Buckzip

Not sure we have anyone here that we would call a "insider". It would be great if we could actually get more information on this team.

Les will demand more than Akron can pay him. He would put the Akron name on the map though. He will probably be able to get a much higher profile job anyway.

Sorry to upset you so much dude. Have a beer and relax.

I believe everyone on this board could do better than GT....

ROFLMAO. Yep. I said Akron sucks and Bowden sucks. I also said Barto was a great linebacker. Oh, that's right. I didn't say any of those things. There are a few dishonest posters here that like to make things up. It's obvious my point went directly north of of your cranium. You guys have made this entire discussion about Barto while ignoring everything else. Barto is merely the latest example. I know nothing about him other than what I have read. Since you have all made this only about Barto and keep ignoring everything else I will make one last factual statement about Barto. Barto was offered a scholarship to Akron. Barto, according to a Memphis newspaper dated in May, decided to walk on at Memphis instead of taking the scholly at Akron. Those two point are facts, unless he never was offered a scholly to Akron as was stated here. What happened after this is irrelevant. Perhaps Memphis pulled his PWO offer, perhaps he didn't have grades, perhaps his fantasy girl is in Illinois. I have no idea how he ended up in Illinois. It doesn't matter in this conversation. What you guys are missing, in your feeble attempts to make fun of me, is that a guy that Akron offered a full ride to was willing to pay to go to a mid major and then ended up in a lower division. Not sure how you can't see that. If fair sampling means that most of the teams you listed are the typical bottom feeders, then I would agree. I notice how most of the teams I used as examples aren't on that list. Lol. Perfect example of accepting mediocrity.

Let's make a deal. You ask all of the posters that get all excited over all of these supposed stud transfers and supposed big time players that we hear are coming in Dec-February that never show up, and I will stop complaining that this happens every freaking year. I honestly don't understand how it doesn't seem to bother anyone other than me that Bowden seems to only be able to get good players under 2 conditions. 1-They won't qualify, so bigger schools won't take them 2-They were injured, so bigger schools won't take them. The rest mostly, with a few exceptions, have Akron as their best offer. If I had time and thought anyone cared, I would make a list of players that both Akron, Toledo, BG, N. Illinois offered and see what percentage Akron got of those players. I am really done with this now. It is amazing how some posters here just refuse to see how ridiculous this crap is every single year.

He did put words in my mouth. You can keep defending him but I never said Memphis was a step down from Akron. I also never said anything bad about Reggie Corner, whom I am assuming he was referencing in his sarcasm. Unless you are thinking I was saying "all": local recruits are bad. Which I again, never said. But guys getting excited because we have so many local recruits is ridiculous. Let's just sign the Akron all city team every year. Maybe that will make us great. just because I believe that PAYING to go to Memphis and be a PWO, versus getting a full ride to Akron, where he may get some playing time, is a bad look for Akron isn't a straw man. i don't give a crap what the record of Memphis was. They are not an elite program. Obviously they are a step above Akron. After all, the vast majority of D1 is, but if you can't see how bad this looks to Akron, then you have just adopted the losing mentality which is a big part of what is wrong with Akron football.

You are great at putting words in people's mouths, or should I say words in people's posts?

Yes. That Will Barto. I don't care if he was D2 or D3. The guy still would prefer to pay at Memphis than get a free ride at Akron. Did I say Memphis was a step down? No, I didn't. But they aren't a top 20 team either. Maybe he should walk on at Buffalo. After all, they had a first round pick in Mack.

