Zippyroo

Here is a reference for the walk-on not counting towards the 25 per recruiting class after two years on a team (so basically with 3 years of eligibility left assuming a redshirt): https://www.athleticscholarships.net/2012/07/25/schools-flexible-scholarship-limits-athletes-aid.htm. I cannot find the reference that I had that indicated that transfers with with only two years of eligibility left did not count as an initial Scholly. Your SI article indicates that any transfer counts as a initial scholarship so maybe that is the case?

85 total scholarships per team in any given year and up to 25 per recruiting class. As far as do Juco or transfers count toward the 25, depends, after 2 years of playing, they would not count toward the 25 per year limit but would count toward the 85 total. That is why you often see walkons that get a scholarship not get one until they are starting their 3rd year on the team.

Yes, Yes, Yes. Could not agree with you more. I liked Gray but until 72 (Corne) and 53 (Peterson) are addressed, we are not going anywhere. I have said all year long that Corne needs replaced. I was not sure about Peterson until recently but his continual snap miscues are killing us. They finally tried one Freshman, I would go back to the well and see if another one or two could help out. What do we have to lose. Plus the Freshman are hungry to play which is a hole other conversation to have about most of our current OL starters.

Looks like this dude is decommitting....

Listening to some Pink Floyd this morning?

That is not totally true. There is a lot of politics goes on in college sports. There are players that are as good or even slightly better than the starters on all teams but may never see the field until they have earned their "stripes". Hope this is not happening at Akron but it sure seems like it may be with the coaching staff's reluctance to even try other player combinations at certain positions especially Oline. On top of that, you have coaches not wanting to eat crow over bad recruiting decisions so they stick with sub-par players for much longer than they should. In my mind, if a player consistently outperforms a starter, whether a walk on or scholarship kid, regardless of years on the team, they should be elevated to put the best product on the field.

Amen. Could not agree with you more.

Our Oline stinks. We do have some freshmen linemen. Have not played any of them all year long. Why not play them? Nothing to lose. I just don't understand this coaching staff. This is especially true when we play at home when they are all available to play.

I do not think there is a magic bullet. Its gonna take a few years to become respectable again. However, there are some things that can be addressed going into next year. Namely, the oline has to change. Our coaches have been reluctant to make significant changes this year. There are probably some reasons for that though. True freshmen on the oline rarely make an impact and often do even play since it almost always takes at least one or more years to get them ready for the physical nature of that position. With that said, I believe we have some true freshman and red shirt freshmen that will compete for starting positions next season. Same goes for dline. I would not be surprised if only Council returns to starting lineup on oline next season. As for all other positions other than LB's, freshmen are already contributing and I expect that trend to continue with Arth's 2020 recruiting class. As for the remaining games this season, I do not think much will change. We may see some true freshmen that have not played yet get in the games for a few series but do not expect any wholesale changes.

Agree with what you are saying. In fact, I said it about 6 weeks ago.....still stand by what I said then.

FIrst off, don't get too caught up in the ratings since the ability of a player is all in the eyes of the beholder. Heck, there are a lot of kids that do not even get rated for one reason or another. You are correct that we will never out recruit a Big 10 school if a really good player is hell bent on going there for whatever reason. However, there are a lot of good players right here in our backyard that would prefer to play locally while obtaining a education. If a real effort is put forth, I feel that we should have at least 40-50 scholarship kids on the roster from NE Ohio. That would take roughly 10-15 NE Ohio offers per year which in my mind should be easily obtainable given the talent pool in this area. Not only do local players help fill the stadium with family and friends but local players are also more vested in the program in my mind. A glance at the transfer portal should help drive home that point...

Oh shoot, your right. 5 out of 7 HS division state champions from NE Ohio. Even more reason to recruit here. Good find!

35 players from NE Ohio out of over a 100 players is not a focus in NE Ohio in my mind. NE Ohio is loaded with talent. The top 3 division high school state champions in Ohio all came from NE Ohio last year (Saint Ed's, Hoban, and Kenston). Throw in D6 state champs, Kirtland, gives 4 out of the 7 division state champs all came from NE ohio. Add in some players from St Ignatius, Mentor, Solon, Avon, Perry, Euclid, Maple Heights, and others and I think you could put together one hell if a team plus you would fill the stands with all the local fans. That's why they should really concentrate on recruiting local talent. Well over half the roster should be from NE Ohio.....

Same goes for other positions as well. I wouldn't burn any true freshman redshirts on this season but I would definitely take a good look at EVERY player on the roster for next year and at least get them some game action.

