Position Preview (and updates) - Quarterback

[catdaddyp]

Sorry, I have no knowledge of Brookhart’s situation. We are one of the last teams in the MAC to have the online roster updated. 
 

The starting QB of every team is usually under scrutiny for something. Irons gave us the best chance to win last year and if he’s taken another step forward in his decision making, will probably give us the best chance to win this year. What’s not up for debate is Irons being described as a “mediocre” quarterback when he was voted 3rd team All-MAC while missing two full games and parts of others. If someone has already beaten him out this offseason, then that should mean Akron will have two of the better quarterbacks in the MAC.

 

While preseason publications should be taken with a grain a salt, every publication I’ve read has a selection of either Rourke, Finn, Gabbert, Lombardi, or Irons as the top quarterbacks in the MAC. I’ve also watched enough MAC football to know those predictions are solid, unless a quarterback comes out of the blue that has yet to play much.

I feel good after Undercuffler after the spring game. Both Bullock and Wasel have plenty of potential, but have yet to play much (or at all in Wasel’s case) at the FBS level.

[GoZips4824]

Can confirm that Johnny is on the team and participating in summer workouts. Biggest issue is the roster simply not being updated and yes we are awful at doing that 

[LZIp]

Never seen so much interest in a walk on QB.

[Hilltopper]

If you want the latest info you need to download the app. 

[MangoZip]

6 hours ago, Hilltopper said:

If you want the latest info you need to download the app. 

Yea, the last “news” article on there was May 31 and the roster still isn’t updated…very helpful 

[Hilltopper]

6 hours ago, MangoZip said:

Yea, the last “news” article on there was May 31 and the roster still isn’t updated…very helpful 

Right at this moment, there really isn't much to report. Unless someone(GT)is interested in writing a column for the ABJ, I wouldn't expect any hard info until camp starts.

[Captain Kangaroo]

14 hours ago, Hilltopper said:

Right at this moment, there really isn't much to report. Unless someone(GT)is interested in writing a column for the ABJ, I wouldn't expect any hard info until camp starts.

 

While I am certainly no GT, I'll do my best to pass along a few things gleaned from a Zips football event held last evening at Café Arnone in Fairlawn.😀

 

The event was for boosters-only, until the last minute when they opened it up to the public. So I just went on my own. I may have been the only person in attendance that wasn't a former player or administrator.

 

The main purpose of the event was to kick off a booster group composed primarily of former Zips players. Most of the guys seemed to be from the Dennison era. A few from the Faust era. Buchtel coach and former Brookhart RB Bryan Williams was in attendance. There will be a big push to get former Zips back into the fold, supporting the program. They'll be arranging road trips, fund raising and a lot of other things. 

 

Joe probably spoke for an hour. The most important thing discussed his adamant statement that he was at Akron for the long haul, and 100% committed to turning the ship around. He mentioned the offers he's had both before and since coming to UA...paraphrasing - "I could be a Power 5 head coach right now...I could be a Power 5 coordinator right now...I could be in the NFL right now...with a lot more commas and zero's on my paycheck...but I'm at Akron because I chose to be here, and I WILL turn this thing around." It was a pretty powerful and honest statement.

 

In no particular order, here are some tidbits (I'm going off memory here) -

• There are two 2023 scholarships left to give
• The Zips expect two more 2024 freshman commits by next week. I think one is an OL from Florida?
• Future recruiting classes will likely be 60-70% from the portal (it depends upon what talent is available in a given year). The rest will be freshman. The preference is the portal guys will be like Alex Adams, mature kids with 3-or-so years of eligibility remaining. 
• From the tone of the QB discussions, DJ and Taj are the top 2. But Billy Fessler said "We've only seen Taj in shorts so far, so we'll see what happens in August." Joe mentioned it was nice to have a guy like Undercuffler in the mix, as "he won a game last year, and was a minute away from winning another."
• Joe addressed the two late-game fumbles from last year - "I think the guys looked up at the scoreboard and said "Holy crap...we can actually win!?" And then, we folded. He said "regardless of how much you simulate those late-game scenarios in practice, the game is just different." He doesn't feel those situations will be repeated in 2023. 😀
• The kicker from Oregon State can consistently put a ball 6-7 yards deep in the endzone on kick offs.
• Joe thought last season may have been his best coaching job ever considering the program's talent level when it was handed to him. On 2022, he said the Zips were "1 deep" at most positions. Now they are 2-3 deep. That's going to create some great competition and raise the level of play appreciably. "We look like a Division 1 team this year...last year that wasn't the case."
• Coach Tibesar said he has no idea who's going to start on the defensive line, but he likes the numbers and talent they have on the roster. He said the linebackers look like D1 linebackers.
• Joe Dunn was at the event. He expects to return for another season of broadcasting.
• The boosters seem like a good group of people. Older, professional guys who seem more than capable and motivated to make the group effective and grow it. I think 16 people joined last night, at $100 each. Nice start! They're appreciative that Joe and the staff have reached out to them. If you're a former player and want to find out more, contact Reno Ferri or Tom Freeman.
• Joe said the difference between the Fordham team he inherited in "Year 1", and the Zips team he inherited in "Year 0" was buy-in. The Fordham team won the 1-score games the Zips lost because they universally bought in to what his staff was implementing. That universal buy-in wasn't there for the Zips last season. But it is now. He expects great things now that players know they are being held accountable, and so many returning players have a year of Joe's system under their belts. 

