POLL: How satisfied are you with the 2015 FB Class?

[ZachTheZip]

As early enough in the season as possible when someone realized that they were better than a guy we had on the field, and would make the team better.

I certainly wouldn't do it with 3 games left, but I think that you could evaluate the performance of the guy on the field vs. the freshman redshirt long before that point.

Sorry. I'm just not a fan of "waiting til next year" when you have a guy who can make this team better right now. We need to win games. Now.

The 2014 class was full of players at positions where we were very deep and talented. It was almost entirely defensive positions. Look johnnyzip84's list that was posted above.

[K92]

The 2014 class was full of players at positions where we were very deep and talented. It was almost entirely defensive positions. Look johnnyzip84's list that was posted above.

But I guess that counts as good recruiting? Fill positions that aren't a pressing need? Got it. Thanks. Along those lines, I fully expect to see three more transfer Linebackers announced between now and September.

[ZachTheZip]

But I guess that counts as good recruiting? Fill positions that aren't a pressing need? Got it. Thanks. Along those lines, I fully expect to see three more transfer Linebackers announced between now and September.

Fill positions that are going to graduate one year ahead of schedule so the replacements have a year of learning and strength training before we throw them into the fire.

[Zipgrad01]

What part of NIU smokes Akron in recruiting don't you understand? YOU are the one who wasn't even talking about how Northern compares with Akron but how they compare with lower level P5 schools. Don't put words in my mouth. I am pretty clear with what I am saying.

I think you quoted the wrong person. ?

[K92]

Oh, by the way Zach. Back to the NIU spat. The guy who really did more with less at NIU was Jerry Kill and he not only did it at Northern. He took a rag tag bunch of scrubs at Minnesota who and turned them into a pretty decent looking football team. Zero tradition there and when he took over the program was at its all-time low. It's what good coaches do.

[ZachTheZip]

I think you and some others completely and entirely missed my point when I brought up NIU. I'm using them as an example that the ratings are garbage and that it's stupid to worry about where some morons who are not good enough to get hired as recruiting coordinators rank our recruiting class.

So they put us last in the MAC. Who cares what they have to say? I bet I've seen more film of our recruits than they have. I bet that every single person posting in this thread knows more about our recruits than they do.

[K92]

I think you quoted the wrong person.

My bad. I'm hitting wrong buttons and shit.

[Zipgrad01]

I think you and some others completely and entirely missed my point when I brought up NIU. I'm using them as an example that the ratings are garbage and that it's stupid to worry about where some morons who are not good enough to get hired as recruiting coordinators rank our recruiting class.

So they put us last in the MAC. Who cares what they have to say? I bet I've seen more film of our recruits than they have. I bet that every single person posting in this thread knows more about our recruits than they do.

So you have studied film of every recruit from every school in the country? Until you have it is meaningless how much you know about our recruits. Do yourself a favor and pull up film from every other MAC schools recruits. You will see why our class is ranked last.

[Jrship35]

My bad. I'm hitting wrong buttons and shit.

++++1

Relax fella ...... LOL

Like the passion ...... whens that tailgate ?

[Jrship35]

Obviously ALOT of work to do ...... I would throw out (and I have no validation), however, don't mistake that we have absolutely little to no relationship with the Ohio and western PA high school coaches as of yet (that I know of). I believe Coach Boykin is a Youngstown guy and I think Coach Gilldersleeve is from Mt Union, that's about it for Northern guys ..... That relationship is HUGE and needs to be grown (as Bowden has alluded to ) very quickly ......... Again, winning helps that

I know that when Coaches Bowden and Stroud walked into my sons high school, they immediately knew his high school coach as he worked as a GA under Bowden and for Stroud at Auburn ........... Point is that until UA establishes a relationship, it is difficult to sell. If a young recruit and his family gets a thumbs up from his high school coach, it is pretty much a wrap...... Not sure if the other coaching staffs in the MAC have this relationship but I'm sure that is a liability for us right now

Just sayin

[K92]

++++1

Relax fella ...... LOL

Like the passion ...... whens that tailgate ?

