Joe Moorhead Officially Hired as Head Football Coach

[akzipper]

1 hour ago, zzx said:

 

Joe Moorhead to coach in Bowl Game vs Oklahoma, per report

 

"Most assumed Moorhead would head to Ohio to begin his time

as the head coach of the Zips, but instead, he's going to return to

Eugene and coach in the Ducks' upcoming bowl game against

Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl."

 

Interesting. Seems like a unique situation where new coach is hired, has a press conference and still goes back to coach in one last game with his former team. Not sure I've ever seen this happen before. But honestly maybe it happens more often with coordinators than I realize?

 

I definitely like this better than having to wait until after the Alamo Bowl to find out he's been hired. Nothing bothers me more than coaches that make teams wait forever for an answer just to change their mind. Pretty sh***y move too for these guys (Kelly, Riley, etc) to bail on their guys before the biggest games of the season.

 

While he's got a lot of work to do in Akron, I commend him for sticking with his guys until the end. Especially since they just lost their HC.

Edited December 9, 2021 by akzipper

[Section210Zip]

On the surface this looks weird with early signing day fast approaching but I think this is a tell. This tells me he his more confident in hitting the transfer portal than trying to keep all the kids that the previous coach recruited. He believes he can get better talent than what was coming. This also allows him to go back to Eugene and tell the kids, look I didn't bail on you like the other coach. I'm here for you guys and for those that want to continue to battle with me, come with me to Akron. 

[clarkwgriswold]

I'm a little conflicted on this one.  I want him hitting the ground with his feet running for the Zips and don't like that being potentially pushed back.  On the other hand I like his sense of commitment.  Hopefully, he can strike a happy medium and do both jobs.

[LZIp]

18 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

I'm a little conflicted on this one.  I want him hitting the ground with his feet running for the Zips and don't like that being potentially pushed back.  On the other hand I like his sense of commitment.  Hopefully, he can strike a happy medium and do both jobs.

My thoughts are similar. It appears they have started recruiting though as offers are going out. I've only seen transfer portal and JUCO offers thus far. Seems tough to do both jobs, but he should have a staff back here doing most of the heavy lifting until the bowl game is over.

[mes102]

Part of it might be how depleted the staff might be at Oregon with Cristobal going to Miami and most of that offensive staff was brought in by Cristobal. I'm assuming that most of them are going with Cristobal to Miami which leaves Oregon in a tough spot.

As I said in a different post, McClendon was the only main assistant coach I could see come onto Moorhead's staff from Oregon due to not being a Cristobal guy. And who is the interim head coach for the bowl game? Bryan McClendon. 

Maybe Moorhead respects McClendon so much he wants to help McClendon and Oregon out. I wouldn't be shocked if McClendon is announced as the offensive coordinator after the bowl game. Plus, great chance to recruit kids to come to Akron from Oregon as others have said on here.  

Edited December 9, 2021 by mes102

[Let'sGoZips94]

As much as I want his full attention to be on Akron's program, this could be a massive benefit for us. 

 

1A) Cristobal is gone, meaning Moorhead is free to unleash HIS offense, should he so choose. 

 

1B) Should HIS offense light it up against Oklahoma, with Akron having already hired JoeMo, it can be used as a selling point to transfers/recruits - "look at what we could do at Akron"

 

2) There are 2 P5 schools involved in this game, and both programs have/will have new coaches. That means there are depth players that might be looking for their next opportunity. Enter Moorhead and Akron, with Moorhead having a mini-opportunity to build quick connections with some of these players.

 

3) The staff he has in place already - Ferri, Richardson, Gilbertson, Rodriguez, Fessler - can hit the ground for recruits and transfers. Ferri is a known talent when it comes to recruiting, as he produced the MAC's #1 recruiting class in 3 straight seasons ('05-07) while at Akron. I'd imagine Richardson, Gilbertson, and Rodriguez will have no trouble themselves considering their backgrounds. 

Edited December 9, 2021 by Let'sGoZips94

[LZIp]

5 minutes ago, mes102 said:

Part of it might be how depleted the staff might be at Oregon with Cristobal going to Miami and most of that offensive staff was brought in by Cristobal. I'm assuming that most of them are going with Cristobal to Miami which leaves Oregon in a tough spot.

As I said in a different post, McClendon was the only main assistant coach I could see come onto Moorhead's staff from Oregon due to not being a Cristobal guy. And who is the interim head coach for the bowl game? Bryan McClendon. 

Maybe Moorhead respects McClendon so much he wants to help McClendon and Oregon out. I wouldn't be shocked if McClendon is announced as the offensive coordinator after the bowl game. Plus, great chance to recruit kids to come to Akron from Oregon as others have said on here.  

