catdaddyp

Who is QB1? I don’t think there’s much doubt Finley is the leading candidate. Finley makes quick decisions and throws a catchable ball. He also has enough mobility to be effective in the run game and when scrambling. Finley has played at a high level in the past, so there shouldn’t be many overwhelming moments for him at the G5 level. Bullock has not developed as much as I hoped. My take is that he is mentally processing too slowly because his physical tools are not lacking. He is still an asset to the offense due to his bruising running style and should be utilized in short yardage/goal line situations. Will Akron have much of a run game? Purely speaking about the running backs, the answer is yes. There is not a RB on the roster with the makeup of Lingard, however, all of the backs are made for RPO type offenses. What I mean by that is they have a rapid burst once the ball is in their hands and catch the ball well out of the backfield. They can make the first defender miss and have enough speed to create explosive plays. Who will replace All-MAC receivers George and Gathings? The first choice would be Norton. The true sophomore has the make-up to be an all-conference player in just his second season. If Adams is healthy, he will return to his role in the slot, leaving the typical third receiver position up for competition. It’s possible that player is not currently on the roster. Multiple offers have gone out during the spring. How about the OL? It’s still a work in progress, but the starters will likely resemble most of the first combination displayed in the Spring Game. They were facing a defensive front that is reasonably one of the better defensive fronts in the MAC, so it’s hard to say how much improvement has been made. What was clear was the increased athleticism as the offensive line (especially the tackles) were able to climb to the second level of the defense and give the run game room on the speed options and perimeter plays. Inside runs were harder to come by in the Spring Game. Is there a better defensive front in the MAC? Maybe, but not by much. Miami has one all-conference defensive lineman and two all-conference linebackers returning (Zips have Nunnally and McCoy), so they can lay claim to this title in the pre-season. Zips have impressive depth at defensive tackle and linebacker. The only question is at the backup defensive end spot. The 2023 JUCOs could step up or perhaps one of the redshirt/true freshmen will see significant time. How’s the secondary looking? Long, athletic, and physical. Coach Renna and former CBs coach Bell have done an excellent job recruiting and developing talent. The downside? There is a void of actual game experience outside of Golden-Nelson, D. Lewis, and a few of the transfers. There may be some growing pains early in the season, but this is a talented group that should be assisted by the excellent defensive front. What’s the status of the Special Teams? Jackson returns at punter and was solid in that role in 2023. Wiley was strong down the stretch on FGs and PATs. Zips received a commitment from an FCS Freshman All-American kicker in March. New long snappers will also be arriving soon. Is the roster complete? No. By my count there are currently about 5 open scholarships. Most of the recent offers have gone out to wide receivers and offensive linemen. The roster is in the best place it’s been since Moorhead’s arrival and this year’s spring portal options are much deeper than last year’s. There is a good chance a difference maker or two will be signed. Who are the new coaches? QB - Michael Shuster (Duke Grad Asst.) WR - JD Brookhart CB - Kresean Reed (Northern Arizona CBs) ST - Ryan Matviko (Offensive Analyst) Which MAC team has been hit the hardest by the portal? Ohio. The Bobcats have also brought in some players who should be quality replacements, but they will be heavily tested this year. A substantial drop off in wins from the previous two seasons would not be a surprise.

There it is.

I believe all but 6 players are at this point.

Haven’t seen it confirmed yet, but probably true. Figured that move might be coming after the outing he had in the SG. Certainly seemed like Roggow was ahead that day. Hoped Wasel would stay and continue to develop. Good luck to him.

He’s a talent for sure. On par with Adams and George physically. Played all over the field in high school. Just speculation on my part, but I wonder if catching the ball consistently has kept him off the field. Once it’s in his hands, he can really move.

WR from Cal. Originally a 4 star commitment to Mississippi State. 3 years of eligibility.

Long Snapper from Stony Brook.

