72 Roo

It seems Joe has done a good job in retaining his recruits altho' I hate to lose Jester and Laing-Taylor.

Damn, I'd run thru a wet toilet paper wall for this guy. All Bruins everywhere have got to be pumped. With his kind of motivation UCLA will easily finish in the top 16 out of the 16 members of the Big Ten.

After reading that article I wanted to go out and hire him again. Then reality set in and I was reminded a very simple fact, he's a horrible head coach. Thank you reality!

Thanks to Catdaddyp for his comprehensive review of our last two classes. Being ranked both years in the top two is something to get excited about. Yet it is fascinating to see that Joe's peers don't place much credence in the thought of UA turning it around. Hence the ranking of 11 out of 12 MAC teams. We only outranked the team at PCCC. The guys who are paid big bucks to know their opposition don't see much to worry about in UA. Can we prove them wrong?

This is a nice, feel-good post, but it's not based in reality. It seems to me it's based on someone not able to believe that Joe Mo could have another team below .500. Until I see better evidence I'm sticking to my 4 win prediction this season. Please prove me wrong Joe.

I wish him well. He made a tough, but good decision to prioritize his health and family over ego and football. That's not easy for anyone to do regardless of profession. Like most of the Arth era coaches I felt he was in over his head at UA, but I was impressed with his enthusiasm and kindness. He will be OK if he sticks to the advice of healthcare professionals.

Meister, don't you know the low man always wins in line matchups. That is why we went after Marshon hard. There was a three footer that we wanted but OSU got him with their limitless NIL money. 😁

Just finished watching this interview. it was another reminder of the exceptional person that is Enrique. Thanks go to Let's Go for sharing this.

OSU is the richest program in the country. Last year's revenues were at 276 M, 6M higher than Texas. I doubt anyone at OSU is lining their pockets. The deficit is only because OSU has continued on a facilities upgrade for all programs. Recently Tennis, field hockey, gymnastics, wrestling/volleyball and softball got new venues. Construction has begun on a new ice hockey arena with future plans for soccer. All of these projects have been self-funded which accounts for the deficit. I do not like OSU, but I appreciate how they run athletics. BTW, this academic year saw over 800 athletes (from 37 varsity sports, more than any school in the country) achieve a GPA of over 3.0. This monster is unbelievable in the money they bring in and spend.

So will Guthrie. He has the cost of many improvements covered at a time that he knows the cost to maintain a full athletic dept is growing. Keep in mind the payouts for cannon-fodder games go into his general fund and are not kept by the football program. Guthrie is free to spend these funds on other sports (improvements or operations) if he presents a good enough case to the president and CFO.

Sorry your experience at the Shoe was not positive. Mine was the exact opposite. With 100,000 people in the stadium the atmosphere is electric, like nothing you have ever experienced. The real attraction for a Zip fan is the tailgating before the game. If you wear Zip gear invariably someone will invite you to their tailgate party and serve many cold ones. I go every season to a game just to experience the event with good opponent. Be prepared for stupid questions like how long has UA been D1, don't you have lots of streets running thru your small campus, does the MAC have D2 members, etc. As far as the stadium, when Andy Geiger was AD he spent over 160M on renovating the stadium. It is as good as any top venue. There is no dilapidated sections I've seen. Be prepared to leave at the half as most of the students will do, but only after the band show. That will be better than the game. Their band is fabulous so make sure you catch the pregame and halftime shows. At least we will get a good paycheck from this.

I don't think it is fair, but I do feel a ninth ranking is deserved. He has to do better on the field and win games.

Fantastic news! Now our baseballs will be playing with the same number of schollies our opponents have. Things look very bright for this once destroyed program. Good news is always welcome, but more so in this time of little Zip information.

I don't have a clue as to everything that went into his decision to hit the portal, but I'll offer this. If he was going to sit behind other QB's he might as well go to Oklahoma and sit in a place that is close to home. He loses a scholarship but maybe he's happier being close to home while having the chance to win a scholly if he does well. Akron is a long way from home just to sit on the bench.

Catdaddyp, your analysis as usual is superb. Yet your comment that SC has a ton of if's applies even more so to us. With QB, OL, WR, DB and special teams I feel we have much to work on to compete with them. Obviously QB and OL are the key to us making a leap forward. Against this schedule I don't see that coming. I can't see us winning more than 4 games this season. Thank you for your thoughtful contributions.

I appreciate your perspective. I'm glad you support the program. Look deeper into the program. You will find assistants that cannot compare to Mitchell's, lack of local (Ohio) recruiting, few if any performances ranking in the top 25 in the country. Winning the MAC is not an endorsement. But if you are saying it's a start, I agree.

Agreed. Take WKU because they make the MAC a stronger conference. Take MTSU also if they make us stronger or give us a better TV package since they bring the Nashville/Tennessee TV market.

CUSA looks downright ugly. I hope WKU comes to the MAC very soon. It makes more sense than staying in CUSA.

If you were grading this coaching staff you would give them an F. The magnificent pipeline that Mitchell established has gone dry. Pick any event area (sprints, middle distances, hurdles, field events, combined events, jumps) and we are weak. I have been waiting for this staff to rebuild to Mitchell level performance and it is not there. It's time for a change.

This is a sobering question because it points out how bad the program has been and how much time it will take to turn it around. I do not think we have much of a chance to win more than four games this season. We have too many questions to solve (start with the OL & backup QB). So the turnaround continues and Joe will keep his job primarily because he is doing the right things in building a sustainable, winning program.

My thought precisely. How long is it before Sharon decides he can play for the coach who recruited him, in his hometown, at a university in a better conference than the MAC? Are we looking at one season as a Zip and then out to Marshall?

I don't have a problem with Wassel moving on. He gave us everything he had. I wish him well. He seemed to be a good team guy, but it wasn't going to work here. Hate to see Hester go as I loved his energy. Like Wassel he got stuck behind others who he would have a tough time beating out. Hope he does well wherever he goes if they are not playing UA.

Ever the optimist I'm expecting four wins this season! Call me crazy, but I'm calling for a 100% increase over last season. Let's not be afraid to reach for the stars.

Indeed it fits him well. Remember Paladin was a hired gun and I'm sure Jalen received more NIL from Furman than Kent was willing to pay.

I agree that Hardman is a good addition. It will take him time to learn what Groce's defense is all about. Still Groce would not have recruited him if he didn't think Bowen could learn to play defense the way we he coaches. I also agree with fellow posters who want another big. That is absolutely essential if we are going to into the second round of playoffs as Bud has stated as our goal. Keep the program progressing.