mes102

2025 schedule looks really appealing right now, but if Nebraska can actually find a solid coach....

I was looking at twitter and found these on there. We knew it would be a tall task but these turnovers have really hurt the chances at shocking the college football world.

I watch this one particular show over and over again because as a coach, I just like the structure of how everyone has a role and if you try doing someone else's role, it normally doesn't end very well 😂 Akron is mentioned a few times, especially in the last season of the series. Here is one scene that mentions Akron from Season 7 Episode 3 called "Message of the Week" in the series, West Wing. Akron reference in S7 E3 of the West Wing

I think it has a really good chance to work out but I'm just uneasy about going back into the lower divisions to hire a head coach again.

Here is the CWRU's season opener from last season for those that want to see how they played CWRU at Capital

Getting To Know CWRU Head Women's Soccer Coach Jen Simonetti

Jen Simonetti hired as the new head coach. Here's the link to the press release on athletic website and some of her bio below. Hope she does well, but if this is the best Guthrie could have done this summer on short notice, should have just hired an interim and seen what candidates would have been interested with more off season time after this upcoming season. There is no reason why a college coach looks at Akron and thinks they can't make the women's program successful here. The men's team has done really well on the national stage and that could be a selling point to candidates. However, we're reaching into the lower divisions/NAIA ranks again.... Jen Simonetti named Akron Women's Soccer Head Coach ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jennifer Simonetti has been named the new head coach of The University of Akron (UA) women's soccer program, Director of Athletics Charles Guthrie announced today. Simonetti comes to Akron after three successful campaigns at Case Western Reserve University where she led the Spartans to a 30-7-3 mark since being named head coach in 2019. This past season, Simonetti guided the Spartans to a 16-2-2 record en route to being named by D3Soccer.com as its 2021 National Coach Staff of the Year, while being honored as the United Soccer Coaches Division III Region VII Coaching Staff of the Year. Simonetti led one of the biggest turnarounds in Division III, leading the Spartans to 30 victories and NCAA Tournament appearances in each of her two full campaigns, including setting or equaling the program record for wins each season. Case Western Reserve had one previous NCAA Tournament berth in program history prior to Simonetti's arrival in 2019. In 2021, CWRU reached the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament, the furthest a Spartan women's soccer team has ever advanced. The Spartans' 16 wins set a new program-best en route to finishing second in the conference, their highest finish in program history. In addition, Case Western Reserve ended the year ranked 10th in the nation according to the United Soccer Coaches poll. In her first year as the Spartans' head coach in 2019, the Spartans advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for just the second time in program history. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 13-5-1, including an 11-0-1 record in non-conference play. The 13 victories tied a program record for wins in a season with the 2011 squad. Simonetti brings with her extensive experience as a collegiate coach to the Case Akron women's soccer program, with stints serving as the Head Coach at both Eastern Oregon University (NAIA) and Marietta College, and making multiple stops as an assistant coach, including the University of Massachusetts Lowell (Division I), and Division III programs in Oberlin College, Westfield State University, Chatham University, and Marietta College.

John Daly hitting a golf ball in Akron at Hoban over I-76 to the football field. In town for the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship. https://twitter.com/consequential85/status/1544512249146097664

If I had the chance to recommend someone to the athletic department to at least see if there's any interest in the opening, it would be Ben Waldrum. He's currently the associate head coach at Pittsburgh. Here's his Bio on the Pitt athletic site: ========================= Ben Waldrum enters his fourth season at Pitt and third season as associate head coach after being elevated to the position on August 5, 2019. The son of head coach Randy Waldrum, Ben has been integral to the remarkable turnaround of the Panthers’ program in their three seasons in Pittsburgh. Last year, he helped the Panthers to a school-record 11 wins despite playing two less games in the regular season than a traditional year due to the pandemic. Pitt earned its first-ever ranking in the United Soccer Coaches’ Poll at No. 12 on Sept. 22 and stayed in the poll for an additional week. The Panthers won their first six games of the season, the best start in program history. Pitt earned the record despite being on the road for five of the games, setting another school record for most wins away from home in a single-season. In his second season, Pitt snapped a three-year winless streak (0-25-3) in ACC play with a 2-1 overtime win over Boston College that was followed by a 2-1 win over NC State, who advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Waldrum is integral in helping to secure one of the largest and most talented recruiting classes in program history in 2020 and 2019 that has seen talented freshman and transfers step in right away to raise the level of play never seen before for the program in the ACC. Prior to joining the Pitt staff, Waldrum coached the FC Dallas youth development program. In April 2015 he was promoted to head coach of the FCD Women. The team competed to a record of 34-3-3 under Waldrum's tutelage, appearing in the WPSL Playoffs in 2016 and 2017 and capturing the 2016 WPSL Southwest Conference championships. He also served as the Affiliates Director, where the organization saw a 200 percent growth rate as he implemented programming for coaching education, player development, camps and clinics and college programs. Additionally, he was the head coach of the U19 FCD team for the 2017-18 season and the Elite Clubs National League head coach where he saw 16 players called into a national camp, representing five different countries. Prior to his club coaching experience, Waldrum earned experience on the national level as he served as an interim head coach and assistant coach for the Trinidad & Tobago women's National Team from 2014-16. He served as the interim head coach for the squad in 2014, leading the team to a 2-0 record in the group phase of the 2014 CFU Championship Tournament. Waldrum helped the team jump 34 places, largest in history, in the 2014 FIFA World Rankings after a strong season on the pitch. Waldrum earned his starting in collegiate coaching as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under his father at Notre Dame from 2003-08. With both Waldrums on staff, the Fighting Irish accumulated a record of 111-13-5 while also winning the 2004 NCAA National Championship. He was a member of three NCAA College Cup appearances while at Notre Dame while also winning five Big East regular season titles and coaching five All-Americans during his time in South Bend. He currently holds US Soccer Federation A and B licenses to go along with NSCAA Premier, National and Advanced National diplomas. ======================== I think not being too far away would liken the chances of a coach taking the position right now. If someone has to look into moving in the next couple of months, that could be a lot to ask someone with a family and could end up with them thinking twice about taking it right now. I believe this would fit not being too far away for the first year. Just a matter of actual interest in leaving Pitt for a HC opportunity. Here's the link to the rest of his page on Pitt website: https://pittsburghpanthers.com/staff-directory/ben-waldrum/1484

