Blue & Gold

They were blowing up twitter. I especially love what Brian Walsh tweeted: "Only at The University of Akron you can come to open gym and the best player on earth @KingJames is playing with our guys #AdvantageAkron"

Michael Beaven on Joshua's transfer & verbal to UA.

Joshua Williams will be coming on board just as Nyles Evans graduates. That'll give us a pretty smooth transition at PG, especially since we'll still have Melo for one more season; the pressure of running the point won't be solely on a freshman's shoulders. As an aside, on twitter I've noticed that current St.V/M senior 2G Jalen Hudson has been playing quite a bit of pickup ball w/ the Zips & seems to have a good relationship w/ players on the team. We only have 1 scholarship to award next year.

Thank you for taking the time to keep this updated for all of us. Go Zips!

Beacon

This is an EPIC get. Josh Williams is an absolutely fantastic player who was named 2nd-Team All-Ohio D-1&2 for Barberton last year as only a sophomore. Other than Zeke, Josh will likely be the highest rated player ever landed by the Zips. Btw, with JW transferring to St.V/M, the Irish are going to be ridiculous next year.

ABJ on AA.

You're probably right. Though LT Smith is probably the best all-around athlete on the team, he really hasn't yet impressed me as a WR. Hopefully he makes a pretty big jump this year, it being being his 2nd year lining up @ the position.

ABJ Human interest article on Chris Harris from April.

Cuyahoga Falls' Chris Harris a Zips' walk-on. Thanks, George!

George Thomas courtesy of Ohio.com

He's a long-strider, like Jawon Chisholm. Seems a bit more willing to run north & south.

Thanks, GT!

Thanks, George. "The Zips’ offensive line could add more depth and size if Zemel Demhasaj, a 6-foot-7, 325-pounder who last played at Pitt, gets an extension on his wait for eligibility waiver from the NCAA."

Did we know about Nmesoma Okafor, or is he a new addition?

Thanks for filling us in, George. Much appreciated. Oh, and can you find out more about C.J. Mizell's status?

I believe Jerome Lane is an academic non-qualifier & won't be able to play till next year. Ala, Harney & Tree. GT may correct me if I'm wrong.

Dennis' stats at Rittman don't exactly jump off the page, but he obviously had intangibles colleges are looking for. He caught 31 passes for 221 yards and five touchdowns for a Rittman team that finished 2-8 last fall. However, the athletic Dennis has attended a number of college camps where he's been able to demonstrate his talents. Dennis has been hand-timed at 4.49 in the 40 at the BGSU football camp. He set the Rittman school track records in the 200-meter dash (22.6) and 400 (50.49) as a sophomore, but was slowed by a pulled hamstring most of his junior track season.

+1. Interesting.

Hadn't they moved Isaiah Wiliams to OL? I see they once again have him listed @ DL. During the spring game I thought he looked pretty solid on the OL.

Over the years I've taken a number of middle school students to UA games and on a handful of occasions they've remarked, "They don't have a very nice gym." Again... MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS. That's revealing/depressing on a few different levels.

Looking at the scholarship chart, we need to add Nyles Evans. With the departure of Blake Justice, that will give us two scholarships to award next year.

GT on Coach Bowden. Courtesy of Akron.com.

George Thomas quotes Coach Bowden Without being solicited, Bowden made a push for the basketball program to get a new facility to replace Rhodes Arena, which is 30 years old. “I, too, want to be part of the Akron big picture. I can keep my nose to the grindstone. I don’t have to look up or look down. I just have to go try to win ballgames,” he said. “Keith [Dambrot] has now got them to a successful level where if he wants to attract the premier athlete, he needs a premier facility. If we want to be poised to do what he wants to do … it [Rhodes Arena] needs to be replaced.”

That's two 3-star recruits before July 15th. This is by far the earliest I ever recall Akron receiving a verbal from a 3-star player, let alone two of them. Way to go Coach Bowden! Go Zips!