Captain Kangaroo

It isn't the worst thing to red-shirt next year. Our roster will be loaded with upper-classmen, and Freshman PT would be minimal. That said, I wish we recruited an instant-impact frosh that would push the seniors for PT. We need a kid that can consistently shoot the 3-ball.

If Arth is serious about centering his recruiting around NE Ohio, the Youngstown area is important. Though not what it was in through the early 90's, it remains a very good football town. If the Zips stomp YSU, it would inform potential recruits who think they're better than FCS-level that there's a viable FBS football alternative 50 minutes up I-76. If we lose...scrap that idea. I think playing YSU is a great. I'm guessing they'll bring a few thousand fans and it will be a fun environment. You can't say InfoCision has been "a fun environment" very often. At least without your nose growing.

I don’t think they disagree with me. Is Buffalo’s 134.23 any better than Akron’s 130 point whatever in something as completely subjective as this rating? After the top 3 or 4 classes, we’re in the mix with the rest. With two hands tied behind Arth’s back.

A story on Strongsville walk on Taylor Griffen

Most pathetic attendance in JAR history.

Corey Thomas (Safety - Penn Hills) Articles On his transfer from Central Catholic to Penn Hills Signing Day

One of the Comments of the Year came from Antino Jackson on the post game show - "I love watching those guys lose. Can't Read, Can't Write, Kent State!" Funny that he seemed slightly happier to see Kent lose than to see Akron win? He sounds like a fan. I thought it was interesting that Antino, despite bolting to New Mexico for his senior season, was on such friendly terms with Groce. Transfers are such a commonplace event anymore...why not wish a guy well and move onward.

Greatest comeback since Paul Pierce from the wheelchair.

Wish in one hand...

Max Wynn signed with Miami. 70 percent of the available scholarships we’re already taken when Arth arrived. It could be that kids committed to Bowden didn’t have many options come January 2019 as other programs had stopped recruiting them. Or, were full at their positions. i think the biggest positive out of Arth’s initial class is him pulling together a group that’s as good as most MAC classes, in 1/10th the time. It’s exciting to see what he can accomplish when given a full year to recruit.

If you believe in rankings, the Zips class was rated 9th in the MAC by 24/7

Here is a bizarre one...the Orlando Sentinel writer thinks Bowden is still the Zips head coach. Not Terry either...it's Tommy. Time to hang up the typewriter old man... Peter Hayes-Patrick article and video

Dr. Z and I were able to attend the Signing Day press conference held earlier today. I think this is the 20th one I've attended, dating back to the Lee Owens days. There were no player videos...I guess there's not much need for those anymore, with all the information that's available on the internet. But it would have been nice to hear the coach walk through each individual player and provide thoughts. Only Coach Arth was present. None of the other staff members attended. Nor were there any players. No TV cameras. Nor was Elton Alexander present. I jotted down some of the comments from the Coach that I thought were interesting - Regarding the difficulty of recruiting on such a short time frame, he said: In the past (pre-2018 class), if you were hired in December every potential player was, in theory, still available. Now, more than half of them are committed. I believe the actual number is around 70%? It was easy to find great kids who weren't at the FBS talent level...and it was easy to find kids with FBS talent, who had issues with grades or other problems, but it was tough finding great kids with FBS-level talent. He said the turning point where the staff knew they could assemble a great class was after the first official visit weekend. The way he described it, it was the equivalent of holding a party, with no idea if anyone would show up. It ended up they received eight or nine commitments that weekend, and that was really the first time the staff thought "I think we're gonna be alright." He also mentioned that the kids who committed from that first weekend were instrumental in getting the remainder of the class signed. They really helped in the recruiting process. He specifically mentioned Zach Gibson stepping up and leading the "recruit-recruiting" process, as you'd hope a 4-year high school starter quarterback would. Coach Arth mentioned Peter Hayes-Patrick would be expected to vie for playing time immediately. I thought this was interesting, as Hayes-Patrick's commitment tweet mentioned playing for the Zips for "3-4 years." You could have taken the "3" to mean grades might be an issue. Apparently not. The Spring Game will be held April 13th at noon. Not all 2019 scholarships were used. There are a few "reserved for future use." On Xavior Gray, he loved the fact that he was never knocked down in any of the film he viewed. That was really impressive for someone so tall (6' 9"). On Demetrick Watts, he gave a neat story - - Humboldt State apparently disbanded their football team. Demetrick needed a team, and one of the present Zips player's father (I'll guess Bryce Peterson's, but I could be wrong) tipped the staff off regarding his availability. He came highly recommended. The staff originally thought he was a little on the small side and wasn't going to offer him. Apparently when a couple Zips coaches were recruiting other players in California, Demetrick tracked them down and introduced himself. In real life he was a lot bigger than they saw from his tape...and they ultimately offered him. They're very high on his potential. The strong presence of kids from the south in Arth's initial class, specifically Georgia, is a result of relationships the staff has in that region, and recruiting there will not be a one-shot deal. They expect to take advantage of those relationships in the future, especially when it comes to recruiting skill position players. That's the best I could do. I'm guessing UA will probably put the presser YouTube at some point?

Michael Mathison Article

I've watched Wadsworth football a little over the past 4 seasons. They're a good program with tough kids. I'm sure Mason will be a good one. Wish we'd have gone after Joey Baughman last season.

Do we finally get the full road colonoscopy?

Man against boy drive by Ivey!

They need to feed Utomi! He’s on!

But it will be tough to do if he’s on the bench.

Utomi is streaky...hitting his first 3 bodes well for a big 1st half.

It will be interesting to see if the recently resurgent Eman and Roscoe continue to make an impact. If they continue to play well, I think we’ll have a nice finish to the season.

Not if the program is disbanded.

So we get full colonoscopies at home?

To be fair, we usually play a good first half.

It can be difficult for any student athlete to get motivated to go through the grind of classes, practices and those long winter bus rides. After you get beaten into unconsciousness, I have to assume it’s even tougher.