Overall, a very nice, small-venue event. Definitely worth $30 to hear Joe speak. I'll leave the rest to GT. 😀

[Hilltopper]

13 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

 

While I am certainly no GT, I'll do my best to pass along a few things gleaned from a Zips football event held last evening at Café Arnone in Fairlawn.😀

 

The event was for boosters-only, until the last minute when they opened it up to the public. So I just went on my own. I may have been the only person in attendance that wasn't a former player or administrator.

 

The main purpose of the event was to kick off a booster group composed primarily of former Zips players. Most of the guys seemed to be from the Dennison era. A few from the Faust era. Buchtel coach and former Brookhart RB Bryan Williams was in attendance. There will be a big push to get former Zips back into the fold, supporting the program. They'll be arranging road trips, fund raising and a lot of other things. 

 

Joe probably spoke for an hour. The most important thing discussed his adamant statement that he was at Akron for the long haul, and 100% committed to turning the ship around. He mentioned the offers he's had both before and since coming to UA last year...paraphrasing - "I could be a Power 5 head coach right now...I could be a Power 5 coordinator right now...I could be in the NFL right now...with a lot more commas and zero's on my paycheck...but I'm at Akron because I chose to be here, and I WILL turn this thing around." It was a pretty powerful and honest statement.

 

In no particular order, here are some tidbits (I'm going off memory here) -

• There are two 2023 scholarships left to give
• The Zips expect two more 2024 freshman commits by next week. I think one is an OL from Florida?
• Future recruiting classes will likely be 60-70% from the portal (it depends upon what talent is available in a given year). The rest will be freshman. The preference is the portal guys will be like Alex Adams, mature kids with 3-or-so years of eligibility remaining. 
• From the tone of the QB discussions, DJ and Taj are the top 2. But Billy Fessler said "We've only seen Taj in shorts so far, so we'll see what happens in August." Joe mentioned it was nice to have a guy like Undercuffler in the mix, as "he won a game last year, and was a minute away from winning another."
• Joe addressed the two late-game fumbles from last year - "I think the guys looked up at the scoreboard and said "Holy crap...we can actually win!?" And then folded. He said regardless of how much you simulate those late-game scenarios in practice, the game is just different. He doesn't feel those situations will be repeated in 2023. 😀
• The kicker from Oregon State can consistently put a ball 6-7 yards deep in the endzone on kick offs.
• Joe thought last season may have been his best coaching job ever considering the program's talent level when it was handed to him. On 2022, he said the Zips were "1 deep" at most positions. Now they are 2-3 deep. That's going to create some great competition and raise the level of play appreciably. "We look like a Division 1 team this year...last year that wasn't the case."
• Coach Tibesar said he has no idea who's going to start on the defensive line, but he likes the numbers and talent they have on the roster. He said the linebackers look like D1 linebackers.
• Joe Dunn was at the event. He expects to return for another season of broadcasting.
• The boosters seem like a good group of people. Older, professional guys who seem more than capable and motivated to make the group effective and grow it. I think 16 people joined last night, at $100 each. Nice start! They're appreciative that Joe and the staff have reached out to them. If you're a former player and want to find out more, contact Reno Ferri or Tom Freeman.

Overall, a very nice, small-venue event. Definitely worth $30 to hear Joe speak. I'll leave the rest to GT. 😀

Thanks for the report!  Was GT there?

