catdaddyp Posted July 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, MangoZip said: Couple serious questions: 1) why would Akron want a new conference, what does this do to help them? 2) why in the hell would another conference want Akron (in football - which usually is the driver for schools moving)? I’m all in on JoeMo but he’s done nothing yet, and all the pundits say this won’t be the year either. I just don’t think we bring much to the table for another conference to want. Terrible football history, horrid attendance, average facilities, and not the sexiest place in the world to travel too. Please explain! I probably post too much, but you guys (and gals) are stuck with me until I ever decide to move back into the athletic realm. I’ll just touch on the football program, which like @MangoZip mentioned is the key driver. I follow turnarounds closely and the successful ones all have the same qualities - culture, coaching, and recruiting. I’m not around the program, but it’s seems the culture is headed in the right direction. Coaching was top notch last year despite not having the overall talent level of some of our peers. (Granted there were some head scratching calls every now and then, but that goes for every staff and there really weren’t that many.) Recruiting has been ramped up in a major way. Really no comparison to the previous staff. In my opinion, high school/JUCO recruiting was top 3 in the MAC for the class of 2023 and the portal was best in the MAC by a long shot. Here are a few comparable situations, but keep in mind all of these programs had more talent on the roster in Year 0. P5: South Carolina - The Gamecocks won 2 games in 2020. Projected to be one of the worst teams in the SEC in 2021 when Shane Beamer was hired, they won 6 regular season games and their bowl to make 7 wins. Last year, they were predicted to win less than 6 games and again be one of the bottom dwellers in the East. Beamer brought in a talented transfer class and won 8 regular season games, just to lose to Notre Dame in the bowl with many players sitting out. Carolina beat out Georgia, Clemson, and a number of other schools head to head for a handful of prospects in the 2023 class, including 5 star Nyckolas Harbor. The 2024 class already has a number of recruits the Gamecocks have beat the elite P5s over and may also beat Ohio State for DE Dylan Stewart. Illinois - Similar to the Gamecocks, the Illini also won 2 games in 2020. They were projected to be one of the worst teams in the Big10 when Bielema took over. They went on to win 5 games and knock off Penn State that year. Illinois landed some key players out of the portal and found some hidden gems in the 2022 class, including (likely soon to be drafted) JUCOs Isaiah Adams and Zy Crisler. Illinois went on to win 8 games last year and did not lose a regular season game by more than 8 points, including a 2 point loss to Michigan. Bielema won some head to heads in recruiting with the 2023 class and has mostly built a border around the state for the 2024 class. G5: (These next ones are probably more relatable since they are on our timeline.) New Mexico State - Jerry Kill took over a program that won 2 games in 2021. He used the the portal and JUCO ranks to fill holes and add depth. It took the team 4-5 games to really find their footing (sound familiar?) and then managed to win 6 games, including blistering Liberty and beating Bowling Green in the bowl for a 7th win. UCONN - One of the worst programs in the past decade. Jim Mora brought in what I considered one of the best portal classes in G5. The Huskies had a difficult early schedule and hit their stride about 6 games into the season. They knocked off Boston College and also beat Liberty on their way to a bowl, which they lost to Marshall. I haven’t followed either NMSU or UCONN that closely this offseason, but know enough that they should be competitive again in 2023. Honestly, we should have beat CMU and Buffalo last year to have had 3 wins. The fact that this staff had the 2022 team within striking distance of every conference game (outside of Ohio) speaks volumes to the progress that was made. Moorhead walked into one of the worst rosters in the FBS (UMASS the other one.) With returners in place and the added JUCO and portal additions, there is no reason why the 2023 team will not achieve as much or more success as NMSU and UCONN in 2023. Just one guy’s opinion, so take it what it’s worth. Edited July 26, 2023 by catdaddyp 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Z Posted July 26, 2023 Report Share Posted July 26, 2023 1 hour ago, catdaddyp said: I probably post too much... For what it's worth, I enjoy what you type. 