wadszip

Thanks for clearing that up. I didn't think it was that cut and dry, but I haven't read through all the transfer bylaws. Makes sense that he would go to Valdosta State since he's from Valdosta and will be eligible right away. No way would he sit out a year.

Is George still on vacation? If not, maybe he can clarify if Reid even would be eligible to transfer to another FBS school without sitting out. That, IMO, would be the only holdup. Reid's situation seems almost identical to Janoris Jenkins (though Jenkins was an underclassman which is why he had to go the FCS route). And Bowden was able to turn Jenkins into a second-round NFL pick. I would imagine, if he is able to play right away, there would be mutual interest on both sides.

Maybe somebody knows the definitive answer. But from what I understand anybody who already has a degree can transfer without penalty to another D1 program and use the remaining year of eligibility toward post-grad studies. However, I don't believe it is as cut and dry as that, as I thought there were some loopholes that if a player is on pace to graduate and his released from his scholarship, he could also transfer without sitting out. That second part, I'm not clear about, though. I don't know if Reid qualifies for either.

Why not? What's one more risky player (that's if he would be eligible this year, because that would be the only way it would be possible)? Is there some sort of arbitrary line that coach Bowden is going to draw on the number of castoffs he's willing to bring in? Hasn't he brought in Carlton Thomas (UGA), Avis Commack (FSU) and C.J. James (Colorado State)? Since, this is the rout coach Bowden has decided to go, might as well go all in (at least this year) and see how it plays out. I don't think relying on at-risk transfers is a way to build the program. But right now, this program needs all the talent they can get. I say bring on the mercenaries. What are they going to do, mess up the team chemistry and bring the program any lower? Besides, Reid would be a huge upgrade in the secondary and would be a nice player to pair with Tyler Williams in the return game.

The only probable way we play Penn State would be either in the consolation semifinals or finals. So, hopefully, a matchup with PSU doesn't happen (unless they somehow end up the championship semifinals or finals .... very unlikely). Toledo will be a road game this year. Which could be a nice RPI win if they can go up there and pull it out. Toledo could easily break into the top 80 this year. With the rest of the MAC, outside of Akron, Ohio and Toledo, looking down, the Zips are going to need all the help they can get from the Rockets. You are confusing Tennessee State with Middle Tennessee State. But that is a good thing, as Middle Tennessee State went 27-7 last year and is probably sill to come on the rankings. I believe they are coming to the JAR (don't remember that being a one-time deal). Also, Oral Roberts (No. 125) owes Akron a return Bracketbuster game, though I think that will be next year. Has that been confirmed yet? Off the top of my head, other teams that should appear on this list that Akron will (or could hopefully play) are: Oklahoma State (PR), Tennessee (PR), NC State (PR), vs. Marshall, at Creighton, at Ohio, vs. Ohio. I'm probably missing a couple, too.

Greg Reid, a former 5-star recruit, was dismissed from Florida State today. With coach Bowden's FSU ties and his willingness to take on at-risk players, wonder if he could end up in Akron? He's a senior, so he may be eligible to play right away depending on his grade situation. http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/...-greg-reid-team

So, you still don't think that he has designed the program to compete at a higher level? Despite the fact, in the past three years, he has now taken on four transfers (Brian Walsh, Xavier; Chauncey Gilliam, UMBC; Quincy Diggs, New Orleans; and Pat Forsythe, West Virginia); he has taken two talented academic chances (Demetrius Treadwell, Nick Harney); and has gone outside the 50 states to get two talented PGs (Alex Abreu, Carmelo Betancourt). KD has drastically changed his recruiting philosophy (for the better, IMO). The only thing he hasn't done is dipped into the JUCO ranks. Even at that, I wouldn't be against that if it means adding another impact player ... even for only two years. It actually wouldn't surprise me if KD eventually goes that route. Personally, I think KD has done about whatever he can, considering the circumstances, in building a program that can compete beyond that MAC. Even the title game losses, outside of one, have been close (banked buzzer-beater, OT, a game that went down to the wire against a team that was seconds away from the elite-8). I have no problems with what he has done recently.

