According to Bruce Feldman, Arth is done

[Zippyroo]

1 hour ago, exit322 said:

 

My best guess is that they waited until Akron wasn't bowl eligible anymore.

 

1 hour ago, RowdyZip said:

The timing is odd, and it only can be that Guthrie was waiting to see if bowl eligibility could be salvaged.  That was cruelly taken away with that ending vs. Testicle Tech (not that we're beating WMU, Toledo, or Kent, probably).  

 

That being said, I wish Coach Arth best of luck.  The results between he and the Ianello regime are similar, but the difference is that Tom is a likable guy that you want to see succeed.  And I hope he does.  

 

I have looked into absolutely zero candidates at this point, but can we PLEASE get someone with a longer track record of success at a lower level?  No high school coaches, please. 

I liked Arth and I do not think he was given enough opportunity to turn things around given that he was hired late in 2019 with suboptimal recruiting opportunities, and then had to endure a significant disruption with the COVID pandemic in 2020.  So, for me the only real normal year he had in his 3 seasons was this year and I do think things were headed in the right direction even thought the record did not indicate it.  On top of all that, Arth did bring in guys of high character as evidenced by the team GPA improvements which fit with Akron trying to rebrand itself in the STEM and business programs.  Now all of that is water under the bridge and I guarantee a ton of players, especially the ones that are talented, will leave and we will have to start from scratch with the cupboard bare just like what happened when Arth took the job in 2019.

 

As far as the timing being odd, I could not disagree more.  If you are going to make the change, better to do it when the new head coach still has a chance to recruit for next year as all of Arth's recruits will probably not come here without an opportunity to speak with the new coaches or the offers will be rescinded altogether by the new coaching staff.  My hope is that the AD had planned this all along and already has a new HC in the works.  In addition, this give our current players an opportunity to enter the transfer portal and potentially find a home for the Spring semester if they choose to do so.  If they were going to fire Arth, now is better than later for the new HC and for our current players.  

[kreed5120]

I swear if we just failed having a D3 college coach and then turn around and hire a D2 high school coach for the job I'm seriously done with Akron football forever. We need someone who knows how to run practices, recruit, and game plan at an FBS level. If they want to bring Tyrell on the staff then that's fine make him a positions coach.

[GoZips86]

2 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

I swear if we just failed having a D3 college coach and then turn around and hire a D2 high school coach for the job I'm seriously done with Akron football forever. We need someone who knows how to run practices, recruit, and game plan at an FBS level. If they want to bring Tyrell on the staff then that's fine make him a positions coach.

 

I agree. And I really hope Guthrie is smarter than that. I don't think he fires Arth with that option in his mind. But...I can surely be wrong. But I choose to believe that is not the plan lol. 

[dre22era]

I want Timmy!

Edited November 4, 2021 by dre22era

[clarkwgriswold]

Use the balance of the season as player auditions for next year.  While doing so, make a pitch for them staying so we don't have to start all over.

 

I still think the timing is odd, but if it is going to happen I prefer it to be too early  than too late like it was last time leaving the Zips with limited options.

 

Also, spare me the cost of a search firm.  I get why they do it (CYA), but just go find your guy. 

[dre22era]

I rather start all over 
If they want to leave = then so be it 

[zipsoutsider]

27 minutes ago, Zippyroo said:

 

I liked Arth and I do not think he was given enough opportunity to turn things around given that he was hired late in 2019 with suboptimal recruiting opportunities, and then had to endure a significant disruption with the COVID pandemic in 2020.  So, for me the only real normal year he had in his 3 seasons was this year and I do think things were headed in the right direction even thought the record did not indicate it.  On top of all that, Arth did bring in guys of high character as evidenced by the team GPA improvements which fit with Akron trying to rebrand itself in the STEM and business programs.  Now all of that is water under the bridge and I guarantee a ton of players, especially the ones that are talented, will leave and we will have to start from scratch with the cupboard bare just like what happened when Arth took the job in 2019.

 

This is such a joke. He had three recruiting classes. He showed to get rid of one and failed to deliver on the other two. He has how many wins in three years? Nobody gets four or five years to start to win.

 

Look at other G5 year one coaches and many are doing much better than Arth is, in year three.

 

And as for this great culture he was developing, it never materialized. He didn't understand his kids, IMHO.

[Zippyroo]

15 minutes ago, zipsoutsider said:

This is such a joke. He had three recruiting classes. He showed to get rid of one and failed to deliver on the other two. He has how many wins in three years? Nobody gets four or five years to start to win.

 

Look at other G5 year one coaches and many are doing much better than Arth is, in year three.

 

And as for this great culture he was developing, it never materialized. He didn't understand his kids, IMHO.

I could not disagree more.  I think you will see by the mass exodus of players how much of the culture Arth DID understand.  

