Balsy

I can't pretend to be an expert on combines and drafts and things like that...but it seems like this class has a lot more players than previous ones that people might be willing to take a stab on with a late-round draft pick/UFA. Just by looks I'd say it'd be this order: 1. Jamaal Marcus (5-7) 2. Jerome Lane (5-7) 3. Se'Von Pittman (6-7, UFA) 4. DeAndre Scott (UFA) 5. Larry Hope (UFA) I'd love to see someone take a stab at Natson in UFA, but I doubt that right? He's 151 lbs, and injury prone. No way he'd survive the NFL right? (Please go ahead and prove me wrong JoJo, I've teed this one up for ya to smash...)

For goodness sake, it's just a prediction! Let's not get into a debate about known and unknown quantities. Especially considering that there will be practices, a spring game and summer-camp to watch. A lot could change people's opinions before then...let's just leave it at predictions.

It's really not that hard of logic to follow. Bowden has brought QBs the mold of Nick Johns in as a transfer before (Dalton Williams)...6-4 220ish. Bowden has brought in dual-threat style QBs before to compete (Tra'Von Chapman). Bowden has had QBs with Injury problems (Kyle Pohl). Bowden has gone with other QBs OVER Woodson in the past. Most here on this forum thought the same about Kyle Pohl and would have never guessed that Woodson would have lead us to a 8-5 season after sitting on the bench. The line of logic is pretty clear, I'm not sure what there is to not understand. Most people are assuming it isn't a sure thing, which history has shown us it's not.

Until Johns goest 3-1 in the OOC and the Zips never look back.

I have a feeling it's either Johns or Nelson. And before anyone jumps on me, or criticize me for it, please just take this as my PREDICTION not what I WANT to happen. I've always been a Woodson fan, even during his RS Freshman season where some on this forum wanted to be done with him after losing to Ball State in a very winnable game. I just have this nagging feeling that Woodson will not be the starter for the vast majority of the season. Be it because he gets injured, or beaten out by someone else.

Totally agree. And don't hire presidents who say "I wouldn't have built THAT stadium".

I'd argue politics has had a large, if not larger role in turning schools into businesses. The relentless cutting of public funds for education have forced this culture more than athletics ever did. Athletics became a part of the competition for limited resources, which in this case is students paying $$$. In 1984 for public institutions public funding was somewhere around 55%-60% of a University's operating budget. As of 2014 it's around 20% or less.

Well not all programs are created equal.  The UA COA is based on lowest amount possible as an advertisement. It all depends also on what classes one is taken, because the student fees per department vary. I'm basing this off a Arts and Sciences student. I wonder if they also factor in summer classes/lodging for summer? Because the COA would be based upon Spring/Fall Semesters ONLY. Per Semester Spring/Fall Most expensive dorm: $4764 Most Expensive Meal plan: $2033 General Fee: $428 (based on 12 hours) Tuition (16 hours): $4960 Administrative Fee: $30 Facilities Fee: $222 Course fees: ($200-$800 depending upon the course, and how many you are taking a semester, program IE Engineer, Chemistry etc) Transportation fee: $175 Technology Fee: $211 Career Advantage Fee: $48 Library Fee: $64 Textbooks and supplies: (anywhere from $200-$1000 depending upon the courses) Total: $29,147 (Spring/Fall) In-state; $35,000 ish (I'm sorry I don't care to readjust all of the values above accordingly) SUMMER COURSES (Which a Lot of Athletes are Enrolled In, to help keep course load down during the season): Based on 6 credit hours. Tuition: $2,480 (4600) Transportation Fee: $120 Administrative Fee: $20 Technology Fee: $105 Library Fee: $32 Textbooks and Supplies: ($100-$500) Course Fee: ($100-$400) Most Expensive Dorm: $4764 Total Summer: $8,421 in-state; $10,541 out-of-state Total All Year: $37,568 in-state; $45,000ish out-of-state So I agree...the $79,000 scholarship is a very strange one indeed. But since it's split amongst 12 athletes who knows. Without actually seeing a contract, we'll never know. I'd imagine that there's certain things covered, while other things are not. Tuition vs, not room and board, or fees and that sort of thing.

Good lord. This is why it's so difficult to be an enthusiastic, up beat Zips fan. You go out and win a game that was neck-and-neck and then immediately get blown out in a tournament that means nothing. The Zips always play good enough to be pretenders but that's just what the Zips are, pretenders.

Can someone start a list on this thread that includes offers and Commits? or just commits? It's fun to keep track of and I can't seem to find a list of it anywhere...please direct me if there is one

Why is this posted?

I'm doing some digging. I doubt it will yield anything though.