😎 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted July 26, 2023 Report Share Posted July 26, 2023 On 7/25/2023 at 12:54 PM, Captain Kangaroo said: The Zips expect two more 2024 freshman commits by next week. I think one is an OL from Florida? Looks like you got some good info! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catdaddyp Posted July 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2023 (edited) 27 minutes ago, LZIp said: Looks like you got some good info! Alexander Gale? Edited July 26, 2023 by catdaddyp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted July 26, 2023 Report Share Posted July 26, 2023 1 hour ago, catdaddyp said: Alexander Gale? Good call. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catdaddyp Posted July 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2023 (edited) 35 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said: Good call. Surprised this kid doesn’t have more offers. Probably actually 6’2 and some schools want taller, but he’ll grow and probably play center. Also guessing he hasn’t done many camps. Gale can move and is a road grader. Love what coach JRod is doing with this line. Edited July 26, 2023 by catdaddyp 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZippyRulz Posted October 4, 2023 Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 (edited) Injury reports now confirming the DJ ACL / out for season http://www.statfox.com/cfb/injuries.asp https://www.covers.com/sport/football/ncaaf/injuries The line has moved up to NIU -6.5 accordingly. Edited October 4, 2023 by ZippyRulz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catdaddyp Posted November 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2023 Quarterback position updated. We have one HS QB already committed and will take at least one portal QB. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see one or two current QBs hit the portal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catdaddyp Posted December 22, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2023 Have some extra time today? Check out Roggow’s HS FILM. He has a bit of a funky throwing motion, but has a nice release at the end. Manages to get it out cleanly and throws a catchable ball. He has some mobility to him too. Roggow is more polished as a passer than Wasel coming out of HS, but probably not as much upside if we’re comparing the two. I guess you could say higher floor and lower ceiling. Still need a proven QB to compete this year, but I think Roggow is a better option than the 2 QBs we had transfer out. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted December 22, 2023 Report Share Posted December 22, 2023 47 minutes ago, catdaddyp said: Have some extra time today? Check out Roggow’s HS FILM. He has a bit of a funky throwing motion, but has a nice release at the end. Manages to get it out cleanly and throws a catchable ball. He has some mobility to him too. Roggow is more polished as a passer than Wasel coming out of HS, but probably not as much upside if we’re comparing the two. I guess you could say higher floor and lower ceiling. Still need a proven QB to compete this year, but I think Roggow is a better option than the 2 QBs we had transfer out. I saw Jankowski got an offer to umASS. No idea how. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted December 28, 2023 Report Share Posted December 28, 2023 On 12/22/2023 at 10:24 AM, LZIp said: I saw Jankowski got an offer to umASS. No idea how. I think he showed folks while he was here that he holds a mean clipboard. Perhaps UMass lost one or more of them to the portal. If so, they could fill a critical hole in their roster if he takes them up on their offer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted December 31, 2023 Report Share Posted December 31, 2023 On 3/31/2022 at 10:16 AM, catdaddyp said: At this time, the quarterback position will be up for grabs in 2024. Tahj Bullock - [Redshirt Junior, Returning] - (5.6) 3 ⭐️ HS / (5.5) 3 ⭐️ Portal - Former transfer from Virginia Tech. Bullock is a true dual threat quarterback with size and a big arm, but struggled with accuracy in 2023. Bullock finished the year 32 of 66 for 271 yards passing and 3 touchdowns versus 3 interceptions. He also ran 62 times for 165 yards and 4 touchdowns. College Film and HS Film * Star Rating Take: TBD. - Portal Offers: Hampton, Delaware State, Northern Iowa, Fordham, East Tennessee State, Utah Tech. * Steele Wasel - [Redshirt Freshman, Returning] - (5.6) 3 ⭐️ - Wasel was Akron’s top rated prospect in the 2023 class according to Rivals. He likely could have committed to a P5 school had he chosen to do so, but was a loyal commitment to JoeMo for some time. Wasel has excellent size, a big arm, and is a sneaky good scrambler. Wasel is still working on his throwing motion and not forcing passes. He flashed reason for excitement in the