 

As for his time given being a joke....come on.  He endured a late start in 2019 and was brought in too late to have an impactful recruiting season and then in 2020, had to endure a global pandemic which caused major disruption in everyone's life so much that the NCAA did not count the year against player eligibility.  Do you honestly think he was give ample time to turn around a program that was in a death spiral...get real.  Hope all of you that wanted him fired are ready for at least 2-3 more years of irrelevance.

Edited November 4, 2021 by Zippyroo

[LZIp]

I don't love the move, but I understand it. As I said yesterday, I would prefer to give him another year, but his record thus far is hard to argue against. I believe the ineptness of Akron's administration is at least partially to blame for us having to start over again. I truly don't believe Arth would be playing this many underclassman if he knew he would only have 2.5 years to show major improvement. He took the long game approach, and he likely did that due to expectations discussed with Larry Williams. There were also a lot of factors that made it more difficult for him, some he's responsible for and some not. Arth seems like a good guy. Best of luck to him.

 

Many on here who have spent time with Guthrie speak highly of him. I sure as hell hope he gets it right. I do think Arth has established a foundation. We will likely lose a lot of players. Some that won't really hurt the program, but some will definitely hurt. There are also players who aren't showing much yet who will be really nice contributors for the program down the road. We need to get the new coach hired ASAP to build/salvage relationships where deemed necessary and to put together a recruiting class that is already falling apart. We want to avoid the Year zero sort of situation Arth had as a result of being hired so late in the process. Luckily for us, the MAC loses a lot of talent next year as a result of graduation, but we do not. We can also now bring in a max of 32 scholarship players. 25 regular counters and up to an additional 7 for players who enter the transfer portal on their own. We already have Blunt and Petereson there, so we'll definitely hit the 7 with the change in leadership. If all of the above is executed (hiring the right guy early, keeping the talent we have on the team, getting a solid class, and utilizing the transfer portal appropriately), we should be flirting with bowl eligibility next season. My expectations aren't any different than what they would have been for Arth. This should not be a complete tear down. For better or worse, there is no patience in college football.

Edited November 4, 2021 by LZIp

[zipsoutsider]

8 minutes ago, Zippyroo said:

I could not disagree more.  I think you will see by the mass exodus of players how much of the culture Arth DID understand.  

 

As for his time given being a joke....come on.  He endured a late start in 2019 and was brought in too late to have an impactful recruiting season and then in 2020, had to endure a global pandemic which caused major disruption in everyone's life so much that the NCAA did not count the year against player eligibility.  Do you honestly think he was give ample time to turn around a program that was in a death spiral...get real.  Hope all of you that wanted him fired are ready for at least 2-3 more years of irrelevance.

When you compare to his peers, he was at the bottom of the list with turn-arounds, so yes, he was given more than enough time. He didn't know how to do it 

 

As far as culture, you see no fight in this team.

[Zippyroo]

4 minutes ago, zipsoutsider said:

When you compare to his peers, he was at the bottom of the list with turn-arounds, so yes, he was given more than enough time. He didn't know how to do it 

 

As far as culture, you see no fight in this team.

you did not see fight against Ball State....You must be blind!

[zipsoutsider]

2 minutes ago, Zippyroo said:

you did not see fight against Ball State....You must be blind!

I don't see any enthusiasm.

[NWAkron]

1 minute ago, Zippyroo said:

you did not see fight against Ball State....You must be blind!

You will save yourself some frustration by ignoring the haters like Zipsoutsider and Dre.

[dre22era]

15 minutes ago, Zippyroo said:

I could not disagree more.  I think you will see by the mass exodus of players how much of the culture Arth DID understand.  

 

As for his time given being a joke....come on.  He endured a late start in 2019 and was brought in too late to have an impactful recruiting season and then in 2020, had to endure a global pandemic which caused major disruption in everyone's life so much that the NCAA did not count the year against player eligibility.  Do you honestly think he was give ample time to turn around a program that was in a death spiral...get real.  Hope all of you that wanted him fired are ready for at least 2-3 more years of irrelevance.

That man had more than enough time to succeed. 

"Hope all of you that wanted him fired are ready for at least 2-3 more years of irrelevance."

Anything will be batter than his shitty era 

Its like some of you enjoy playing in and defending sheeeeeit 

[dre22era]

3 minutes ago, Zippyroo said:

you did not see fight against Ball State....You must be blind!

Lol @ Fight  

We saw another Loss in front of 7,000 fans 

Since you love Arth so much go be with him 

 

[GP1]

1 hour ago, dre22era said:

I want Timmy!

He would be the end of the football program. 

[LoyalZIP]

I get the argument of riding out Arth. The trajectory is probably trending upward. To me, there have been far too many games in 3 season that tell me this just wasn't meant to be. Good Average Competent  Bad football teams don't lose to 2019 UMass, especially by that margin. They don't get outgained by 600 yards against Ohio. They don't give up 69 points to Kent. They don't look like a high school team against 2020 Miami. They don't look like the Zips did against Temple, Bryant, Ohio, and Buffalo did this year.