I've Updated the Roster, for convenience the PDF is below, as well as the original post. Take a look at it and see what you see! The confirmed incoming class is currently listed as freshman (even though it's not on the website's roster), but we're assuming that they will be here come fall. Zips Roster UPDATE SPRING 2017.pdf Additions (besides the incoming class of freshman): (RS) SO WR Jason Grossman Sr. OL Matt Blaha (Disappeared from the Roster at some point last season and is now back on it...) RS Fr OL Josh Snow RS Fr OL Tito Vasquez Sr. OL LaVonne Gauthney (also apparently disappeared from the roster at some point last season) RS Fr P Peyton Coffman Jr CB Hugh Cade SO CB Alvin Davis Jr CB Myrian Mounds RS FR LB Demarkus Glover Losses (besides the outgoing senior class): (RS) SO WR Isiah Rainey-Nix (RS) SO WR Freddie Simmons (RS) SO DL Andy Jean-Baptiste Jr LB Brian Bell Interesting Notes: A couple of players shifted around, MTB is now a TE (which we knew about), Anthony Young and Kwadarrius Smith are no longer listed as ATH, but now as WR. A couple of players made the shift to either DL or OL. And we have just about a million RS Freshman OL. For the first time ever, we have more people in the FRESHMAN category than each of the other three individually. Please let me know if something is wrong/or an update that I may be unaware of. It takes a little bit of time to update the list and sometimes something slips through the cracks.

I love this. NorthWestern is the type of BIG-10 team we need to be playing. Not a perennial powerhouse, but not the bottom either. Hopefully we can catch them in a down year. 2018 OCC: Nebraska Iowa State Northwestern (Probably Random FCS School) That's a good chance to pull of a Big-10 win...playing two in the same year. The problem is that it looks like that would make us have 5 home games, and 7 away games, unless they can negotiate to push back the Iowa State return visit.

I would say it is stagnant. It's been in the exact same place that it has been for the last four years: not making the NCAA Tournament AND lose in round one of the NIT, or CIT (hopefully they don't this year, but I'm not holding my breath). At some point you've got to take that next step. You've got to start winning those "Big" games. Sure we didn't get the NCAA last four years...but we've gotten cracks at the NIT and still can't make anything happen. And the stagnant stature of the program includes attendance. The Zips have reached their threshold, and we saw it at the games this year. There hasn't been a drastic increase in attendance at games, and it's been relative the same for the last 4 years with a drop-off from 2013. Now of course the stadium probably pays a role into this, but even with a New Stadium are more than 3,200 people going to start showing up? I'd argue their not. I mean at some point you've got to win a game of significance to not be considered stagnant IMHO. When was the last game of significance we won? 2013 MAC Championship? Everything with the Zips has been the same for the last 4 years (and I'd argue probably longer, but I'm using the time frame of since 2013 as a metric). Marketing, season ticket benefits, gameday experience, opponents, results vs. Big Opponents, Stature in the MAC (Top, but not good enough to be in the NCAA Tournament), Game Strategy.

And those of us who are critical of Akron's current circumstance aren't die-hard fans? Again, I'd like to emphasize that there aren't many voices here calling for Dambrot to be fired. However, there are some critical voices of displeasure. Are you guys seriously happy with a four year drought? What the hell is the point to being the "best program in the MAC" if you can't get to the finish line? There's obviously something that's got to change with the Zips program or it will continue to be stagnant.

What does that matter when we lose whenever it really matters? Again, I'm going to stress that I AM NOT CALLING FOR DAMBROT TO BE FIRED. I am calling for The Zips to give a damn about changing the culture of meh. Because honestly, I'm personally getting more and more bored with following the Zips. Win 20 games a year and lose in the MAC C is boring to me. Win 20 games and lose to any team worth a damn is boring to me. Sorry, it is. Maybe I was spoiled because we went to the NCAA every-other-year when I was in college...but the program to me has lost a lot of spunk.

I'd like to point out that we can be upset about how the Zips have preformed, without calling for Dambrot to be fired. But on the culture side what are we building, a culture of meh? Just everything, and everyone around the Zips organization seems complacent with meh.

I think what people are upset about is who those Titles were won against. BOTH of Kent's were won against us. BOTH of OU's were won against us. One of Buffalo's and Miami's was won against us. Especially considering when we were the top ranked team in some of those losses. I mean, you can see where people are upset. Why does it matter if you get to the MAC C if you're going to end up losing it most of the time? Kinda hard to get excited about Zips basketball when we always lose whenever it matters. It's exhausting to watch the same old story.

I talked to my dad after the game, he was watching at home. The Cincinnati game ran over ours...by like 12 min of game time. Then the Top team in the MAC goes down to the 6th team in the MAC. MAC Basketball is on it's deathbed. If it wasn't already apparent, it's now almost completely irrelevant.

At least it spares us from getting a 12 or 13 seed and getting throttled ourselves. At least we can probably pick up a win...wait, on second thought...no we won't. We'll probably get throttled in the NIT.

Hallmark of the BigDog/Cheatom years. Not good enough when it really matters. If anyone wants to know why more Zips fans don't turn out to games during the regular season this is why. Why bother. You're the best in the conference and can't even win the games that matter. 4-years straight.

You guys are missing the most important factor with Zips athletics and Z-Fund, the people running it don't give a damn.

Ironically For Theropods you are not far off:

Fair point. I didn't mean to be condescending.