Seems like McClendon would be a hell of a get...

 

"A 14-year coaching veteran of the SEC and one of the nation’s top recruiters, Bryan McClendon joined head coach Mario Cristobal’s staff in 2020 as pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach.
 
McClendon spent the previous two seasons as South Carolina’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. His four years in Columbia were preceded by nine seasons on the staff at Georgia, where he was part of 85 wins and a pair of SEC East titles.
 
Named the National Recruiter of the Year by 247Sports in 2014, McClendon was the running backs coach at Georgia for six seasons (2009-14) before taking over the wide receivers room in 2015 while serving as passing game coordinator. He was also Georgia’s recruiting coordinator the last two seasons and was the program’s interim head coach during the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl win over Penn State."

[mes102]

2 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Seems like McClendon would be a hell of a get...

 

"A 14-year coaching veteran of the SEC and one of the nation’s top recruiters, Bryan McClendon joined head coach Mario Cristobal’s staff in 2020 as pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach.
 
McClendon spent the previous two seasons as South Carolina’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. His four years in Columbia were preceded by nine seasons on the staff at Georgia, where he was part of 85 wins and a pair of SEC East titles.
 
Named the National Recruiter of the Year by 247Sports in 2014, McClendon was the running backs coach at Georgia for six seasons (2009-14) before taking over the wide receivers room in 2015 while serving as passing game coordinator. He was also Georgia’s recruiting coordinator the last two seasons and was the program’s interim head coach during the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl win over Penn State."

Yeah, I'm starting to wonder if him going back to help coach in bowl game is his way for him to potentially convince McClendon to come on board as Offensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator as well as the in person recruiting benefit? If McClendon can get on staff, that would be the biggest hire Moorhead could get this season, including my dream DC of Bob Shoop (which didn't happen).

I am seeing reports that Cristobal is trying to get McClendon to Miami with him so maybe he's closer to Cristobal than I assumed. We will see...

[NWAkron]

1 hour ago, clarkwgriswold said:

I'm a little conflicted on this one.  I want him hitting the ground with his feet running for the Zips and don't like that being potentially pushed back.  On the other hand I like his sense of commitment.  Hopefully, he can strike a happy medium and do both jobs.

I'm sure he has a laptop and maybe two smartphones.

[Dr Z]

One thing I learned from coach Moorhead's previous time at Akron, he is a type A personality. Coaching the bowl game doesn't surprise me at all. Doesn't concern me either. Could be used as a recruiting tool as well. 

[GoZips86]

5 hours ago, Dr Z said:

One thing I learned from coach Moorhead's previous time at Akron, he is a type A personality. Coaching the bowl game doesn't surprise me at all. Doesn't concern me either. Could be used as a recruiting tool as well. 

 

Agreed! It shows loyalty to an extent. I mean, he's leaving, but it shows that he cares about the kids enough to not just leave them hanging before offseason. 

 

Also, this will let him hopefully unleash more of his offense and show a lot of kids out there, even Oregon players who may be looking for a change for more playing time, that he knows what he's doing and so forth. 

 

Basically, a lot of good can come from him coaching in the bowl game is what I'm trying to say haha. 

[kreed5120]

This article is behind a paywall, but looks like Moorhead was signed to a 5 year, 2.5 million contract. That includes 425k base, 50k for media work, and 25k for shoe and apparel. 

 

https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-business/akrons-joe-moorhead-gets-five-year-25-million-contract

 

EDIT: I see this was shared elsewhere 

Edited December 10, 2021 by kreed5120

[LZIp]

Nice article outside of some typos. I wonder who the DC is. Also, coach plans to call plays and apparently prefers to stretch the field more than he did this year at Oregon. I imagine we'll get to see the "real" Moorhead offense in the Alamo bowl if they sit that Sr QB.

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/zips/2021/12/09/university-akron-coach-joe-moorhead-lays-out-his-philosophies-mid-american-conference-zips/8872891002/

Edited December 10, 2021 by LZIp

[Let'sGoZips94]

4 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Nice article outside of some typos. I wonder who the DC is. Also, coach plans to call plays and apparently prefers to stretch the field more than he did this year at Oregon. I imagine we'll get to see the "real" Moorhead offense in the Alamo bowl if they sit that Sr QB.

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/zips/2021/12/09/university-akron-coach-joe-moorhead-lays-out-his-philosophies-mid-american-conference-zips/8872891002/

 

Interesting. The lack of transparency when it comes to the defensive staff... does that indicate that the individuals are coaching in a bowl game(s)? Paul Rhoads was mentioned in another thread. 

