New Head Coach Search - 2021 Edition

[60zip]

4 hours ago, Lee Adams said:

There is a significant number of us like you out here. Goes way back to Gordon Larson and Jim Dennison. We can remember and have seen consistently competitive football. I still like the Brookhart, Moorehead, Getsy etc. group. They couldn't play much D consistently but that offense was humming. Lets hope Moorehead can assemble an experienced staff that can organize and evaluate better than the last group.

Hope Gibson changes his mind. He could get 'coached up' and have better support with the incoming regime.

I liked Brookhart, Moorehead and Getsy group too.  The Zips had some real firepower. I am hopeful that if this all works out Moorehead can get some real good defensive minds and talent evaluators. One guy I like is Todd Stoud if he's interested. Imagine excellence because if you don't you never will be excellent. As I said what a great game day experience, when you go to a game and know you can win and in fact expect to win. GO ZIPS.

Edited December 2, 2021 by 60zip
spelling

[Zipmeister]

23 hours ago, Football grandma said:

 

Bull pucky! You being a man just doesn't understand it. 😄

 

I does.

[Zipmeister]

20 hours ago, Football grandma said:

If a coach brings in a player, he mostly will be biased toward him. He plays him because it justifies his choice. Human nature. New coach recruits have the advantage. What coach ever said, "Ya, I brought you here, but there's a guy that's been on the team for 3 years that will start ahead of you?" 😂 I don't think a new coach has a clue who he's inheriting except for the previous coaches' darlings he's seen on films. I have a soft spot for the guys that didn't quit after the whole Arth-in-charge fiasco.

 

I think your thinking is spot on here; if the coach uses female logic.

[scottditzen]

12 hours ago, Lee Adams said:

I still like the Brookhart, Moorehead, Getsy etc. group. They couldn't play much D consistently but that offense was humming.

 

Who instituted that disastrous 3-3-5 scheme? 

 

Man that was so hard to watch our D constantly bend, bend and then break lol. 

[Cykron]

21 hours ago, Lee Adams said:

There is a significant number of us like you out here. Goes way back to Gordon Larson and Jim Dennison. We can remember and have seen consistently competitive football. I still like the Brookhart, Moorehead, Getsy etc. group. They couldn't play much D consistently but that offense was humming. Lets hope Moorehead can assemble an experienced staff that can organize and evaluate better than the last group.

Hope Gibson changes his mind. He could get 'coached up' and have better support with the incoming regime.

 

 

Really enjoying this coming toether for Akron.  When I first heard Moorhead's name, I said, "Yeah, right."  High-paid OC for Oregon is not taking a big pay cut to come to Akron.  But he sounds like he really wants it and pay is his third priority.  

 

What I'm enjoying most is watching your fans get optimistic again.  I really hope this all works out.  The ripping open his shirt to reveal an Akron t-shirt would be wonderful.  

 

He seems like he would be a great fit.  He seems right for you and you for him.

Edited December 3, 2021 by Cykron

[Blue & Gold]

11 minutes ago, Cykron said:

What I'm enjoying most is watching your fans get optimistic again. 

Thank you.  And I agree, this is exciting!  It hasn't been buzzing around here like this since, I guess I'd say the Potato Bowl.  Though I don't really remember accurately.

 

Anyone remember when Arth was announced as the new coach?  Crickets.  Those who did post were simply asking, "Who?"

 

Then Chattanooga fans came on here expressing not disappointment, but surprise, and basically thanked us for taking him off their hands. 😂

Edited December 3, 2021 by Blue & Gold

[akzipper]

29 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

Thank you.  And I agree, this is exciting!  It hasn't been buzzing around here like this since, I guess I'd say the Potato Bowl.  Though I don't really remember accurately.

 

Anyone remember when Arth was announced as the new coach?  Crickets.  Those who did post were simply asking, "Who?"

 

Then Chattanooga fans came on here expressing not disappointment, but surprise, and basically thanked us for taking him off their hands. 😂

 

I definitely felt a similar buzz when Bowden was hired and thought he was a surprisingly great hire for Akron. Looking back his resume was actually just as impressive as Moorhead, if not more. 6 winning seasons at Auburn and lots of winning at FCS schools. Both spent time at UA as assistant coaches. Lot's of similarities, but I hope Moorhead can help us take the next step.

 

It pains me to say I haven't really cared about Akron football for like 4 seasons. Maybe visiting ZipsNation every couple of months, if that, just to see what everyone thought about the basketball teams. Now I find myself checking in every day. Instead of wasting my time reading about the joke that has become of the Browns season and whatever is left of the Cleveland baseball team. I can't believe I'm relying on the Zips football team for positive news, but here we are.