Really, quite the imagination? You just posted an article that leads with SMU paying an assistant $700,000 a year. Of course, as the article points out, that is a rare case, and I agree KD would never get that at his age as a coach-in-waiting. However, the article also points out that at least one other top assistant made $420,000 (though it didn't say how many others are in that same ball park). I'm not even going to put KD in that group. Because he won't get that, either. At the same time, it says top assistants seldom make $250,000 and often less than that (doesn't say how much less). But, I'm pretty sure if KD wanted to be an assistant at a major program, he would be in that $250,000 tier. If not, lets not forget that he could easily pull a Jim Christian and end back up at a MAC school as a head coach. Miami just hired John Cooper at $250,000 per year and Central Michigan hired Keno Davis at $300,000 per year. So, if KD took the Duquesne job at $700,000 per season, even if fired after three years (and I don't see any way he would be fired before then), he would have made $2.1 million. Then let's just say he either takes an assistant job at a major or a head job at another MAC school at $250,000 per year. He is obviously planning on coaching at least another 10, so that means he would sign up for at least seven years of that. At even $250,000, he would make another 1.75 million. Overall: Worst case, if KD would've taken the Duquesne job, was fired after three years, then spent 7 years at $250,000 (either as a major assistant or a MAC-level head coach). In that 10-year period, he would've made $3.85 million. The 10-year deal he just signed at Akron is reportedly worth a total of $4 million. That's hardly a difference when we are talking about that amount of money. Plus, that's not to mention that he could have actually succeeded at Duquesne and coached there for 10-years, which could've netted him at least $7 million, if not more. My point is simple. If KD didn't like the direction of UA, he could've taken the Duquesne job and potentially made at least 43% more money in a 10-year period. Worst case, he takes the Duquesne job, is fired, lands somewhere else and only loses 3.75% of his money (though it's not out of the realm of possibility that he would've still come out ahead). If he didn't believe that UA was committed to upgrading its program (IE, arena), no way he turns down the deal that Duquesne offered.

I have no information to back this up, but I think you are reading way too much into this. In fact, I believe this deal was more about KD believing there will be a new arena than anything else. If not, he could've taken the Duquesne job and made a lot more short-term (and likely more long-term) money than what he will get at Akron. And even if he was fired or non-renewed at Duquesne (which some seem to think was likely), it's not like KD couldn't have found work for the next 6-7 years. He has been successful and has built up a list of contacts (including, though some may hate to hear it, the best basketball player in the world). He will find work. I imagine, if needed, even if he took the Duquesne job and was fired, KD could find work as an assistant at a major program and still make more money than what Akron will pay him over the life of this new deal. Let's not automatically think the sky is falling because we've re-signed the greatest coach we've had in the MAC era to a long-term deal. Dambrot is not just a survivor, he's a winner (the fact that he has changed is entire philosophy due to those MAC title game and first-round NCAA losses proves that). He has taken this program further than just about anybody could've considering what he is working with. I don't think he would re-sign for that amount of time if he didn't think that bigger and better things for The University of Akron are coming. He would've had plenty of other options. This deal has me all the more confident that a new arena is not just a pipedream, but something that will be built, and as soon as possible.

Different sport, but here is a story I found on Michigan State sophomore-to-be DeAnthony Arnett, who transferred home from Tennessee to Michigan State due to his father's health condition. BTW, Arnett was cleared to play this year ... the article was before the NCAA granted his waiver. http://www.mlive.com/sports/saginaw/index....s_msu_spri.html It's not exactly apples-to-apples, but to me, both are legit reasons to transfer to a school close to home in a case where an immediate family member has a real disability. Even though we are talking about the NCAA, I'd be shocked if a waiver isn't granted.