I don't think you fully realize where I am coming from. I want the Zips to win so damn bad I can taste it. I love this freaking school so much I have a tear in my eye typing this because I'm all worked up and I'm very worried. I put all my eggs in the Bowden basket like everybody else did and I was all in at first but the warning signs are too ominous to ignore. We are in big trouble.

If you want to say that the rankings are bollocks, fine. You win. But these facts are facts. We offered a bunch of kids that were offered by a bunch of other schools as well and we lost head-to-head with everyone we were battling with. Kids with offers other than Akron chose other. That hurts. High school kids are avoiding this place like the plague. Is it because so many transfers have been brought in that h.s. kids have cold feet now? There is no way in Hell a kid with an offer from Akron should take an offer from Eastern. That is personally offensive to me.

[Dr Z]

I wish we could bottle Keeners passion for the Zips and put it in the Akron water supply like the Scarecrow did in Batman Begins.

[lance99]

Lets ask Coach Bowden.

[lance99]

Nobody ever said that he should be fired, but there are far too many kool aid drinkers on this site that are scared to be critical of him. If you think that I am off base with my evaluation of his recruiting then pull up the classes from 2013 and 2014 and show me what they have done to help this program. They have basically had zero impact.

Hold on Zipgrad01

You mean to tell everyone here that if anything else, the talent level has not gone up since Bowen been coach? If you actually believe that, you are either: A:) Not a true Zips fan, or B:) Not paying attention at all or C:) A Cleveland Sports fan that happiness is being unhappy all of the time.

As a Joe Akron with no ties to the school, even I have been critical of Bowden, and trust me, even the "Kool Aid" drinkers you allude to has been critical, very critical. Go back and read the Ohio game thread from months ago and open your eyes.

Sorry if you want National Titles in his first year. The game does not work that way and you know it. There are people on this site that want this team to fail, and very badly at that. That is fact. I want them to succeed. Do I like the back-to-back 5-7 record? No. Where this team was at, I will take this at the moment.

The one thing is patience and time, things that people seem to forget on this site.

[Jrship35]

I wish we could bottle Keeners passion for the Zips and put it in the Akron water supply like the Scarecrow did in Batman Begins.

Agreed ....... Love the passion and Keener I'm a fan brother

[Zipgrad01]

Hold on Zipgrad01

You mean to tell everyone here that if anything else, the talent level has not gone up since Bowen been coach? If you actually believe that, you are either: A:) Not a true Zips fan, or B:) Not paying attention at all or C:) A Cleveland Sports fan that happiness is being unhappy all of the time.

As a Joe Akron with no ties to the school, even I have been critical of Bowden, and trust me, even the "Kool Aid" drinkers you allude to has been critical, very critical. Go back and read the Ohio game thread from months ago and open your eyes.

Sorry if you want National Titles in his first year. The game does not work that way and you know it. There are people on this site that want this team to fail, and very badly at that. That is fact. I want them to succeed. Do I like the back-to-back 5-7 record? No. Where this team was at, I will take this at the moment.

The one thing is patience and time, things that people seem to forget on this site.

No. We are talking about high school recruiting. Tell me how his recruiting of 4 year players has elevated the program. I agree that he has increased the talent level by bringing in transfers, but this is not a sustainable or a good way to grow the program.

Don't dare question whether I am a true zips fan. Anyone that knows me knows that I bleed blue and gold. I, however, am an honest and unbiased poster that sees things for how they are. The fact of the matter is that we are too reliant on kids screwing up and getting kicked off their team and coming to akron than we are of bringing in high school kids and developing them.

[K92]

You are very kind to say something nice about me Doc and Ship. I'm really just a Johnny come lately who had his Zip pride rekindled in 2009. While CK, JZ, the good Dr., Zips Win! and many other fans of my age group were closely following the Zips, I was going to NASCAR races upon my graduation in 1992 through the '09 season. They and many other unnamed fans have been loyal supporters through years of bad Zip football. They are the real true blue fanatics that deserve kudos, not me.

But I always loved this place. It was my father, God rest his soul that decided I was going to attend UA. I wanted to go to Cincinnati but I was over ruled. I never regretted his decision and I have had the greatest times and made the best friends at the place I used to call Zip Town Party U when I was a student.