[LZIp]

Awesome. Thank Captain!

[Let'sGoZips94]

There will be a Joe Moorhead statue at whatever the Info is called in the future. Book it.

[GoZips86]

GREAT info, thanks Captain!

[catdaddyp]

1 hour ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

 

While I am certainly no GT, I'll do my best to pass along a few things gleaned from a Zips football event held last evening at Café Arnone in Fairlawn.😀

 

The event was for boosters-only, until the last minute when they opened it up to the public. So I just went on my own. I may have been the only person in attendance that wasn't a former player or administrator.

 

The main purpose of the event was to kick off a booster group composed primarily of former Zips players. Most of the guys seemed to be from the Dennison era. A few from the Faust era. Buchtel coach and former Brookhart RB Bryan Williams was in attendance. There will be a big push to get former Zips back into the fold, supporting the program. They'll be arranging road trips, fund raising and a lot of other things. 

 

Joe probably spoke for an hour. The most important thing discussed his adamant statement that he was at Akron for the long haul, and 100% committed to turning the ship around. He mentioned the offers he's had both before and since coming to UA...paraphrasing - "I could be a Power 5 head coach right now...I could be a Power 5 coordinator right now...I could be in the NFL right now...with a lot more commas and zero's on my paycheck...but I'm at Akron because I chose to be here, and I WILL turn this thing around." It was a pretty powerful and honest statement.

 

In no particular order, here are some tidbits (I'm going off memory here) -

• There are two 2023 scholarships left to give
• The Zips expect two more 2024 freshman commits by next week. I think one is an OL from Florida?
• Future recruiting classes will likely be 60-70% from the portal (it depends upon what talent is available in a given year). The rest will be freshman. The preference is the portal guys will be like Alex Adams, mature kids with 3-or-so years of eligibility remaining. 
• From the tone of the QB discussions, DJ and Taj are the top 2. But Billy Fessler said "We've only seen Taj in shorts so far, so we'll see what happens in August." Joe mentioned it was nice to have a guy like Undercuffler in the mix, as "he won a game last year, and was a minute away from winning another."
• Joe addressed the two late-game fumbles from last year - "I think the guys looked up at the scoreboard and said "Holy crap...we can actually win!?" And then, we folded. He said "regardless of how much you simulate those late-game scenarios in practice, the game is just different." He doesn't feel those situations will be repeated in 2023. 😀
• The kicker from Oregon State can consistently put a ball 6-7 yards deep in the endzone on kick offs.
• Joe thought last season may have been his best coaching job ever considering the program's talent level when it was handed to him. On 2022, he said the Zips were "1 deep" at most positions. Now they are 2-3 deep. That's going to create some great competition and raise the level of play appreciably. "We look like a Division 1 team this year...last year that wasn't the case."
• Coach Tibesar said he has no idea who's going to start on the defensive line, but he likes the numbers and talent they have on the roster. He said the linebackers look like D1 linebackers.
• Joe Dunn was at the event. He expects to return for another season of broadcasting.
• The boosters seem like a good group of people. Older, professional guys who seem more than capable and motivated to make the group effective and grow it. I think 16 people joined last night, at $100 each. Nice start! They're appreciative that Joe and the staff have reached out to them. If you're a former player and want to find out more, contact Reno Ferri or Tom Freeman.
• Joe said the difference between the Fordham team he inherited in "Year 1", and the Zips team he inherited in "Year 0" was buy-in. The Fordham team won the 1-score games the Zips lost because they universally bought in to what his staff was implementing. That universal buy-in wasn't there for the Zips last season. But it is now. He expects great things now that players know they are being held accountable, and so many returning players have a year of Joe's system under their belts. 

Overall, a very nice, small-venue event. Definitely worth $30 to hear Joe speak. I'll leave the rest to GT. 😀

Thanks for all the great info!
 

It’ll definitely be beneficial to have a kicker that can put the ball in the endzone. That’ll help tremendously with field position and I think we have a better selection of guys that can run and tackle this year.

 

Thankful Tibesar is the DC. He’s another coach that could go elsewhere and get paid more. Bubba will be missed, but I’m excited about the athleticism and talent at LB.

 

Glad to hear Joe Dunn will be back. He does a really nice job, especially with his weekly football segments.

