bigjim

Actually, I am hoping that several of Bowden's recruits who are not FBS talent and will never contribute to the Zips will join the transfer portal. I am not trying to be cold, but at this level, you have to earn a division 1 scholarship. We are not obligated to give every person a scholarship. Akron is not USC. Regarding Council, I think the Zips will miss him big time. Even though the line was weak, he was one of two returning starters that could contribute on the line. It is not good to have 3-4 young linemen starting in a year. I think Art has some good young talent, but it is rare that 1st and 2nd year players can contribute on the OL. The youth will have to step up. As for Dre Williams, he walked out on the team. I would never let him back. Good bye.

The Division 1 offensive player of the year. First team all state. Akron has been very aggressive in pursuing Kipp. Arth and coaches have been recruiting him really hard this year. I have heard they have been to Mentor at least 3 times in 2020. Sounds like Coach and staff are non-stop recruiters looking to make the Zips better.

Thanks for the information, but something is not adding up. Per the article, 'The 6-foot-3, 180-pound lefty has yet to start his first varsity game, but already has offers from Indiana, Bucknell, and Jacksonville. Jankowski has good size, a strong arm and understands the Fighting Indians offense as well as anyone.' Please explain how he can have 3 offers before starting a game, throws for 73% completions, 22/4 TD to Int ratio, and he does not get signed in the early period and he falls to the Zips. I am hoping that this is a repeat of the Ben Roghlisberger situation. Ben did not start until his senior year because he sat behind the coaches son who was a grade ahead. Then, with a great senior season, most of the teams had their QB and he ended up at Miami, and the rest is history. He had to wait until the coaches son graduated. With Janikowski, he is the coaches son and sat.

For what its worth, most of the Zips who entered the transfer portal have not yet found a team or have gone to a small school. Only Swanson has gone to Troy. I wish everyone well, but this will be a good thing for the program as those without D1 talent will be playing at the correct level. It also shows the lack of talent that Arth inherited.

Stats are great. His highlights are good. However, I could not find him in 247 or Rivals database. I would like to get more information on him. Watching his highlights, I hope Arth considers signing his receivers. They looked fantastic.

Thanks for the update. You cannot rollover unused schollies, but based on the timing of early enrollees, they can apply to the prior year. I am not an expert, but there are rules that allow this to happen. Regarding the additional commits, thanks. I see them on 247. I also see that Zack Leininger is a 3 star transfer at TE. I am also curious about the following that are listed as Zip Hard Commits: Bass, Rosser, Green, and White. Are there enrollment issues? If these all were to sign, the DB signings would be substantial. As I stated originally, I would still love to see some JUCO's that can start immediately. At a minimum, I would love to see one OL and one DL signee that could step in and bolster the lines for the next two years and help get us some wins in 2020.

We are about 2 weeks away from the (Late) National Signing Day. Has anyone heard any news about additional players that the Zips may sign? As I go through the 247 website, there are a lot of potential players in the transfer portal that would look good in an Akron uniform. Also, there are surprisingly many 3+ star players that have yet to sign. The way I see it is that Akron has about 7 scholarships that they can give during this late period, if they find qualified student athletes. Per GOZIPS, they signed 20 players in December, and there is the limit of 25, so my great Akron education tells me that leaves 5 additional players that can sign. Also, last year they signed 23, so that leaves 2 more scholly's for this year, if they had early signees, which they did have several. In addition, with several Zips in the transfer portal, they should have the scholarship numbers. As I look at the roster, there are few talented Juniors and Seniors. I would like to see the Zips sign 7 more Juco's who have talent that can step in and play. This will also allow the youngsters to mature for a year and let those 3 star recruits step in and add depth and play next year. I am looking for any comments to keep Akron football relevant until the spring game.

Are you logged in?

For Question 3, the number 2 shows up in two options.

I was a Bowden fan, but wanted him to fire the OC. However, the expectations were higher his last couple of years and he did not produce. I, like most fans, agreed with his dismissal at the time it happened. Now, there is back pedaling across the board. He is gone now so he is not an option, and we need to focus on the current situation and move on. I would have liked Getsy as the head coach, but that did not happen. The statement above that 'Getsy has D1 playing and coaching experience. Arth has neither' is correct. However, Arth played in the NFL. He was not a star, but he made an NFL team. That is much so better than D1. He was also endorsed by Bernie Kosar and Peyton Manning, two of the smartest NFL players ever. These facts make it evident that Arth has very high football smarts. Now, that does not prove that he can recruit or coach. He has to prove that he can. Also, the talent level that Bowden left was pretty low. Pre-season analytics had the Zips losing each game, but they were predicted at a 1-2 win level based on statistics that they could have pulled off a couple of wins. Based on these facts, Arth is meeting expectations. Also, Arth's recruiting ratings last year were good considering the fact that he had a late start. In fact, many on this nation said it was better than any recruiting class in the Bowden era. Also, in 247 recruiting, he has all 3 star prospects to date this year. So, I have faith that he is brining in talent. With most of Bowden's classes, the recruits had only one offer, that from Akron. That appears to be improving as many of last year's recruits and this year's commits have more than one offer. I am disappointed and frustrated about the Zips season. However, Arth should never be compared to Ianello regarding football knowledge, who did not play college ball (I could not find any stats that he played). Arth has a high football IQ as evident by his experience. Now, he needs some time to get the right staff and players and make a push toward having a successful season. I will be at the next two home games, and I will try to follow today's game if I can find it on air. I will always remain a faithful Zip with expectations of a much better 20 season and a good 21 season. Go Zips!!!