spring game, but also made some freshman mistakes. Wasel did not see the field in 2023. HS FILM * Star Rating Take: TBD. Brayden Roggow - [Freshman, New] - (5.3) 2 ⭐️ - Roggow is a tall quarterback, with some mobility, and was very successful at the HS level. He has a bit of a funky throwing motion, yet the ball comes out clean in the end. While Roggow may not have quite as much arm strength as Bullock or Wasel, he has more than enough and throws a catchable ball. Roggow is also a more polished passer than Bullock and Wasel coming out of HS. HS FILM. Johnny Brookhart - [Redshirt Freshman, Returning] - NR - Walk-on. Added: Brayden Roggow Removed: (5.5) 3 ⭐️ (JUCO) - DJ Irons - Graduated. NR - Jeff Undercuffler - Graduated. (5.2) 2 ⭐️ (HS) - Dijon Jennings - TP (5.4) 2 ⭐️ (HS) - Ryan Jankowski - TP Before 2022 season: NR - Calvin Cloud - Walk-on. (5.3) 2 ⭐️ - Joey Marousek - (Baldwin Wallace) - Star Rating Take: Should have been a (5.2) 2 ⭐️. you know how guys in the know will refer to all the players on the team for a particular position as the room. take another look at our qb room. wouldn't a better description of this group be a closet in a garage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper Posted December 31, 2023 Report Share Posted December 31, 2023 We have 2 P5 guys coming in this week. We need at least 1 to commit. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MangoZip Posted December 31, 2023 Report Share Posted December 31, 2023 1 hour ago, Hilltopper said: We have 2 P5 guys coming in this week. We need at least 1 to commit. Who’s coming in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted January 1 Report Share Posted January 1 (edited) 21 hours ago, Hilltopper said: We have 2 P5 guys coming in this week. We need at least 1 to commit. Joe Labas and Ty Thompson? Edited January 1 by Let'sGoZips94 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catdaddyp Posted January 5 Author Report Share Posted January 5 (edited) Here are some highlights against Washington this year. Doesn’t have quite as much natural arm strength or mobility as Bullock and Wasel (still has more than enough), but throws a really nice ball. He made a few boneheaded interceptions in this game, yet also threw some great passes. Fast forward to where Cal is on offense and it goes pretty quickly. Edited January 5 by catdaddyp 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueandgold Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 26 minutes ago, catdaddyp said: Here are some highlights against Washington this year. Doesn’t have quite as much natural arm strength or mobility as Bullock and Wasel (still has more than enough), but throws a really nice ball. He made a few boneheaded interceptions in this game, yet also threw some great passes. Fast forward to where Cal is on offense and it goes pretty quickly. Looks like he has a quick release which is something we need here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 What year will he be next year? A junior? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catdaddyp Posted January 5 Author Report Share Posted January 5 6 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said: What year will he be next year? A junior? Yes, redshirt Junior. Also a grad transfer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 Nice looking QB against national championship level talent. Accuracy is the key in college and he has it. I'm feeling better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 Source - Some North Carolina News Paper: Quote Cal offensive coordinator Jake Spavital says Finley has a “gunslinger mentality” and Finley doesn’t disagree. Never lacking a little bravado, he said he’s always ready to sling it. “That’s my style,” he said. Finley said that before the UNC game in Chapel Hill last season, then came out slinging it in an game against Drake Maye and the Heels that Pack fans will long remember. In his first career start, a player who spent much of the 2022 season as the scout-team QB threw for 272 yards and two scores. The Wolfpack’s 30-27 double-overtime win had a jubilant Finley first trying to plant a Wolfpack flag into the Kenan Stadium turf, then diving into the arms of his parents in the stands. Sounds like a fun-to-watch gamer? Look out Kent! 🦾 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csims0917 Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 23 minutes ago, csims0917 said: He's clearly better than Drake Maye, projected to go 2nd in the NFL draft, based upon this clear video proof! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 Jennings to Weber State 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94zipgrad Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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