QFT. The classes aren't that good on signing day. Then many of those guys don't even make it. I dont understand how the Bowden name alone can't get better classes then we get. A rough guess would be that at least 90% of the players on this team had Akron as their best offer. Even when we beat out other MAC teams it is Kent, Buff, etc. We rarely beat out Toledo, BG, N Illinois, etc. Will Bowden ever stop bringing in guys that he knows won't qualify? 1-2 is one thing but multiple every freaking year is ridiculous. Lee Owens seemed to bring in more talent playing at the rubber bowl and having no facilities. Many get all excited when we bring in locals. Again, unless those guys have multiple D1 offers, and can play, why did it matter? Having local players doesn't increase their talent level. I know I am being negative and that ticks some off, but I can guarantee you that if any of these early verbals for the 2018 class blows up their senior year and other "progrums" start offering them, they are gone. Akron is a place holder. That is unless they never qualify and then TB will tout them on signing day never to be heard from again. Hell, Will Barto had a scholly from Akron. He decided to walk on at Memphis instead. Memphis. Not Alabama, Not Notre Dame, Not Tennessee. MEMPHIS. Think about that. A guy would rather pay to play at Memphis then get a free ride to Akron. Off of my soap box now. It will return next year at this time to probably say the same thing.

Now corner is missing too. Absofreakingridiculous how many players vanish from this team. Let's all look forward to next years signing day announcement of 20 and then 11 show up in the fall. SMDH.

Playing basketball usually means he has good footwork too....

Thanks. Hopefully the JUCO guys get it together and be with the team next year. Then TB can announce them as new signees again. Lol.

Does anyone have an update o James King or Brian Bell?

Absolutely the roster blows. TB has been here long enough to completely make the roster. it is terrible. This is 100% on him. I am amazed how few quality WR or DL we have on this roster. His recruiting is below average. Then when you figure in that many of each class never even make it to campus, that makes it even worse. Even with transfers, it seems that every year we hear about all these transfers and then less then half are on the team. WTF keeps happening to our players? I have mentioned this for years and years now. I don't believe any other team out there has the amount of players vanish from their team each year as Akron does. The only ones close are highly talented teams where guys transfer for playing time. At Akron it is starters that vanish. Mind boggling that this happens over and over and over. TB really needs an influx of talent, but I don't see it happening. Of course so many get all excited because he is adding local players....As if that matters.

Perhaps on offense, the coaches believe guys don't need the motivation. Do you believe Kato should be last on the depth chart? We will revisit this once the season starts and I can guarantee you it will be different than it is now.

Pre season depth charts mean nothing. Many coaches use them as motivation for players that they know can be better.

So we lose another DL. How ridiculous. I wonder if he will be back in 2018 or go elsewhere.

So Jest is off the roster now. Another player vanishing from the team with no explanation. SMH. He was a big bodied DT that got some experience as a true freshman. He looked like a potential starter or at least rotation guy at a position of need. Does anyone have any information on him?

So we weren't serious before?

I get your point. However, it doesn't matter how many new faces there are if many are walkons. Occasionally a walkon will be a player but the odds aren't good. You are correct. We signed 13 and "only 2" are missing. 2 of 13 is a crappy percentage imho. Other new faces are transfers from last year that counted on last years total. Every year we count guys as new that were part of a previous class. They somehow get counted in multiple classes because they didn't make it the previous year or they were RS or GS or whatever. I understand your saying take it withe a grain of salt, as I know things will change between now and opening day. I wish one thing that would change is the UA SID. information on this team is nearly impossible to find.

As always, it is amazing how many players are listed on the first post as having signed or committed, yet never show up. I will never understand why so many players just vanish every year with absolutely no information available. When you only sign 13 players and some of them don't make it, you have serious issues.

Current WWE Women's champ Alexa Bliss, not her real name, is a former Akron cheerleader.

Good point. But when you get older and have a family it is a cheap night out to go to a college football game. Maybe more Saturday night games would help early in the season.

Winning helps cure attendance issues. Akron has not been a consistent winner since moving to D1. I still don't understand how UA was able to sell out for the Acme Zip game every year in the RB but can't get real attendance at Info. Until I moved to Atlanta 11 years ago I attended at least 3-4 games every year. Even now, if we come home for Thanksgiving and their is a home game, we are there. I don't feel students have changed. I don't think it was was ever the students that created the larger attendance figures. It was Joe Akron, especially at the RB With students what I don't understand is how they aren't attending games when it is right on campus. That is mind boggling to me. Apparently there is a real lack of marketing going on for Akron football. Do all of them have better things to do on a Saturday afternoon than go to a game? Some high school games have more attendance than Akron games.