I think you should also include the PWO's in this list as well. Beckman has been traveling with the team and was a All-State selection out of Avon Lake. Robarge was a 2-time All-Ohio and All-USA lineman out of last years state champions in DIII, Kenston. Wilson was a 3-star recruit and All-State mention out of GA. Stud multi-sport athlete. Surprised that all three of these guys were PWO's. Good finds for Akron. OL Alex Robarge, 6-5, 315, Kenston HS, Chagrin Falls, OH Ryan Beckman, 6-2, 285, Avon Lake HS, Avon Lake, OH DL Bryce Wilson, 6-3, 235, Parkview HS, Lilburn, GA

No disrespect meant to any of our players. I am sure they are all working their butts off and doing their best. I never said Corne did not have the physical attributes to play OL. I do not know where that came from. I just do not think he is performing as well as he should be given all those accolades and experience that you mentioned. That, coupled with our RT also struggling makes running the ball and protecting our QB very difficult to accomplish. As far as the obviousness of my comment about height and weight, maybe its obvious to a football guru like yourself but others on this forum may find it informational especially when we are currently undersized at RT and with some of our 2's waiting in the wings. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing. How we get there is up for debate. Have a good day. Go Zips!!

I do not think the recruiting class has ANYTHING to do with what is going on with our football team. Yeah sure, there are few playing especially on defense but for the most part the guys starting are Bowdens guys. Personally, I think Arth did ok recruiting given he got a late start at it. Rarely do freshmen make any difference their first year. You really can't say how good a recruiting class is until a couple of years down the road.

OMG, are you watching the same games I am? Corne does most of his work on his back after he gets bull rushed and knocked over. Today they moved Council to center after Peterson snapped the ball over the QBs head which resulted in a turnover on our 20 yrd line...Sorry to say it but Muldowney and Forman are both undersized to play guard or tackle. In D1 ball, you need your big boy pants on. We need minimum 300 pounders across the front that can also move their feet. At tackle you also need length (6"6' or taller) to go with that 300+lbs. Look at our roster and you will quickly see who have the physical attributes. To me if you're not 300+lbs, your a development player plain and simple. These coaches need to be realistic and get the correct players in positions that they can make the greatest impact. The number 2s should be guys that are always challenging the 1s to keep them from getting too comfortable. These coaches have 2s that are undersized true freshman that pose no real threat. That is a formula for failure.....

Totally agree with you. The problem starts with the Oline. If the Oline does their job they keep the opponents offense off the field and that in turn helps our defense. Coach Arth and Coach Zagorski have done nothing that I can see to solve the problem which as I noted in the CMU game thread is the right side of the line. I am willing to give it another game or two with this unit to just see if they improve but there has to be a contingency plan if it doesn't. Every one of these players, Oline included, are working hard. If not, they should not be on the team. What it comes down to is the coaches ability to look at every player (regardless of years on the team, scholarship or not) and move guys into position for success now and in the future. If that means some player movement and eating some crow for previous decisions, so be it. Just get it right.

I think its unlikely that Arth will change his offensive scheme. However, he can adjust formations and continue to look for the best players at each position. Running the ball is about being able to move people and using formations within your system to make it easier. I believe Arth is still figuring it out at this level of competition. He will need to be creative and use misdirection to create favorable matchups. It will be a rough season for sure but we should just be looking for improvement from game to game and not necessarily victories right now. Wins will come eventually as long as we continue to improve.

Wow. What can I say. I am a new member to this forum but have been a visitor from afar for some time now. I think everything starts with the O-Line. I do not want to talk down about any of our current players since I am sure they are doing their best but some changes need to be made or we will not win a game this season. The left side of our line is solid with Council and Brown. I think our center, Peterson, is decent and will get better as the year progresses but the the right side of our line is having some trouble. Corne at right guard is struggling and Forman is undersized at right tackle. I know its still early but here is what I would do. I would move Council from left guard over to right tackle and find two new guards. That way at least we can hopefully protect Kato better. At guard, you need some beef that can move people but still be nimble enough to pull and get to second level blocking. Looking at our current roster I think you have 4 guys that may fit the job. I would give Sample, Kallay, Fonte, and Robarge a go at it and see who emerges. Muldowney, Forman, and the other true Freshman, do not have the physical attributes to make it happen. If we could find a couple of road grader guards this may also lead to a running game improvement as well. In addition, a blocking tight end would further help protect Kato and help the running game. I just do not know if we have a guy on the roster that fits the job. We need a 6'5"ish, 275 lb guy that could occasionally catch a ball. Maybe look to some of our other OL players and convert one or two to TE. Just my thoughts....