One offensive touchdown and one sack, but somehow, the Zips pull it out. (it is the middle of the night and I can dream.)

If you watch his highlights, it is very obvious the position he plays in high school. He played either the Nose or Tackle, and never on the outside in his mid season highlights. He did not seem very dominant or quick, but if he was, he would be going big time. However, he plays at a position of need, the DL. I hope that he keeps his commitment and becomes a Zip.

What is the status of Reese for the NIU game? He gave the offense spark that Lee could never provide. I also liked the couple of plays that Hayes Kennedy had in the game. However, I would guess that they would try to save him and red shirt him. He should have three more games to play this year.

The commit list above has him at 280 lb. Here it is 235. I wonder which weight is closer to being correct.

Nobody saw that coming. I am still holding our for a Zip win against BG.

The Zips get beat handily again by Kent State. Fortunately, the Zips beat BGSU in early November to avoid going winless.

I look forward to the first win of the season. It will not be pretty, but it will be a close game (less than 7), weak running game (less than 90), and the low scoring option. Go Zips.

To support my comments that the Zips have a chance against UMass and BGSU, I looked up the rankings. Of the 130 FBS teams, the Zips were ranked 126th going into the weekend. UMass was 125th and BGSU was 124. We have a chance to win a couple of games. If you look at the rankings of Central, Illinois, and Troy, they are not very high and they blew out the Zips. I still have faith. We will win the two games this year.

The thing that is bothering me the most is the apathetic feeling at the tail gates and at the games. The lots are no where near full for tailgating, and these lots are in prime locations. Also, the responses on this forum are sparse. If there was a lot of interest, there would be many comments, even if they were thoughtless and negative. Also, I counted less than 100 students in the student section during the first half. Many left at half time. We used to go to the Rubber Bowl for every game. How much fun would it have been to have football on campus. We could tap the keg, drink, go to the first half, go back to the dorm, finish the keg, and come back for the second half. There is no interest for Zips football. If you are a student or an alum, I do not understand it. OK, go ahead and rip me but we need to get interest in the University of Akron Zips.

I agree that the o and d lines need a lot of help and there is no short term solution. Who do they beat this year? I think there are two possibilities: UMass and BGSU. I originally thought that Kent was a chance, but I have changed my mind. Regarding a big RB, why isn't Keyondre White or Peter Hayes-Patrick playing? They were both 3 stars out of high school. Also, why didn't Burkhart play today? Any inside information would be great.

The first question shows the sad state of affairs. Go Zips! I will be there early to cheer on my alma mater.

Now, with the Chip's QB and RB out, the zips have a chance, but in a close low scoring game. I expect Kato to get the bulk of the running yards, therefore 71 - 100. Also, Burkhart will have another good game, but not this Saturday. It will be AW. Go Zips!!!

I do not know if the Blazers are good, but what is the point spread? Although I hope they are wrong, Vegas is usually correct when money is involved. I agree that Bubba played well, just like the undersized player he is and how he played in high school. You cannot measure the size of one's heart. I agree that Brown will make a world of difference. Did you watch the games from last year that Jest played in? He actually did much better a couple of years ago before he left the program. Last year, he had very few tackles and got pushed around like a 180 lb lineman, not a 300 pounder. AD is fantastic. WR's did not stand out, but that was a function of the lack of QB, RB, and OL play . Also, I question the rotation One of my questions was the RB rotation. Where was Floyd, White, and Hayes Patrick. Maybe I missed them, but I did not see any production. I will be there in full force on Saturday. Maybe the fact that they are playing at home will spark the adrenaline and enthusiasm. But my hopes for the season are pretty grim. The fact that they were ranked 127 out of the approximately 130 FBS teams in the preseason does not show that the program is on the upswing. Let's hope that Coach Arth turns the Zip fortunes positive. Go Zips!!!!

Please, let's not speculate unless the facts are known.

You are correct with the reportedly. However, the big schools have been showing great interest. Michigan and the Suckeyes to say the least. I cannot reveal my sources, and I do not think the Zips can sign him, but these are the local players that Akron must pursue to the nth degree.