Dave, Thanks for posting those links. I was going to post what I have heard about Pat earlier today, but since I didn't know the full story decided not to. Anyway, I am good friends with a couple of coaches who either are league rivals with Brunswick, or who are district rivals at Midview. Both kind of filled me on on Pat's backstory. They didn't go into as much detail as the article you linked, but they both told me he had a tough upbringing. I know that's not adding much, but I guess to anybody who doubts whether a hardship waiver is legit, his family struggles have been well known (at least in basketball circles close to Brunswick). If he needs to be closer to his dad, it's definitely not some fabricated story. Hopefully, the NCAA sees it as such. This isn't just isn't a case of a kid getting homesick.

That's the reason I left Worstell off. He's a decent prospect, but watching the tape on Stockett, he seems to be the better player, IMO.

Since the Darian Hicks thread has spun out of control (and I'll take a lot of the blame on that one), thought I would start a thread on some of the local targets the Zips have a good shot at. Not all of these guys are highly ranked by the services, but guys who I think are legit FBS prospects. 1. Steve Mathie, OT, GlenOak - He's the highest-ranked kid per Rivals who the Zips could land at No. 44 in Ohio. He's ahead of the now infamous Darian Hicks (who's rated No. 48). Rivals is showing an UCLA offer, but I believe the only legit offer he has right now is Akron. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recr...e-Mathie-129410 2. Deontae Moore, DE, Kenmore - He's the epitome of a diamond in the rough. He's about 6-3, 200 pounds and plays for a horrible program. But he is athletic and flies to the ball, and has a frame that could get up to 240 pounds if put into a legit strength program. Right now, I believe Akron, Can't and Toledo have offered. 3. Anthony Young, WR, Lakewood St. Edward - He's going to be tougher to pull because he's no longer a secret. Akron was if not the first, one of the first schools to offer him. But he's now building up a legit BCS offer sheet. Though, while he goes to St. Edward, his family lives in Medina, so maybe there is hope. He's the two-time defending state champ in the 200-meter dash (21.59 as a soph., and 21.61 this year) and was 4th in the 100-meter dash as a soph. and was 2nd this year. ... While second at the state meet in the 100-meters, he did run a state-best time of 10.43 at districts. http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p...amp;nid=6115449 4. Khoury Crenshaw, RB/WR, Solon - Darian Hicks' faster teammate. Crenshaw lacks ideal size to be a RB (only about 5-10, 155), but he is lightning fast. ... Beat Anthony Young in the track 100-meter dash to win the state meet. And his time of 10.55 at districts was the second fastest in the state all year, behind Young's 10.43. Akron is his only FBS offer so far, so I have to think the Zips are in the lead. http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p...amp;nid=6249384 5. Trei Thomas, WR, Can't - He's undersized at 5-10, 165 and doesn't have the elite speed of Young or Crenshaw, but he has still has very good speed and great shiftiness. Could be a matchup nightmare in the slot. Akron and Can't have offered. 6. Marcus McShephard, CB, Cleveland Heights - Cornerback with good speed, qualified for regionals in the 100-meter dash and led off Cleveland Heights' regional 4X100 and 4X200 teams. Akron is still his only offer, so the Zips again have to be in the lead. 7. Marshall Howell, WR, Cle. Benedictine - I don't know much about him, and only know the name because I saw the Zips have offered. But in the 1:30 video I will link, he looks like a player. Has decent size (listed at 6-foot, 185 pounds) and looks athletic. Just from the short video, he seems to get off the line well, and from the one clip of him in the backfield, appears he has a quick burst. Outside of Akron, also looks like Toledo has offered (via rivals). http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p...amp;nid=6249158 Outside of Young, who has put together a higher-profile offer sheet, these are the players who I think the Zips have to land to become competitive locally. They are all athletic guys, who have a chance to outproduce their high school rankings. Even with Young, I will hold out hope (since he's a local kid) that he can become enormed by Bowden's offense, instead of taking a Big Ten offer from Minnesota, Indiana or some other Big Ten doormat. EDIT: Here's an addition of someone I can't believe I forgot about before, and ranks No. 1 on my list of "local" players Akron needs to land if they want to be THE school outside of Ohio State for NE Ohio recruits. 8. Kareem Hunt, RB, Willoughby South - He rushed for over 2,000 yards last year and should dubplicate that again this year. He's listed between 5-11 185 to 6-0 204. Toledo (which seems to be the case with a lot of NEO kids) was the first to offer him, but Akron wasn't far behind. He runs track and I believe ran a sub 10.9 FAT 100-meter dash as a junior. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recr...eem-Hunt-140147 From his highlights, Hunt seems like the total package. Very good speed, great balance, can catch the ball out of the backfield. How he is not even ranked by rivals, but DeVeon Smith from Howland is a 4-star, top-100 player makes me scratch my head. The competition both play is a wash, and Hunt looks to be the better player on film. BTW, I brought this back up after reading that Willoughby South beat Massillon in a scrimmage tonight, and Hunt broke off some big runs. Here is an article from the scrimmage: http://fridaynightohio.com/news/massillon-...final-scrimmage Hunt had two of South's touchdowns and five runs of 10 or more yards in one half of play ... against a team that people think could be a state championship contender.

