zipsoutsider

If he was so bad, where the Artg recruits to replace him?

What did you clock his 40 at, coach?

That could coaching, too.

1. The cupboard was not empty. He chose to bench kids with experience in favor of recruits without experience. He didn't inherit a team that had gone 1-11 and he did have some talent. He let all talent that committed, go. If the cupboard was empty, Arth owns a fair share of the blame. 2. Agree about failure to utilize the transfer portal. But, maybe it wasn't his choice. Maybe either players didn't want to come or he was ordered by Williams to do it this way. It's hard to know what happened with Boogie, Morris, Nate Stewart, Andre Williams, and Maverick Wofley. All showed potential. It is quite puzzling that none of those guys who showed promise worked out. I also have to wonder about the secondary. What happened to Zaire Jacob's and Jordan Riley. Both were highly sought after and showed promise under Bowden. Arth came and crickets.

The patronizing, condescending language is too much.

It will be interesting to see how many kids in the portal make moves after the second signing day or spring ball. It's a big miss not to be on a roster for spring ball, but I am guessing we will see quite a lot of that this year. Just because the portal isn't showing it yet, doesn't mean these kids don't have homes. Neither Boogie nor Rhett Rodriguez are showing as having a place yet, but we know they have one.

I am not sure the pandemic is a legitimate excuse. It is something everyone is dealing with, equally. As far as getting to .500 in MAC play, I don't know how we get there. Like you said, we weren't even close most of the time. But you are also right, it's not like we can afford to fire Arth and I am seriously wondering if any coach can be successful with the current administration at UA.

Bowden was 5-7, including a win over Pitt in year 3. The Arth "rebuild" is nothing like what Bowden faced. I don't think 5 wins is a lot to ask in year 3. I honestly dont see how the team gets to 5 wins in 2021.

Now how many wins in 2021 to be considered appropriate progress?

Going home....good for him.

Lol, it is what it is. The past is a better place when there is no future.

His job is to develop players and win games. The program has regressed under his leadership. That isn't isn't opinion it's a fact. If he really believed in "#ourway" he wouldn't be looking at the easy exit from the burning dumpster fire in NE OH. He knows this is a no-win situation. It's hard to know how much is on him and how much is on the administration, but the situation is bad.

Actually, if you take the kids out who have decided to stay since Bowden was hired at ULM, Akron has more than ULM, despite a coaching change.

Yeah, but good coaching develops talent.

They were also 0-6. They are terrible. If the Zips had looked more promising, the transfer portable would be less troubling.

The only MAC team with more kids in the portal is NIU, where the coach and AD both took 10% paycuts this year.

I have always thought the #ourway label was pretty lame...nothing catchy or particularly inspiring. It implies a hard line push vs. pull attitude and an imposing of will. Truthfully, that's what I have seen from him on the sidelines when he explosively yells at kids. I realize some of you believe that is how you get people to change, but it just isn't. Any study on human motivation will prove you wrong. When you look at what Swinney does, he really builds a trust culture and one of care. Their PAW Journey program provides workshops on topics that help the kids beyond the football field. They care for the whole player. These kids are being marketed to in a way that has never been seen before and I think there is a growing numbness to it. Authenticity is a differentiator. Perhaps the biggest part of change management (which is essentially what he is doing) us selling your vision for the future. It has to be sold internally and externally. I don't think he has done it externally. Every coach in America believes you don't win without culture. There is nothing special about that. There is no differentiating message to recruits, parents, media, or fans on that message. It doesn't appear that he is doing that internally, either. He didn't start from scratch. He had players who had won. There was some legacy established between the bowl win, MAC East title, P5 wins, and Wagon Wheel wins. He didn't inherit a team coming off of two 1-11 seasons. A coach that has sold his vision is able to retain players. Retaining players means that even the kids who are walk-ons buy into the vision. The transfer portal is a good indicator that he isn't doing that. I have never been convinced of his sincerity and priority for the kids, in his interviews. I am not saying he doesn't care at all about hem, I am sure he does at some level, but I am not sure it is at the level that convinces a kid who sits the bench and is far from home for four years to stay.

Love Smith?

Lol. I love irony. I thought about Holiday, too. What a joke to fire him. I am not sure he would even nibble at the Akron job, though. Curt Cignetti would have been a good catch but leaving JMU for Akron isn't much of a career move. Another possibility with a P5 Resume could be Bo Pelini.

Ditto Arth leaving might give UA the out it needs to make a better hire. but I would be surprised if can find one. They can only afford young, raw talent and there is no one to mentor that talent.

I am not sure I would say Bowden went to a worse program than Akron. I think they are in pretty similar places. From a budget perspective, ULM is behind Akron, but Bowden was able to pull in a really nice mix of young and coaches with with P5 type experience at ULM. They are doing a big presser to announce his staff with Tim Brandoto MC the event and the extended Bowden family present. In Bowden's remarks since he began at ULM he has made reference to changes in the type of support he received once the university president and athletic director changed at UA. He wasn't disparaging, but it was clear he felt hampered, and if it would have only impacted him, he would have left after the bowl win in 2015. He stayed due to the financial impact on his assistants. His comments have made me wonder if Arth, or any coach would have the right leadership behind them at this point at UA. I remember when they decided that Bowden had to change his recruiting focus and limited use of the plane for recruiting. What else don't we know about that impacts the program? I did not think Arth was the right hire, but I think, in retrospect, it is unlikely that there could be a right hire at UA with Williams, and possibly the current president at the helm. If nothing else, the major financial bind from firing Bowden with 2 years left on his contract and digging themselves into a financial hole with Arth has made this a very bad situatuon at a time when schools like Akron are facing unparalleled financial challenges. Is Arth getting what he needs to be successful? Bowden has been very creative with staffing hires at ULM and has a staff far better than what the school can afford as a result. His connections helped him do that. He has a nice mix of P5 seasoned guys (Rich Rodriguez, Ron West), and young talent with a history of wiwinning (Alonzo Hampton, Zac Alley. GA's from Clemson.) There are some mentors along with the high potential talent from the Clemson GAs. Arth doesn't have the legacy connections and likely doesn't have the budget to bring in top quality assistants. Arth, himself, doesn't have a mentor and the assistants on his ream don't have them, either. Arth's oldest assistant doesn't have other experience at the collegiate level. I am guessing Arth is under serious budget constraints which makes it hard to bring in the right assistants to help them exceed. Dollard has given them a lift, but what happens if he is injured? (like Warren Ball) There just isn't a lot there to be encouraged about at this point.

That remains to be seen...

Michigan State is also a dumpster fire....the entire athletic program is and has been since the USA women's gymnastics scandal broke.

I guess that could be any of the next Akron guys to show up in the transfer portal.

Also has brought in Clint Tricket to coach the TEs.