[RowdyZip]

12 minutes ago, akzipper said:

 

I definitely felt a similar buzz when Bowden was hired and thought he was a surprisingly great hire for Akron. Looking back his resume was actually just as impressive as Moorhead, if not more.

Had this same thought earlier this week when things started to point to Moorhead being a "done deal".

 

I think the difference between the Bowden hire and this one are more considerable than just past records.  Joe Moorhead will be coming into Akron a decade younger and with a reputation for innovation, especially on the offensive side of the ball.  Terry Bowden, while still a quality coach for UA, relies more on his name recognition and more traditional, old-school offensive and defensive sets.  

 

My hope with Joe is that he'll come in and maximize the talent we have and add an infusion of talent from the portal.  I hope we'll see creativity and have the personnel to execute it effectively.  No more delayed handoffs on 3rd and 11.

[Blue & Gold]

I'm relieved/excited that, since the rumor of Joe Moorehead to Akron broke, there have been ZERO additional rumors of anyone being interviewed for the job.  By midnight tonight Coach Moorehead's gonna be in blue & gold! 💪💪

 

(🤞)

[Lee Adams]

11 hours ago, scottditzen said:

 

Who instituted that disastrous 3-3-5 scheme? 

 

Man that was so hard to watch our D constantly bend, bend and then break lol. 

Fleming. Someone said he is/was at Delaware not doing much. Still think his call for a run blitz when they had Memphis backed up on its own goal line killed the Zips comeback in the Motor City Bowl.

[GoZips86]

Suddenly I have a deep interest to watch Oregon game tonight and to really pay attention to their offense 😃

 

[Blue & Gold]

4 minutes ago, GoZips86 said:

Suddenly I have a deep interest to watch Oregon game tonight and to really pay attention to their offense 😃

 

Utah really shut them down last time they played. 

[kreed5120]

48 minutes ago, akzipper said:

 

I definitely felt a similar buzz when Bowden was hired and thought he was a surprisingly great hire for Akron. Looking back his resume was actually just as impressive as Moorhead, if not more. 6 winning seasons at Auburn and lots of winning at FCS schools. Both spent time at UA as assistant coaches. Lot's of similarities, but I hope Moorhead can help us take the next step.

 

It pains me to say I haven't really cared about Akron football for like 4 seasons. Maybe visiting ZipsNation every couple of months, if that, just to see what everyone thought about the basketball teams. Now I find myself checking in every day. Instead of wasting my time reading about the joke that has become of the Browns season and whatever is left of the Cleveland baseball team. I can't believe I'm relying on the Zips football team for positive news, but here we are.

 

I feel the big difference is Bowden took 20 years off from coaching. That's a pretty significant gap as the game has changed a ton from the 90s compared to now. Not to mention many of the connections you may have had in the recruiting trail would have retired. Also, I don't recall Bowden getting interest from anyone outside of Akron when he was at North Alabama. Consensus I've heard pretty much everywhere is that Moorhead could have held off for something better, but wants to be here. 

[blueandgold]

I'm looking forward to seeing our offense run under his guidance for sure. I guess what I am most excited about is the hope that, with his many coaching connections over the years, he will bring in a defensive coordinator that has the experience and determination to build a great defense here at Akron. 

[LoyalZIP]

This is still crazy to me. I mean, when Moorhead was at Penn State, he was one of the hottest names and biggest stories of those two years in all of college football! Now he's going to be the head ball coach for YOUR UNIVERSITY OF AKRON ZIPS!!!

 

I can't wait for the announcement. I'm hoping it comes early tomorrow afternoon so it can dwarf whatever else is going on in the league at the time. 😉

[NWAkron]

1 hour ago, LoyalZIP said:

This is still crazy to me. I mean, when Moorhead was at Penn State, he was one of the hottest names and biggest stories of those two years in all of college football! Now he's going to be the head ball coach for YOUR UNIVERSITY OF AKRON ZIPS!!!

 

I can't wait for the announcement. I'm hoping it comes early tomorrow afternoon so it can dwarf whatever else is going on in the league at the time. 😉

When you go to the announcement next week, don't forget to offer to wash and wax his car.

[Let'sGoZips94]

From what I've heard, the excitement surrounding this hire extends beyond ZipsNation.org. I posted in the What Does Progress Look Like thread that 6 wins minimum next year is my expectation. Aside from his own quick turnaround at Fordham, here is some of what I based my 6-win expectation on...

 

"If you look at some of the top Head Coaches (Meyer, Kelly, Solich, Campbell, Fleck) in the last 2 decades in the MAC, by year 2 they were all winning a minimum of 6 games. The delay in achieving a minimum of 6 wins was presumably due to 1) transfers having to sit a year and 2) waiting on the first recruiting class. None of those guys had a track record like Moorhead coming into the MAC, and Moorhead doesn't have to wait a year for first-time transfers to make an impact on the field. I expect an accelerated turnaround based on these factors."