I was distracted a good portion of the time, but here were some things I gathered. Most of these names have already been mentioned that were held out: OL - Seymour and Shor WR - Adams, Wilson, Rush DL - L Jackson and Richards LB - Spriggs DB - Jarmon and Hunter QB - Finley is head and shoulders above the other quarterbacks. Bullock should be effective in situational setups, but the offense will struggle if he’s thrust into the starter role again. Roggow looked further along than Wasel to me. Take that with a grain of salt as it was only one day and one scrimmage. All the QBs have some mobility. RB - Definitely no one with the size or ability of Lingard, although Simmons had a nice run and will likely be the starter. No power backs on the roster may come back to bite us in short yardage situations. WR - Norton is the real deal at WR. I’m calling it now, All-MAC year coming his way. I thought JUCO transfer Campbell looked good too. It’s easy to see the upside in Louis and Davis. Not sure if they are quite ready to consistently contribute, but maybe they will have a strong summer and fall camp. TE - The TE group looked good blocking and receiving. This should be the best group of TEs to date. OL - The offensive line had their moments, but were overwhelmed for a substantial part of the scrimmage. To be fair, the defensive front is extremely impressive. Missing a player like Seymore can make a difference. James has come a long way at left tackle. Blachard also looked good. I saw redshirt freshman Mann pancake someone (didn’t get a number) and I think it was redshirt freshman Morris who crushed someone on a pulling block. All that being said, we are still not where we need to be along the OL. We have a chance to be decent if everyone is healthy and development continues, but the recent portal offers make sense. DL - Nunnally is a terror coming off the edge and seems to have added mass. Adler was the other starter at DE. The rotation of Lavea, Kapongo, and Moore at DT is incredibly stout. Easily one of the best (if not the best) interior DL rotations in the MAC this year. I also noticed Cheatom making some plays, but not entirely sure if he was lined up at DE or LB. LB - Linebackers basically blended with the DL, which is a good thing. We already know what have with McCoy, Fish, and Cooper. DB - The secondary looks long, physical, and athletic. I believe the starters were David and D. Johnson at Safety, D. Lewis at Nickel, Golden-Nelson and P. Lewis at Cornerback (I could be wrong on that though). Laing-Taylor easily had the most impressive play with an athletic interception. He covered ground quickly and made the diving snag. ST - I unfortunately managed to miss all the kicks (outside of the opening kickoff by Jackson), so I have nothing to report about special teams. All in all the program is in a great place. The team physically looks the part and much of the young talent is impressive. The defense should be one of the best units in the MAC. The offense has a chance to be really good if Finley is healthy and the OL progresses. There will certainly be more roster movement ahead, so we’ll see what happens.

I was distracted half the time, but from what I saw he played really well. Great athletic play on the INT too.

OL from Syracuse. 4 years of eligibility. We offered him out of HS as well.

OL from Lenoir -Rhyne. 1 year of eligibility.

Offered Cornell CB Anthony Chideme-Alfaro. He’s been in the portal since the first window. Excellent size and definitely has the ability to play at this level.

I think the portal is playing a big part in temporarily depleting rosters. Add in the normal amount of injuries (teams are more cautious during the spring) and bodies become a problem. Especially along the OL and DL. I watched one P5 SG this past weekend and they only had 7 to 8 healthy OL on either team, including walk-ons. They also shortened the 2nd half and ran the clock at times. I’m not sure which (if any) MAC schools are doing true spring games this year. Maybe Buffalo?

Thanks for the update. That’s really disappointing to hear. Spring games are steadily dissolving across college football.

I believe he was committed to Toledo before his recruiting took off and signed with Kentucky. Edit: Went back and did a little digging. He ran a 4.48 at a UA camp. Track speed doesn’t always correlate to the football field, but that’s impressive for a guy 6’3” 190lbs. He certainly looks fast on film, so enough of that speed must carry over.

Figured this one was coming. See if we can land him second time around. WR Ardell Banks redshirted at UK.

Offer out to Georgia WR Braxton Hicks. 2 years of eligibility. Former walk-on that did not record any stats.

Pretty sure it is. Could also be Fields? Either way, that explains one of them MIA. Good eye.

Thanks for all of this. Did you see if Seymore was being held out? I felt for sure he’d be a starter. Not a good look if a healthy Fields and Shor are getting beat out. Perhaps they are limited too? I do like that James is running with ones. He’s going to be a good one. Interesting that Mixon is running with the 3 man front. Surprised Jackson, Cheatom, or Richards isn’t listed there.

A few MAC notes: - Akron’s comprehensive recruiting class is now ranked #2 in the MAC and #87 Nationally. Our recent 2024 offers have gone out to OL, DT, and WR, so we are clearly still looking for more depth there. - Eastern Michigan has had the most portal entries in the 2nd window with 10. Although, very few of them were significant contributors. - Ohio has been hit hard this offseason along the interior of their DL. They are also the only team in the conference without a returning All-MAC player. - Toledo easily has the most talented recruiting class, but they have lost a good amount of production this offseason. Also, 3 star JUCO signee WR Tre Richardson has already hit the portal.

OL from Monmouth with 2 years remaining. Not sure what happened in 2023, but he was a starter at LT in 2022.

Kent State’s best player on defense entered the portal. CJ West - 2023 3rd Team All-MAC. That’s a blow.

And another former JUCO DL we offered last year is in the portal. Josh Valdez committed to Marshall, but never visited Akron. See if another offer is extended.

@Captain Kangaroo Happen to notice who was running with which groups on the OL? I’m sure they are still experimenting, but curious to know if anyone stood out. Did the young LBs of Benege, Springs, and Summers do anything noticeable? Lastly, who was running at safety? Looks like Jester and Greenwood were running with the twos in one of the pics? Not surprised about McCoy and Fish. I’d be shocked if they both didn’t make at least 2nd team All-MAC this year. Probably means the DL is also doing their part again.