 

It’s almost not fair having the portal available to this staff. They have so many connections and do such a great job of evaluating talent, other MAC schools won’t be able to keep pace. Once this program turns the corner (which should be this year. We peeked around the corner last season) it’s going to be off to the races. 

 

A lot of exciting news. Coach Moorhead will have this program resembling a P5 in every facet soon. 

 

 

[MangoZip]

2 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

 

While I am certainly no GT, I'll do my best to pass along a few things gleaned from a Zips football event held last evening at Café Arnone in Fairlawn.😀

 

The event was for boosters-only, until the last minute when they opened it up to the public. So I just went on my own. I may have been the only person in attendance that wasn't a former player or administrator.

 

The main purpose of the event was to kick off a booster group composed primarily of former Zips players. Most of the guys seemed to be from the Dennison era. A few from the Faust era. Buchtel coach and former Brookhart RB Bryan Williams was in attendance. There will be a big push to get former Zips back into the fold, supporting the program. They'll be arranging road trips, fund raising and a lot of other things. 

 

Joe probably spoke for an hour. The most important thing discussed his adamant statement that he was at Akron for the long haul, and 100% committed to turning the ship around. He mentioned the offers he's had both before and since coming to UA...paraphrasing - "I could be a Power 5 head coach right now...I could be a Power 5 coordinator right now...I could be in the NFL right now...with a lot more commas and zero's on my paycheck...but I'm at Akron because I chose to be here, and I WILL turn this thing around." It was a pretty powerful and honest statement.

 

In no particular order, here are some tidbits (I'm going off memory here) -

• There are two 2023 scholarships left to give
• The Zips expect two more 2024 freshman commits by next week. I think one is an OL from Florida?
• Future recruiting classes will likely be 60-70% from the portal (it depends upon what talent is available in a given year). The rest will be freshman. The preference is the portal guys will be like Alex Adams, mature kids with 3-or-so years of eligibility remaining. 
• From the tone of the QB discussions, DJ and Taj are the top 2. But Billy Fessler said "We've only seen Taj in shorts so far, so we'll see what happens in August." Joe mentioned it was nice to have a guy like Undercuffler in the mix, as "he won a game last year, and was a minute away from winning another."
• Joe addressed the two late-game fumbles from last year - "I think the guys looked up at the scoreboard and said "Holy crap...we can actually win!?" And then, we folded. He said "regardless of how much you simulate those late-game scenarios in practice, the game is just different." He doesn't feel those situations will be repeated in 2023. 😀
• The kicker from Oregon State can consistently put a ball 6-7 yards deep in the endzone on kick offs.
• Joe thought last season may have been his best coaching job ever considering the program's talent level when it was handed to him. On 2022, he said the Zips were "1 deep" at most positions. Now they are 2-3 deep. That's going to create some great competition and raise the level of play appreciably. "We look like a Division 1 team this year...last year that wasn't the case."
• Coach Tibesar said he has no idea who's going to start on the defensive line, but he likes the numbers and talent they have on the roster. He said the linebackers look like D1 linebackers.
• Joe Dunn was at the event. He expects to return for another season of broadcasting.
• The boosters seem like a good group of people. Older, professional guys who seem more than capable and motivated to make the group effective and grow it. I think 16 people joined last night, at $100 each. Nice start! They're appreciative that Joe and the staff have reached out to them. If you're a former player and want to find out more, contact Reno Ferri or Tom Freeman.
• Joe said the difference between the Fordham team he inherited in "Year 1", and the Zips team he inherited in "Year 0" was buy-in. The Fordham team won the 1-score games the Zips lost because they universally bought in to what his staff was implementing. That universal buy-in wasn't there for the Zips last season. But it is now. He expects great things now that players know they are being held accountable, and so many returning players have a year of Joe's system under their belts. 

Overall, a very nice, small-venue event. Definitely worth $30 to hear Joe speak. I'll leave the rest to GT. 😀

Great information, thanks for the report. We are starving for information and this definitely helps.

[60zip]

Thanks Captain. I am glad to hear some news from the coaching staff and their comments. This is a very good staff. I not only try my best to get to all the home games, I go on the road to at least one P5 game and sometimes one other. We hunger for a winning season and a championship. I just renewed my season tickets last week, kind of late as I can't get around like I used too and was not sure I could get someone to accompany me to each game.  Still not absolute. A couple years ago, someone gave me a pass for lot 6 so i could get in and out well by myself.  GO ZIPS

[LoyalZIP]

Thank you, Captain! Akron football hasn't felt like Akron Football in a very long time. To me, Akron football has always been at its best and most fun to be close to when the alumni are bought in. Go back to gamedays at the later years at the Rubber Bowl. The team was just okay, but the gameday experience felt top notch because of how many people were there who cared so much. Joe is the perfect person for this job, it's still unbelievable that he's here and doing what he's doing. 