 

As @LoyalZIP mentioned, Moorhead was one of the hottest names in the country by the end of his two-year tenure in Happy Valley. His offense was a well-oiled machine that propelled Saquon Barkley to a top 5 NFL draft pick. While researching Moorhead this week, I came across a few articles from Moorhead's time at PSU that raised the question if Moorhead saved James Franklin's job. Franklin's record prior to Moorhead was 14-13 (.519 winning %). With Moorhead, he went 22-5 (.814). After Moorhead left, PSU has gone 31-16 (.660). Other articles talked about this season in Oregon, how he was the one with the game plan to beat Ohio State, and how - via close ties to Michigan coaches - a very similar game plan was used by Michigan to beat Ohio State. He yet again has one of the top offenses in the country at Oregon, similar to his tenure at PSU. Even some Mississippi State fans regret firing him.

 

Tempered expectations are somewhat understandable, but any lack of excitement is due to a person being ill-informed or they possess a pessimistic nature. Akron will have a better coach (on paper, and most likely backed up on the field) than 80-90% of P5 programs. This is a bigger hire than Meyer, Kelly, Campbell, and Fleck because those guys were made at their respective MAC schools. This is on par with Solich, as both he and Moorhead were sculpted by the cream of the crop P5 at their respective time periods, although Moorhead is quite a bit younger than Solich at the time of his hire into the MAC. 

 

I am genuinely excited to root for the Ducks tonight and watch what will hopefully be a carbon copy of what we get to witness at InfoCision Stadium under Moorhead. We are going to be part of the conversation on National TV, too. 

 

The Info is going to be rocking for at least the next few years. Go Zips!

Edited December 3, 2021 by Let'sGoZips94

[bigjim]

I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve in total excitement waiting for a huge present and the best day of the year.  I just do not know if Christmas morning is coming tonight, Saturday, or Sunday (like I read in one report that he will sign on Sunday).  As Charles Dickens said, 'God bless us, every one'

 

Let's all shout        'ZI....

                                'PS....

repeat 1000 times

[LoyalZIP]

1 hour ago, NWAkron said:

When you go to the announcement next week, don't forget to offer to wash and wax his car.

You know it!

[LoyalZIP]

I like the expectation of 6 wins. I think it’s fairly reasonable based on the track record. I would put my own personal expectations for him around 4 in large part due to the severe lack of talent on the roster. He will almost undoubtedly use the portal to turnover the roster completely. 
 

I am very optimistic. This must be what Miami fans felt like in 2010 when they landed LeBron. This almost guarantees you success. Bring on St. Francis!! Pack Infocision!!!

[Football grandma]

17 minutes ago, LoyalZIP said:

due to the severe lack of talent on the roster. He will almost undoubtedly use the portal to turnover the roster completely. 

Who says so? Arth and company? We've already seen that they were poor judges of talent as I've mentioned before. I don't think you'll see the roster turned over completely. Dismiss the whole team and start over? Not likely.

[LoyalZIP]

23 minutes ago, Football grandma said:

Who says so? Arth and company? We've already seen that they were poor judges of talent as I've mentioned before. I don't think you'll see the roster turned over completely. Dismiss the whole team and start over? Not likely.

 

Well duh. But I'm talking Thomas Hammock kind of stuff. I'm expecting/hoping for at least 60% of the roster to be brand new. By year two, 90%. Somewhere in that ballpark.

[Football grandma]

16 minutes ago, LoyalZIP said:

 

Well duh. But I'm talking Thomas Hammock kind of stuff. I'm expecting/hoping for at least 60% of the roster to be brand new. By year two, 90%. Somewhere in that ballpark.

1 hour ago, LoyalZIP said:

due to the severe lack of talent on the roster. He will almost undoubtedly use the portal to turnover the roster completely. 

Who says so? Arth and company? We've already seen that they were poor judges of talent as I've mentioned before. I don't think you'll see the roster turned over completely. Dismiss the whole team and start over? Not likely.

[Football grandma]

As part of NCAA rules, teams can add one player to their incoming recruiting class for every departure to the transfer portal, up to a maximum of 32 players via incoming freshmen and transfers so long as it doesn't push them over the maximum scholarship allotment of 85.

[Football grandma]

Curious...how many players on the 2021 roster were not given a scholarship or a damn dime for their commitment to the team, encompassing; practices, team meetings, personal time sacrifices, summer camp, weight training, mandatory study time, ....? I haven't found the number anywhere I've looked.