[mes102]

A 2024 offer that shows that this coaching change just feels different. 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by mes102

[ewbrooman1]

37 minutes ago, mes102 said:

A 2024 offer that shows that this coaching change just feels different. 

 

 

2024? That's a long way off. Looking forward to 2022 and 2023 first.

[Ham]

Just an aside, Jeannette produced a pretty good QB for OSU.

[GoZips86]

This just feels *different*.

 

I swear, good days are upon us!! I cannot wait until next season!! 

[LZIp]

19 minutes ago, Ham said:

Just an aside, Jeannette produced a pretty good QB for OSU.

As another aside, when watching #0 this year, I couldn't help but think he reminded me of that Jeanette QB.

[Let'sGoZips94]

JoeMo is on 92.3 The Fan with Ken Carman and Anthony Lima.

 

- He was in the parking lot of Hoban during the call. His son is in 8th grade, so they're taking a look at the school.

 

- Stressed local recruiting, but also mentioned that the staff he's building has connections all over the country.

 

- Stated they're not going to do anything in this first signing period for recruiting. Needs time to do a roster assessment.

 

- Brought up the 2005 Snow Bowl against PCCC. Stressed the importance of winning the Wagon Wheel.

 

- Stressed being prepared, being ultra competitive, detail oriented, and playing for all 4 quarters. 

 

- Mentioned beating Matt Rhule's Temple program while at Fordham. Also reiterated his success at Mississippi State.

 

The interview started and ended with our fight song. Ken was obviously fired up, and Anthony mentioned how great of a hire this is. JoeMo wrapped it up with, "This interview has me when more fired up. That's a big Go Zips!"

[mes102]

9 hours ago, ewbrooman1 said:

2024? That's a long way off. Looking forward to 2022 and 2023 first.

I agree but wanted to show what we might expect on the recruiting trail from this coaching staff. The part I took away wasn't the recruit that was offered. The part I took away was Moorhead recruited him while at Oregon. That tells me that Moorhead isn't going to just cut ties with those recruits(including 2022 and 2023) he was recruiting at Oregon and at least see if he can get any to come to Akron. 

Edited December 10, 2021 by mes102

[Dr Z]

49 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

JoeMo is on 92.3 The Fan with Ken Carman and Anthony Lima.

The interview started and ended with our fight song. Ken was obviously fired up, and Anthony mentioned how great of a hire this is. JoeMo wrapped it up with, "This interview has me when more fired up. That's a big Go Zips!"

Thanks for posting a recap. I hope the community starts to support. I LOVE the way (enthusiastic and often) coach Moorhead says "Go Zips!"

I need to isolate that sound bite, and make it my ringtone for certain Zip fans. 🙂 

[GP1]

1 hour ago, GoZips86 said:

This just feels *different*.

 

I swear, good days are upon us!! I cannot wait until next season!! 

It's the feeling you get when your team is being headed up by a person who is at a minimum competent. I think the new coach is more than competent and everyone should feel optimistic. Competency won the Zips a MAC Championship under Brookhart.  Competency got the Zips to a MAC Championship game and a bowl win under Bowden. I liked both coaches, but JoeMo has the "stuff" to be a better coach than both.

[GoZips86]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

JoeMo is on 92.3 The Fan with Ken Carman and Anthony Lima.

 

- He was in the parking lot of Hoban during the call. His son is in 8th grade, so they're taking a look at the school.

 

- Stressed local recruiting, but also mentioned that the staff he's building has connections all over the country.

 

- Stated they're not going to do anything in this first signing period for recruiting. Needs time to do a roster assessment.

 

- Brought up the 2005 Snow Bowl against PCCC. Stressed the importance of winning the Wagon Wheel.

 

- Stressed being prepared, being ultra competitive, detail oriented, and playing for all 4 quarters. 

 

- Mentioned beating Matt Rhule's Temple program while at Fordham. Also reiterated his success at Mississippi State.

 

The interview started and ended with our fight song. Ken was obviously fired up, and Anthony mentioned how great of a hire this is. JoeMo wrapped it up with, "This interview has me when more fired up. That's a big Go Zips!"

 

I'm out of "Likes" for the day, so just wanted to say thank you for this recap!! 

[Cykron]

On 12/9/2021 at 7:30 AM, Section210Zip said:

On the surface this looks weird with early signing day fast approaching but I think this is a tell. This tells me he his more confident in hitting the transfer portal than trying to keep all the kids that the previous coach recruited. He believes he can get better talent than what was coming. This also allows him to go back to Eugene and tell the kids, look I didn't bail on you like the other coach. I'm here for you guys and for those that want to continue to battle with me, come with me to Akron. 

 

 

Emphasizing the Transfer Portal rather than HS signing may also correspond with his plan for not hiring staff until January.