 

There were moments, of course. If you took someone who had never watched a second of Akron football and shown them the last 3 quarters against BG or the 4th quarter against Ball State, they'd be putting Arth's name into the pool in Baton Rouge. But reality is, through 27 games, which is ample time COVID or not, Akron has played in 3, maybe 4 games that I have left feeling okay with what I saw. That is not going to cut it.

 

I've said it before, but look at NIU. That roster is unrecognizable from the 2018 season and they went 0-6 last year, but they opened 2021 with a win at GaTech and were undefeated in the MAC until their run-first QB threw for 500+ yards in a shootout loss to Kent last night. And don't even get me started on Kent. That s*** makes me sick. Akron could and should be so much better than it has been since Brookhart's prime. Akron was as well respected as any program in the MAC back then, and its been a doormat for nearly the entire league for over a decade. Yes, that includes the coach that went 1-6 against both BG and Ohio. 

[Zippyroo]

12 minutes ago, dre22era said:

Lol @ Fight  

We saw another Loss in front of 7,000 fans 

Since you love Arth so much go be with him 

 

and you sir can keep on holding on to pipe dreams...I will comment back in a couple of years when you are calling for the next coach to be fired since he could not get the job done in 2 seasons either....It is going to take sticking with a guy for 5 years to change culture, attract players, and then win games.  Good luck with your unrealistic expectations dude.....  

[NWAkron]

2 minutes ago, LoyalZIP said:

I get the argument of riding out Arth. The trajectory is probably trending upward. To me, there have been far too many games in 3 season that tell me this just wasn't meant to be. Good Average Competent  Bad football teams don't lose to 2019 UMass, especially by that margin. They don't get outgained by 600 yards against Ohio. They don't give up 69 points to Kent. They don't look like a high school team against 2020 Miami. They don't look like the Zips did against Temple, Bryant, Ohio, and Buffalo did this year.

 

There were moments, of course. If you took someone who had never watched a second of Akron football and shown them the last 3 quarters against BG or the 4th quarter against Ball State, they'd be putting Arth's name into the pool in Baton Rouge. But reality is, through 27 games, which is ample time COVID or not, Akron has played in 3, maybe 4 games that I have left feeling okay with what I saw. That is not going to cut it.

 

I've said it before, but look at NIU. That roster is unrecognizable from the 2018 season and they went 0-6 last year, but they opened 2021 with a win at GaTech and were undefeated in the MAC until their run-first QB threw for 500+ yards in a shootout loss to Kent last night. And don't even get me started on Kent. That s*** makes me sick. Akron could and should be so much better than it has been since Brookhart's prime. Akron was as well respected as any program in the MAC back then, and its been a doormat for nearly the entire league for over a decade. Yes, that includes the coach that went 1-6 against both BG and Ohio. 

well-said.  you are spot on with this.  

[GP1]

3 hours ago, ZipsSince04 said:

Is this Brock guy paying people to Tweet about him?

[GP1]

3 hours ago, Dr Z said:

 

In the buffet line of Tweet speculation, these are two pretty unappealing items. We'll call them frozen fried oysters and liver. 

[dre22era]

33 minutes ago, GP1 said:

He would be the end of the football program. 

He was recently a finalist for the Youngstown St Job 

Its hilarious how yall put down this man when us program has drew more attendance at InfoCision Stadium than any Akron game in recent memory 

The old school football formula is over 

Some of you need to get with the modern times

 

[dre22era]

30 minutes ago, Zippyroo said:

and you sir can keep on holding on to pipe dreams...I will comment back in a couple of years when you are calling for the next coach to be fired since he could not get the job done in 2 seasons either....It is going to take sticking with a guy for 5 years to change culture, attract players, and then win games.  Good luck with your unrealistic expectations dude.....  

Need some tissue?

Edited November 4, 2021 by dre22era

[Blue & Gold]

No doubt this contributed to Guthrie not waiting till the end of the season to relieve Arth.

 

[Aaron]

3 minutes ago, dre22era said:

He was recently a finalist for the Youngstown St Job 

Its hilarious how yall put down this man when us program has drew more attendance at InfoCision Stadium than any Akron game in recent memory 

The old school football formula is over 

Some of you need to get with the modern times

 

Tyrrell is a fantastic HS coach.  As a Hoban alumni, I am very impressed with what he has been able to accomplish there. 

 

However, I don't agree with putting a HS coach directly into a Div 1 HC job.  He would probably be a fantastic coordinator, an NCAA D2 coach, or an FCS coach for a couple of years.  Once he shows what he can do at the collegiate level, be the first in line to hire him for the HC job.