I'm not trying to come off like I believe Lee Owens is in the same breath as Nick Saban, Les Miles or Urban Meyer. He's not even in the same class at Terry Bowden, but considering where the program was when he arrived and what he was up against in recruiting, I think he did a pretty good job. It's true that he did recruit second rate talent, but no coach could've recruited anything more than that at a time when the school had no indoor facility and was still playing in the Rubber Bowl, with no InfoCision in sight. Owens was never given the opportunity to recruit with either the indoor facility (which opened right after he was fired) or InfoCision. Who really knows how much he would've been able to upgrade the talent level. Though it's reasonable to assume he would've done a lot better than either Brookhart or Ianello (of course, that's not saying much). Overall, I thought the school should've given him one more year, but he was dead in the water after the opening night meltdown in the RB against Can't. That sealed his fate. Still, that team rebounded pretty well. They were within 34-31 against Wisconsin the following week with the ball inside the Wisconsin five midway through the fourth, but Hendry was stuffed on fourth down and then Lee Evans had a 99-yard TD to seal that game. They also lost a heartbreaker at Connecticut on a field goal with no time on the clock. The other two losses were at Miami (and nobody in the MAC was beating Miami that year) and at a pretty good Marshall team. It was a 7-5 season, but only a couple plays away from 10-2. Outside of Can't (which was a debacle), the other losses were because of what you are saying. Those other teams simply had more talent, and made a couple of plays (or 10-12 in Miami or Marshall's case) to beat the Zips. What I'm saying is that the Zips didn't have the same kind of talent, yet, were so close that year to having a very good year (unfortunately, it was never going to be a title season because Miami and its rapist QB rolled everybody). But if Lee was given another year (this time at least with a completed indoor facility to recruit with), he could've added some more talent to the program. Considering the Zips lost every bit of momentum they had built up once Brookhart lost most of the players Lee Owens recruited, I don't think a 2004 team coached by Owens would've done worse than the 04 team coached by Brookhart, nor the 2005 team (though I know that is debatable and depends on how much of the "success" that year was simply due to Luke Getsy, who wouldn't have been at Akron if not for J.D. ). Anyway, who's to say that if Owens didn't stick around and the Zips won the league title in 2005 under him, with a stadium now on the horizon, that he couldn't have vastly upgraded the talent level? It's all conjecture on my part, I understand that, but it's not as far-fetched conjecture as some may believe. Overall, while I'm as pumped as anybody about what Terry Bowden can do for this program (and yes, I'll take Terry Bowden any day of the week over Lee Owens), I still think Owens wrongly gets lumped into the list of Zip coaching failures (and I'm not even just speaking of people on this board, but people I talk to on the street) along with Brookhart and Ianello. When it just isn't the case. He did more with less than Brookhart (yes, I believe his two winning seasons were a direct result of Owens' talent) or Ianello combined.

Fair enough. I guess I should've said as a full-time member of the MAC.