 

And to think, when the Akron job opened in November 2021, we saw dozens of reports on the Hoban head coach at first, and none on Moorhead until the season finally ended. This is gonna make a hell of a book someday!

[Let'sGoZips94]

4 hours ago, catdaddyp said:

A lot of exciting news. Coach Moorhead will have this program resembling a P5 in every facet soon. 

 

 

 

Until it happens (or doesn't), I will always wonder if part of the Guthrie/JoeMo alliance is getting Akron into a new conference.

[catdaddyp]

17 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Until it happens (or doesn't), I will always wonder if part of the Guthrie/JoeMo alliance is getting Akron into a new conference.

I hadn’t even thought of that. But if JoeMo is truly here for the long haul, that would mean he’d likely establish Akron into a football powerhouse at the G5 level. With the ever changing landscape, it’s not that far fetched that the school could position themselves for a better opportunity. Similar to Cincinnati for a lack of a better comparison off the top of my head.

[72 Roo]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Until it happens (or doesn't), I will always wonder if part of the Guthrie/JoeMo alliance is getting Akron into a new conference.

From what I know including conversations with coaches and administrators Guthrie does not want to go to a new conference, but Joe is open to it. I hope Joe wins.

[Let'sGoZips94]

2 hours ago, catdaddyp said:

I hadn’t even thought of that. But if JoeMo is truly here for the long haul, that would mean he’d likely establish Akron into a football powerhouse at the G5 level. With the ever changing landscape, it’s not that far fetched that the school could position themselves for a better opportunity. Similar to Cincinnati for a lack of a better comparison off the top of my head.

 

The American Athletic Conference has our name on it someday. 

 

41 minutes ago, 72 Roo said:

From what I know including conversations with coaches and administrators Guthrie does not want to go to a new conference, but Joe is open to it. I hope Joe wins.

 

I will never buy that Guthrie does not want to go to a new conference. He has to publicly - and even privately with many people - state that he likes the MAC. No way does an AD of a school like Akron, with strong geographics and solid facilities, not want to put conference elevation on their resume. 

[MangoZip]

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!

[zippy5]

Is the American even better than the MAC right now?

[LZIp]

[Captain Kangaroo]

12 hours ago, catdaddyp said:

I hadn’t even thought of that. But if JoeMo is truly here for the long haul, that would mean he’d likely establish Akron into a football powerhouse at the G5 level. 

I'll clarify a little with my interpretation of "long haul" - Joe's here to "fix" Akron football, and he won't leave until that is accomplished. He's not a 2-year mercenary looking to build a resume and immediately move on, or bide time while the smoke blows over from some scandal.  He wants Zips football to be a stable, contending program well into the future.

 

I don't know that he will be our "Solich". Maybe he will? I'd LOVE it. But when he ultimately leaves we'll be on stable ground as a program, with legitimate annual expectations of competing for championships for the first time since...maybe Dennison?

[catdaddyp]

11 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

I'll clarify a little with my interpretation of "long haul" - Joe's here to "fix" Akron football, and he won't leave until that is accomplished. He's not a 2-year mercenary looking to build a resume and immediately move on, or bide time while the smoke blows over from some scandal.  He wants Zips football to be a stable, contending program well into the future.

 

I don't know that he will be our "Solich". Maybe he will? I'd LOVE it. But when he ultimately leaves we'll be on stable ground as a program, with legitimate annual expectations of competing for championships for the first time since...maybe Dennison?

Ah, that changes the picture a bit. This team will likely be in throwing distance of winning the the East this year. I expect 2024 will be the year Akron becomes what coach Moorhead wants this program to be. Hope I’m wrong, but from there I’m guessing it’s probably a matter of time before he moves on to a P5 gig. By that time I guess the national pundits will consider him a good coach again 🤣

[MangoZip]

I think he’s here for this year and two more. His son is a sophomore QB in high school and already has offers. I think he stays here until he goes to college and then Joe gets a role on the staff of his school