Sports Illustrated on Twitter: "With the news of USC & UCLA leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten Conference, let's reimagine the NCAA landscape with the 'Forde Bowl Subdivision' from 2020 @ByPatForde explains: https://t.co/iZVgsPPBPy https://t.co/Tvo9kbbG8l" / Twitter

I'm fine with it as long as they don't get rid of Zippy.

https://twitter.com/ZipsWBB/status/1531731206810705920

Interesting article. If you don't have a subscription to The Athletic, below is what was said about Moorhead / Akron. https://theathletic.com/3335848/2022/05/27/college-football-coaching-carousel-agents/ "In many respects, the 2021 season resulted in a college football coaching carousel that was unlike any before, with 29 FBS head coaching jobs changing hands, including Lincoln Riley leaving Oklahoma for USC, Brian Kelly leaving Notre Dame for LSU and Mario Cristobal leaving Oregon for Miami. Few know the machinations of the carousel better than coaching agents. What do they really think about the 2021-22 coaching cycle? The Athletic asked five agents for their thoughts on the hirings, firings, long-term contracts and more, granting anonymity so they could speak candidly." Who was the most underrated hire? "Agent 1: Joe Moorhead was a great hire (by Akron). I don’t know if he can pull it off at a middling school that hasn’t done much, but it’s perfect. An experienced guy. I don’t know how long he’ll be there, but he took over something that is really damaged. Tom Arth was a white-collar guy at a blue-collar school. I like the Moorhead hire."

Transfer Portal Update: Found this blog that is keeping up with the women's basketball transfer portal. Here's the link to it: Division I Transfer Portal As for the Lady Zips, there are three in the transfer portal: Lonasia Brewer ---> Toledo Alanna Carter ---> Kendall Miller ---> Marshall Emma Tecca ---> Valparaiso UPDATED: To include Kendall Miller and where everyone has landed so far

Any chance him and his family decide to live in Norton, Ohio? 🤐 Joke aside, really impressed with the standard AD Guthrie has put in place.

Glad to see it. She got co-player of the year in D2 by the Associated Press but having it by yourself by the Basketball Coaches Association holds more weight in my opinion. If anyone has watched the women's NCAA tournament, Stinson has a similar playing style to Stanford's Cameron Brink in my opinion. Obviously not as talented or tall as Brink though. I'm excited to see how the incoming class does next season.

In the past couple years, a Boals coached team always made me nervous when they faced the Zips. Just like a Legette-Jack coached team always made me nervous when they faced the Lady Zips. And both are most likely out of the MAC this offseason?!?! Hopefully this will help with my blood pressure 😂

Dawson in Minneapolis for the ProHoops Combine. https://twitter.com/CoachJackson21/status/1509250715222425601?s=20&t=JTxtuEGY4dNulzTxV7rsGQ

Two different positions, different hometowns, etc. By that theory, Akron shouldn't have hired their new football coach because it hasn't worked in the past from hiring from a power 5 school.

With transfer portal opportunities, here is someone I wouldn't mind Groce pursuing: Josh Ogundele leaves Iowa

Fair & Woolley from Buffalo both entered the transfer portal. Wouldn't shock me if they both end up in Syracuse.

I actually thought there was a chance Ali Ali would transfer from how he's been talked up by many like UCLA's Cronin ("KD like shots") and his decision-making in the UCLA game. I think this move for him has to do with big moments. Maybe he believes that if he's in more pressure games (a power conference), maybe he wouldn't struggle in the bigger games, like the UCLA game (especially that miss to the corner). I wish Ali Ali best of luck wherever he goes (outside of the MAC obviously), but I trust Groce and staff moving forward. EDIT: I just looked at a conversation I had with a friend after the Zips lost to UCLA. One of the messages I sent on 3/18 was "I think Ali will enter the transfer portal". It was a gut instinct, but it didn't shock me when I saw that move today.

Spring Practice #1 Recap

Buffalo is looking for a new head coach after Felisha Legette-Jack is taking the Syracuse head coaching job (her alma mater). I wonder how many of their returners (including Fair, Woolley, others) follow her to Syracuse or transfer elsewhere. https://twitter.com/CuseWBB/status/1507794519080636421