The Great GP1 also fails to mention that Akron has had 6 winning seasons as a D1-A program in its history, and three of those were under Lee Owens. The Great GP1 also fails to mention that two more of those winning seasons were in Brookhart's first and second years ... when upwards of 80 percent of those players were Lee Owens recruits. The Great GP1 also fails to mention that Lee Owens was the person who kept the indoor practice facility/stadium on the front-burner for the university. But yeah, Lee Owens didn't do anything but leave an empty trophy case.

Ouch... you hurt me on that one. Thanks for the link, though. I now know who Thomas Friedman is. Since, you want to go that route, you are the Skip Bayless of this board. You throw off-the-wall posts then believe them as gospel even if actual data doesn't back you up, just because you believe something to be true. At least, I take the time to put in some research before I spout off on something. And in this case, it shows that Ohio is still a top-four (or five ... you can split hairs with Georgia) overall football state ... and Akron (which is the school we all care about, sits right in the middle of a majority of that talent). How have you disputed that other than saying "still debatable" or "too me great players can be two or 20" ... what is it? You linked an article about somebody who is accused of throwing out generalities, when you have been the most blatant poster doing just that. What qualifies as a great football state? Again, speaking of generalities, you posted this: "Georgia is another good example. Georgia produces a lot of kids that look good in a uniform and most of the time fall short on the field. They are soft compared to the kids from Alabama, LA and MS. It's not the number, but the quality....just ask Alabama." OK, I "hypothetically" asked Alabama. They told me they have 13 Georgia kids on their roster. (They also told me they had three from Ohio, btw). I guess Georgia is too "soft" though, even though it is by a wide margin the out-of-state area they recruit most. Maybe you are referring to not the University of Alabama, but the state in general. I also asked Auburn what they thought of Georgia players. They said, they also have 13 ... and like at Alabama, that number represents the most out-of- state players there. Amazing that great tough-nosed state of Alabama relies so much on those "soft" Georgia kids. But yeah, they only look good in uniform ... that's why they are only getting drafted at the No. 5 overall amount (behind Ohio, mind you .... another state you tend to believe is overrated, despite the numbers showing otherwise). The only argument you have is "per capita" ... If that was the case, Iowa is a better football state than Ohio. You wanna go that far?

I agree with this 100 percent. If Akron can do this, they are a top 25 program in most years. It's an uphill climb (especially not being in a major conference). But Cincinnati has done just that (albeit in the Big East), with less of a local talent base to draw from.

What about 8 players in the top 87 of the 2012 NFL Draft? That's what Ohio produced ... and only two went to Ohio State, so it's not like the Buckeyes are the only team that benefits from the instate talent. In fact, I looked up the numbers a while back of every Ohio H.S. football player either drafted (or carved out an NFL career as a free agent) from 2005-12. There were 106 players from Ohio (an average of 13 per year), and only 34 of them (32 percent) went to Ohio State (and one was a walk-on from the rugby team). There is a lot of talent in Ohio ... No. 4 overall in that period behind the big 3 of Texas, California and Florida. And there isn't just one school that benefits from that talent. I also broke it down by area's in Ohio: By Region: 1. Northeast - 54 2. Southwest - 29 3. Central - 16 4. Northwest - 6 5. Southeast - 1 By metro: 1. Cleveland- 28 2. Cincinnati - 16 3. Columbus- 15 3. Akron-Canton - 14 (7 Akron, 7 Canton) 5. Dayton- 12 6. Youngstown-Warren- 12 (9 Warren, 4 Youngstown) 7. Toledo- 3 By super-region: 1. Cleveland-Akron-Canton-Youngstown-Warren- 54 2. Cincinnati-Dayton - 28 3. Columbus - 17 * The Cleveland-Akron-Youngstown-Warren area has produced 51 percent of Ohio's NFL talent, while making up less than 40 percent of the state's population (for the per capita people). All of those cities are within 40 miles of Akron. Here's the shocker ... I also did by school: 1. Ohio State - 34 2. Cincinnati - 13 3. Michigan State - 7 4. Akron - 5 4. Michigan - 5 Northwestern and Notre Dame are next with 3; Boston College, Ball State, Iowa, Indiana and Miami (Ohio) have 2; and a list of 20 or schools have 1 (including the likes of USC, Florida and Florida State). What does all this mean? 1. Ohio is still a great football state. 2. Not all the talent ends up in Columbus 3. Akron is in close proximity to the majority of that talent. 4. Akron has had success in the past with turning that talent into NFL players. 5. If Terry Bowden can turn the program around, there is even more success to be had in the area. 6. One recruit (Darian Hicks) isn't going to make-or-break this program moving forward.