UA had a huge part in making me who I am today and I will never forget that.

BTW, even though ZipGrad01 is quite a bit younger than I am, I love that dude like a freakin brother and he loves the Zips as much as any of us do and I would vouch for him any day of the week.

[Jrship35]

Man I gotta try to lay out my point

A. Horrible program, no winning tradition. From what I hear from, a absolutely terrible environment

B. Truly only two (third this year) recruiting classes (I don't think you can count 2012 to be fair) ...... In fact, I would argue that being hired in December of 2011, that Bowden worked with what he inherited ( I really think that's fair) ...... So really 2012 was a year to get the entire staff together (including recruiting, video, and guys/gals to do the behind the scenes stuff (it is critical), Had to turn over the Medical, training, strength and conditioning group .......... That is STILL being solidified. Takes time folks .............. Record 1-11

C. 2013, the offense was coming together, but the defense needed repairs, which I believe was achieved .... Need for JC guys, tranfers to stop the bleeding on defense along with a heavier recruiting class on defense. I think we can mostly agree that although we need to continue to improve and fill holes on defense, that we have made improvements .......... Record 5-7 (Could/should have been 6-6?)

D. 2014 (THE STEP BACK) .. Defense was in good shape (no real depth at DL hurt late in games ... ONE COULD ARGUE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE PLAYED FRESHMEN HERE .... If there were any). Offense on the downfall . We were in the mix until the blow up of the last half of the season), Everyone knows the story ............... Record 5-7. BIG HURT ON RECRUITING !!!! No doubt

So, Last year withstanding, We can agree that there was progress, maybe not immediate or even substantial, but progress if you consider at all, the logic of truly what it takes to restaff a D1 Football program (top to bottom) and when Bowden was hired.

Again let me address Keener (and all passionate Zips fans)...... You are starving for a winning program, I hear you and totally understand your frustration from last year. I can understand the frustration when you look at the recruiting concerns and no impact from recruiting.

I have faith in Coach Bowden (and I didn't drink any kool aid) .... The guy gave me past players names for to call and ask what he was like to play for (maybe that was a set up, but they all loved playing for the guy). My sons high school Coach (who was a GA under Bowden at Auburn) said he was a class guy and that my son would be making a mistake not to play for him..... So I'm giving him a pass BUT completely understand that your patience is much less than mine ............. I know I may have a bit of a slant toward the program that is paying for my sons education, but I'm a straight up guy and tell you that I will be pretty critical if there are not marked differences this season. ..... Especially when Coach Bowden sits in my living room and makes statements.

I'm with you guys .......

[a-zip]

Bowdens philosophy:

To find "high character" (his words), talented, hard working kids (blue collar). Said that what their staff looks at on film is not the plays (most highlite films are against crappy competition) but they look at their footwork, change of direction, technique at the position (varies by position). Basically they are looking for good clay that they can mold into what they need...... Like every other school

He has no regard for how many "stars" a kid has and even told me that he will take two hard working, high character "no star" kids over a 5 star any day (could be coach talk ).

These guys are old school guys (Bowden, Amotto, Stroud all over 25 yrs in coaching and Bobby Bowden influence is all over them as he was their mentor). They have nothing to do with these recruiting services and have the admin staff deal with them on a limited basis ..... They simply don't believe in them.

If you look at the things that attract the recruits (and not bragging, but there have been over a dozen of them that basically lived at my house the past 10 years), they are :

How good is the team (winning)

Facilities

Coaches

Acedemics

Campus --- fun

Uniforms ...... Fans may not like the new unis, but the kids do !!

If you look at that list ...... The only thing that UA is really lacking is number one ........, hmm

I do believe that these guys know what they are doing as they have been doing it a long time. There is a winning track record and a record of building solid programs .... The construction of a winning program takes a lot of time as there are so many parts ..... As even my son saw from our first visit and research that it has been a terrible "program" prior to Bowden (sorry).... The seller for him was the coaches and the opportunity to be apart of building something that UA has never had.

