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Class of '25 Verbal Commits


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1 hour ago, zippy5 said:

Wow, I thought the portal was the death of our program and here we are getting good players out of it? Crazy

Ok, I hate to be negative but let’s look at this (and most of these signings) realistically. This kid redshirted his freshman year and appeared in one game with no stats this year. He’s from Colorado, signed at Washington State and now transfers to Akron. I feel pretty confident that he is not coming to Akron because he has a lot of other options.  Hope he pans out and becomes a great player but so many (not all!) kids are in the portal for a reason. 

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2 hours ago, zippy5 said:

Wow, I thought the portal was the death of our program and here we are getting good players out of it? Crazy

 

The portal is one of those things where you can like it or hate it, but if you try to fight it and not adapt you're going to get left behind. 

Edited by kreed5120
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1 hour ago, MangoZip said:

Ok, I hate to be negative but let’s look at this (and most of these signings) realistically. This kid redshirted his freshman year and appeared in one game with no stats this year. He’s from Colorado, signed at Washington State and now transfers to Akron. I feel pretty confident that he is not coming to Akron because he has a lot of other options.  Hope he pans out and becomes a great player but so many (not all!) kids are in the portal for a reason. 

IMG_9717.jpeg

Yeah, I remember when Tyreek Hill was coming here.

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1 hour ago, MangoZip said:

Ok, I hate to be negative but let’s look at this (and most of these signings) realistically. This kid redshirted his freshman year and appeared in one game with no stats this year. He’s from Colorado, signed at Washington State and now transfers to Akron. I feel pretty confident that he is not coming to Akron because he has a lot of other options.  Hope he pans out and becomes a great player but so many (not all!) kids are in the portal for a reason. 

 

Kids are just finding their level. Some kids were too good for FCS and moving up to the MAC, some weren't good enough for P5 and moving down to the MAC. Up to the staff to find the ones that fit well

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44 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

Kids are just finding their level. Some kids were too good for FCS and moving up to the MAC, some weren't good enough for P5 and moving down to the MAC. Up to the staff to find the ones that fit well

And important to consider the team isn’t built and decisions by players aren’t made in the silos that our threads on this forum are. We’ve had success by WRs since Moorhead arrived. We have a well regarded QB who knows the system coming back. Doesn’t hurt to have Coach Brookhart on staff when it comes to developing wide receivers given his track record having been a WR and coached elite NFL WRs etc. Not only are they finding their level but they go to a P4/P5 and realize they are not only  competing for playing time but for time given by coaches into their personal development to gain said playing time. coaches develop favorites. It may not be ‘Akron is their only or last option.’ Fit matters, prior recruitment/relationships factor in, and I think there are plenty of players who have chosen to go P4 out of high school that may get a reality check and understand they could be a better fit elsewhere - different level, different conference, different coaches, whatever it may be. 

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5 hours ago, MangoZip said:

Ok, I hate to be negative but let’s look at this (and most of these signings) realistically. This kid redshirted his freshman year and appeared in one game with no stats this year. He’s from Colorado, signed at Washington State and now transfers to Akron. I feel pretty confident that he is not coming to Akron because he has a lot of other options.  Hope he pans out and becomes a great player but so many (not all!) kids are in the portal for a reason. 

IMG_9717.jpeg

He was also the leading wide receiver in the state of Colorado (yards & TDs) during his senior year. While it is Colorado HSFB, it's not every day someone with such a stat commits to UA. 

 

https://www.maxpreps.com/co/football/22-23/stat-leaders/offense/receiving/yds/

Edited by AkronAlumnus
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2 hours ago, AkronAlumnus said:

He was also the leading wide receiver in the state of Colorado (yards & TDs) during his senior year. While it is Colorado HSFB, it's not every day someone with such a stat commits to UA. 

True…it’s been over two decades since the Zips landed Colorado’s all time high school basketball scoring leader - the immortal Brian Wood! 
 

We can only hope that Bebe has half the impact!

 

@brianwood@the2

 

Brian today, coaching his HS alma mater

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2 hours ago, catdaddyp said:

2nd RB committ in the portal, I assume this means we're out of the running for Hahsaun Wilson the Charlotte RB, I thought he had a lot of promise and potential.

 

Not that Gant isn't a Dawg bc his accolades as a freshman RB are mighty impressive.

Edited by AkronAlumnus
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2 hours ago, catdaddyp said:

FCS Freshman all american, scored 10 td (144 rushes) in 2023 but only 1 in 2024 (70 rushes)

 

Did average less than 4 yards per attempt last 2 seasons so not a big yardage guy it seems.

 

Should be a much needed 2nd or 3rd option

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So we’ve got about a week until classes start. Does anyone have an updated head count on how many are gone vs how many will be showing up for classes this semester? How many will be on the roster and/or dressed for spring practice? 

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9 hours ago, MangoZip said:

So we’ve got about a week until classes start. Does anyone have an updated head count on how many are gone vs how many will be showing up for classes this semester? How many will be on the roster and/or dressed for spring practice? 

I’ve updated this thread with what’s still needed. One more scholarship WR, unless the staff decides to shift the numbers elsewhere. Defense still needs work.

Edited by catdaddyp
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On 1/7/2025 at 4:14 PM, AkronAlumnus said:

2nd RB committ in the portal, I assume this means we're out of the running for Hahsaun Wilson the Charlotte RB, I thought he had a lot of promise and potential.

 

Not that Gant isn't a Dawg bc his accolades as a freshman RB are mighty impressive.

Yup, signed w/ UTEP.

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1 minute ago, Slam_Hilliard22 said:

In state D2 LB transfer Cam Hollobaugh from Walsh has committed to the Zips

 

Had 120 total tackles this season with 6 tfl's

 

1 year of eligibility left

Had offers from EMU, Coastal Carolina, and UTEP, plus a handful of FCS teams.

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1 hour ago, AkronAlumnus said:

Assuming this shuts down any possibility of a Gage Summers reunion, right? *sigh

Wouldn’t be surprised to see them add another LB, considering we had two upper classman enter the transfer portal (really 3 with Fish and the new JUCO rule). Don’t know if it means anything, but I did see Summers reply to Tim Grear’s commitment post on Twitter.

 

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