Just did a expedia search for flight and hotel from Cleveland to San Juan from Nov. 14-19 and a package for the same hotel came up at $1,686 per person, not including taxes. Plus, tickets to all three games and the meal with the team weren't included. So, that seems like a decent enough deal ... not a steal that I have to jump on, but a decent value. I don't have an extra $3,000 grand lying around so me and the wife could take a November vacation to Puerto Rico, but if I did, I would probably do this offer. It'll be interesting to see how many people they will get through this offer. But even if fans from Akron don't make the trip, I imagine the Zips will be a crowd favorite down there due to Alex and Carmelo. Edit: Though, just browsing all the offers, there are some that are pretty significantly cheaper at other hotels which are rated just as high as the Condado Plaza Resort.

From what I remember, it was Boals who was recruiting him to Akron, then when he left to go to OSU, Weatherspoon also committed to the Buckeyes. It doesn't sound like Akron pursued him that much this time around, which may bode well for Walsh getting another year and how the staff views Justice, McAdams and Kretzer. There are going to be holes to fill at the wing in 13-14 with Q and Gilliam graduating. BTW, Toledo also got a transfer from a wing named Justin Drummond from Loyola (Md.). Sounds like it was similiar to the Gilliam transfer here. He averaged 10 points per game as a freshman and sophomore at Loyola.

Thanks. I realize it's the height of the dead period for basketball, just thought this could get some discussion going. I'm sure once the season gets going, it will be talked about more.

I guess we're getting closer to the conversation I envisioned when I posted this (though I'm sorry to inconvene Zipmeister by cluttering up this "active" board with "more Toledo posts.") Still, don't understand why people here don't think this is a bigger deal. True, Toledo isn't likely to win the MAC tourney (Akron and Ohio are the clear favorites). At the same time, Toledo is good enough to be a thorn in the side of one of those teams come Cleveland time. Now, they won't be there are all. That is pretty big news. One less roadblock for Akron to winning the MAC Tourney (you know, the only way the Zips will get in.) Toledo is a team on the rise. They return their top four scorers, including potential MAC POY in Rian Pearson. I thought it was pretty big news, now that it is official. But lets continue the "where should a new arena be built" threads or the "Keith Dambrot should shut his pie-hole" threads because those are what really matter. Overall, if Akron was a basketball school like some on this board think they are, I thought this news would've generated more buzz. But if even the "diehard Zip fans" don't care about something that directly impacts the 2012-13 basketball team (unarguably the most important in school history), does it really matter where the arena is built, or where Keith Dambrot coaches?

I'm surprised this hasn't been brought up yet. Yes, this first came out a couple months ago, but now it's official. I don't think Toledo would win the MAC title next year, but definitely a team who would be a tough out in the tourney. But now, they won't be there at all. That could drastically change the landscape of the tournament. I thought Toledo would be the team to beat in the West. ... and maybe No. 3 overall behind Akron and Ohio.

Going back to my Tarver comparison, I'm sure there was some of that same sentiment at the time he was admitted to UA. And he was actually from Akron, meaning those influences he had as a teenager were still right next door. And he didn't put anybody in danger. It's one thing if Turner was the shooter in both instances, then there would be real reason for concern. But if UA decided to not take kids (or adults) who come from "dangerous" surroundings, the school's enrollment would be a lot lower than what it currently is. That's just life as an urban university, and people going to UA should understand that not everybody attending the school are from Wadsworth, Copley, Hudson, Tallmadge, etc. Students here come from all walks... both athletes and non-athletes. That's one of the reasons why I love UA so much. It's a diverse school ... socially, economically, racially. We have people from all walks in our classes. That is a good thing, IMO.