, so why not take a flyer on a guy who, at one point, was more physically gifted than anyone currently on our defensive line? If it doesn’t work out, the staff can send him on his way. Low risk, high reward.

Zips leading the outdoor MAC championship in both men's and women's going into the final day tomorrow!

Michael Nanchoff (great interview) this interview occurred during the 2025 Fall season. Sorry if it was previously posted but I don’t recall seeing it.

This was a great interview. Thanks for sharing. We are lucky to have Michael on our coaching staff. he will make a good head coach some day.

Yeah, i do the same and it's how I get almost all of my Zips gear. Usually either new or gently used. And usually about half the price of what it would retail for.

I have a saved eBay search for "Akron Zips Nike" that I check out every week or so. It's my go-to for all my Zips gear now. Tons of team issued stuff shows up on there. I'm assuming it's all surplus that the players and coaches didn't need. But I have gotten an awesome Zips Football hoodie, a game worn football jersey, Akron/LBJ basketball quarter zip and two other Akron Nike pullovers. All came brand new with tags and everything.

Barbara Turner at East Tech was awesome. Maybe a year before LeBron? She was the best on the floor at nearly every single skill and aspect of the game. Best HS hooper I ever saw, and it's not close.

It seemed like how they do soccer. The unseeded team were mostly placed in geographically close locations

The “Akron Racers” will play LSU

That's certainly a better argument than AkronAlumnus was attempting to make. You still listed 2 players who played a combined 7 games last season. Willis will be returning from a broken foot, which he had to get a secondary surgery on after re-injury. That type of injury with a secondary surgery can take up to 3 years for a player to return to 100% per the national institute of health. Sumlin's injury I'm not sure what it was, but it was severe enough that he missed the entire season. Depending on what the injury was it's hard to project what, if any, impact it might have on his game for next season. I would say the injury concerns surrounding both players still leaves questions on how effective both players will be. I will concede there is more certainty there than with the other 2 prior mentioned players that have yet to play.

Akron was a very early adopter of NIL. I've heard jokes about other MAC coaches referring to Bud as the real league MVP. Akron probably still is at or near the top of the MAC in NIL spend, but the gap has certainly shrunk. It's not just in the MAC either. More and more mid-majors are stepping up their spending as well. With more money out there for players to get, Akron isn't going to be able to afford the same caliber roster that it could before. Not unless it doubles or triples it's current spending to restore the same disparity it once had.

I'm not as negative about next season as AkronAlumnus is but I do have lower expectations than last year, for sure. I felt okay when we started off by getting Staveskie but Burton and Hammer do nothing to make think we're on our way to another MAC title. Of course, who knows with every team having so many new players but as Kreed said, on the surface, it's not realistic to say this team will be better than last year.

Go zips!

Not sure if you're auditioning for the next Netflix Roast with these jokes but your post certainly isn't based in reality. Dorian and Miller are intriguing but as Kreed said, neither one has played a minute of DI basketball. In fact, Dorian was with 14th place Rutgers all last season and they seemingly let him walk. I also don't understand Miller's top 100 class ranking because his best offers were PCCC, Miami OH, and Furman. Meanwhile, Akron brought in a guard that averaged 17ppg/4agp/37% 3P and dropped 27 vs. Colorado State, 17 vs. Indiana, 19 vs. High Point, 9 vs. TCU, and 19 vs. McNeese. Sorry he didn't make All Conference in the Southland; I think we've seen enough from the MAC's annual awards to know that these selections are largely a joke and meaningless. By the way, the Southland was ranked 18th in Net, 1 spot behind the MAC. Staveskie will not be in over his head at the MAC level, that's for sure. Did PCCC get better? Maybe, maybe not; that remains to be seen. However, it's a fact that they got smaller and Akron got bigger. Incredibly odd to tout PCCC's two incoming guards with zero DI experience and rip Akron's incoming PG who averaged 17ppg in a very similar conference to the MAC. Go Zips.

It's interesting to see the directions Akron and PCCC have gone respectively. I don't believe PCCC brought in any wing guys - they're all guards and (shorter) post players. That's how Akron was built in the early-mid Dambrot days and Kent used to be built like Akron is now. Roster composition and physicality is completely reversed. We'll see if Akron has the shooters, but I predict PCCC will struggle with Akron's size/athleticism/rotation flexibility/physicality. I think a lot of teams will.

I like seeing the aggressiveness going to the basket and willingness to play through the contact by all three of these guys.

There should be some opportunities for Akron athletics to raise some additional money to reduce the deficit. Sponsor patch on jerseys is allowed next year. That should bring in 6-figures. The stadiums naming rights expire within the next 2-3 years so we should be able to seek something there. The college football playoffs will be expanding and even though the P4 hoard most of the money, some of that will trickle down to the G6.

Energy, attitude, effort, and versatility. He's going to be a great addition.

I don't either. Sounds like the President still believes in D1 athletics even if the faculty doesn't.

I do think he will be a nice addition. He has playing time experience, height and familiarity with the MAC.

up to 18 games in the Fall and up to 10 in the Spring is moronic. I thought the reason for the Fall/Spring season was so teams didn’t have to play midweek games. 18-20 game regular season could be better accommodated over 2 semesters.

Enrique would benefit from an expansion draft if he can stay around long of enough for the rumored one

You can throw in track and field in there to make it five. ☺️

https://www.instagram.com/p/DYFP1sTjZtx/?igsh=d25zNnZzN282aGNh

so i did a little research on this guy... (mind you i am not nearly an expert like CAT just played around google) and i am not quite as eager to hand him and keys to the car just yet... he was highly recruited out of high school.. 2022 his freshman year was cut short due to a serious near injury 2023 he played in five games 1 solo tackle which was for a 2 yard loss against western kentucky and he had an assisted tackle against purdue. no other stats. according to what i read Ryan Day stated that Abor had an "undisclosed injury" that he could not into details about but he would not return for several months. Abor then entered the portal which he admittedly said he regretted, he chased the money. and he went to SMU. 2024 Abor went to SMU played in 2 games and had 2 assisted tackles. apparently he showed up heavy and slow and it made it difficult to play. that is why he played 2 games abor left after the 24 season entered the portal DID NOT PLAY IN 2025 and remained in the portal until now...

Schedule updates for anyone who may be going tomorrow (and now, potentially Sunday). Tonight's elimination game between Ohio and WMU will now be played tomorrow at 11 AM. The winner plays Akron at 2pm. If Akron loses, there's a rematch on Sunday. https://x.com/i/status/2052905749202739241

Malachi Branham, Darryn Peterson?

Underhand is a natural motion while overhand is not. That's why softball teams often use the same pitcher in back to back games.

I just rewatched the bottom of the 7th and I'm still in awe. Zips got two quick outs and then their lead off hitter Meagan Lee dropped down a good bunt single. Hayley Glass went down 0-2 and maybe took strike three but it was called a ball and then she fouled off five pitches before she finally walked. Sophia Wygast then walked before Lily Sullivan hit her slam on an 0-1 pitch. Just amazing.

He was uncoachable. They gave him plenty of rope at the beginning of the season.

I wonder where Oggie will land. Would have loved if Ford had kept him and improve his game. He displayed moments of greatness. Power 5s must be looking at him.

It would hurt more if he were a serviceable backup big.

huge whiff by Dustin.

This one hurts. I will never forgive John for poaching our guys.

To nobodies surprise.

Went to Rally House in Fairlawn today and they had an Akron University shirt. How does that even get approved for sale, the correct name is on the seal on the shirt too. Found it online as well.