Folks I joke around about the "just win baby" phrase, but if you look at the above list of things that are important to the recruits ..... It's the only thing we are missing at this point.

Damn 2015 is so huge for Bowden and the UA program ..... If the 2015 team goes 8-4 and represents ........ You will see more local talent and more multi star recruits (if that's your thing)

Add support and fan base. I am telling you when a player takes their recruiting visit to a school and sees 2-3K in the stands…..the school goes down in their ranking.

[Balsy]

So you have studied film of every recruit from every school in the country? Until you have it is meaningless how much you know about our recruits. Do yourself a favor and pull up film from every other MAC schools recruits. You will see why our class is ranked last.

Maybe I'm missing something but our class isn't ranked last everywhere. With such a drastic difference between rankings on to "big-name" recruiting websites, you can see why they're BS. Also, 4 out of the 5 teams we beat this year had "better" recruiting rankings the we did over the past 5-years...yet we still beat them. So the predictive power of recruiting rankings is not very good.

[Balsy]

I love being called a "Bowden Kool-aide drinker", and I'll embrace it. The most entertaining and fun Zips football games I've watched in my limited time as a Zips football fan, have been with Bowden at the helm. All you old guys must have short memories, but do you remember what football was like before Bowden was here...seriously...to even suggest that this program is in danger considering where it has had to dig out from, you must be seriously delusional. I'm not happy we only won 5 games last year, but I'm happy I can actually watch games now expecting to win. I'm happy not spending my entire season wondering which game is going to be the "second" win.

Last year we won the MOST games at home in Stadium history (4). Let that stat sink in for a bit before we start going all chicken little. This program is making huge progress.

[LZIp]

Maybe I'm missing something but our class isn't ranked last everywhere. With such a drastic difference between rankings on to "big-name" recruiting websites, you can see why they're BS. Also, 4 out of the 5 teams we beat this year had "better" recruiting rankings the we did over the past 5-years...yet we still beat them. So the predictive power of recruiting rankings is not very good.

what about the 7 teams we lost to? I bet all of them have had better recruiting the past 5 years. What about the programs with the top classes in the nation the past 5 years? I bet they had near top programs.

[K92]

No one has responded to post #70 yet. Why not?

[Dr Z]

do you remember what football was like before Bowden was here

I sure do. I remember when Luke (with Hixon) and Charlie (with Cherry) were leading Zips offenses. It was pretty awesome to watch. Too many games to type out for you. The game when Byron Leftwich was injured and carried down the Rubber Bowl field was played on ESPN for a month. I remember Dwight Smith dominating a game, and just about winning the game all by himself from the CB position, despite James Harrison's best efforts on a freezing winter day in Portage County. I remember future HOF JT33 making every offense he played adjust to him. Notice every name I mentioned in this post played in the NFL.

I'm as big as a coach Bowden fan as the next guy, but if you think entertaining football wasn't played in Akron before, you are shortsighted.

[Balsy]

Bottom line is this folks. For all you recruiting apologists, I say this. JZ posted the list. Please point out for me the names on the list that I am supposed to feel good about. I will cede you Brown, Hundley, Scott & Lane. I also hold out hope for Ericksen. Beyond those 5 who gives you warm and fuzzy feelings?

Show me the error of my thinking. I eagerly await your responses.

Just for you Keener, I'll bite. I'll give you something that you should have warm and fuzzy feelings about. It's already posted here. You see I count all players brought in by Bowden to be Zips recruits. JUCO to Transfers. Anything and everything to make this team better. Most of the players in the 2013, and 2014 classes haven't seen much of the field. Why should you be having uninspiring feelings from players who haven't played yet? Before Jatavis Brown was flashing signs of being a good LB his sophomore year, couldn't you apply the same "who gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling" comment to him?

The reason we are "recruiting apologists" is because we can see with our own eyes how drastically this team has improved in 3-years with Bowden when it comes to talent. Do you remember the Ianello years? Half the players didn't look like they belonged on a D-I field! I'd say the entire incoming class is reason to get warm and fuzzy feelings.

I'd say that the "Big-Six" transfers we got are all names you should get warm and fuzzy feelings about.