Akron Football

Akron is expected to finalize the hiring of Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead following the Pac-12 championship game, according to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman.

Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports first reported the Zips identified Moorhead as their top target in their head coaching search.

Bringing the 48-year-old back to Northeast Ohio—he worked on Akron's staff from 2004 to 2008—will be a signal of intent from the school.

The Zips made a pair of bowl games under Terry Bowden in 2015 and 2017 but were unable to establish themselves as an upper-tier Group of Five program. They proceeded to take a big step backward under Tom Arth, posting a 3-27 record over the past three seasons.

Moorhead has served as an offensive coordinator for two schools routinely in the College Football Playoff discussion (Oregon and Penn State), and the former Fordham quarterback spent two years as Mississippi State's head coach with a 14-12 record and two bowl games (both losses).

The 48-year-old's hiring would be a major coup for Akron and a surprise given his profile.

Perhaps Moorhead is looking to rebuild his reputation as a head coach to put himself in the frame for a Power Five gig in a few years. Winning 10 games with the Zips would almost certainly help him achieve that aim.

The Pittsburgh native may instead be looking to emulate Frank Solich.

Solich was fired by Nebraska in 2003 despite a 58-19 record and landed on his feet at Ohio in 2005. He remained with the Mid-American Conference program for 16 years as the Bobcats became a fixture in bowl season.

While every coach wants to win championships, having long-term job security and becoming a school legend at a program outside the blue bloods can provide a different type of fulfillment.

Considering the state of Akron, Moorhead probably won't yield immediate returns even if he targets reinforcements through the transfer portal. But he should have plenty of time to get the Zips back to relevancy.

University of Akron offensive tackle Scott Boyett accidentally shot wide receiver Andrew Pratt in the stomach Saturday, believing he was a burglar trying to enter his apartment, according to the Akron Beacon Journal's Amanda Garrett. 

No charges will be filed after both players agreed the shooting was "an accident," according to Garrett. Pratt is reportedly expected to recover from his injuries after being taken to the emergency room at Akron Children's Hospital.

According to Garrett, Pratt was eventually transferred to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition. 

Pratt and Boyett both spoke with police separately at the hospital, and the receiver reportedly told officers he believed the shooting was an "honest mistake," per Garrett. 

"We are saddened and concerned to learn of this situation and we hope that Andrew recovers fully," Akron athletic director Larry Williams wrote in a statement, per Garrett. "While we know the incident occurred at an off-campus location, we will wait to learn more from the Akron Police Department about what occurred. We are keeping Andrew in our thoughts and prayers."

Jim Tressel has made his way back to college, but it isn't for football. 

According to Rod Ledgard of the Akron Beacon Journal, the University of Akron has hired Tressel as an administrator.

This is big news for the college football world because of Tressel's history. Indeed, many wondered if he would ever coach again.

This new gig definitely lets us know that his coaching days are over.

At least for now, that is. There's always the possibility that he could coach in the NFL someday. Meanwhile, should he ever coach college football again, the NCAA will discipline him and the school he's hired by. 

What It Means 

The former Ohio State Buckeyes football coach cheated and lied, which is why he isn't allowed to coach anymore. 

He's now working for the school where he was once a graduate assistant, and his title is of question. 

The Vice President for Strategic Engagement is a new position for Akron. According to Pat Galbincea of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Tressel's first action is to "raise money for a new basketball arena." 

Tressel helped Akron find a new football coach, and he's now helping other areas in athletics. 

He may not be able to coach, but he's still finding a way to play a role in college sports. Take that as you will. As long as he doesn't continue his trend of cheating, all is well. 

What Happens Next 

Tressel will start his new job on May 1 and receive a base salary of $200,000. His days with the Indianapolis Colts are over, and Tressel is now setting out to help a small school in need.

There is no doubt that Tressel is very wise when it comes to the college sports world, and it appears he's going to find ways to help Akron achieve overall. 

In the report by Galbincea, he claims that Tressel will "also focus on student success and the Akron Experience program, which will offer students learning opportunities outside the classroom such as service projects." 

It's an interesting turn of events for Tressel, and Akron is certainly getting an intelligent man capable of doing great things for the Zips. 

This news will bring a ton of attention to Akron, although some of it might be negative given Tressel's past. 

After leaving Ohio State in disgrace prior to the 2011 season due to his inaction regarding players receiving improper benefits, Jim Tressel became an assistant with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. Now, he is heading back to college.

According to WEWS NewsChannel5 in Cleveland, Ohio, the University of Akron is set to hire Tressel today. The hiring would be in an administrative role rather than football, however, according to Pat Galbincea of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Mike Waterhouse of NewsNet5 is reporting that the position may be that of a vice president and that Tressel is expected to make about $200,000 annually.

What It Means

It was determined that any school that hired Tressel in a football capacity following his transgressions at Ohio State would be subject to discipline by the NCAA. Because of that, Tressel was essentially blackballed when it comes to being a college coach.

Tressel's rumored position at Akron is not football related, though, so the sanctions wouldn't apply. According to Galbincea, Tressel who started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Akron, aided in the school's search for a head football coach and began exploring the possibility of a different position with the university.

What's Next?

With the announcement expected to become official at 10 a.m. EST on Thursday, there will certainly be plenty of talk regarding whether this was the right move for Akron. It shouldn't have any effect on the Zips' football team since Tressel will be working with students, but there are still morality issues to consider.

One would think that universities look for the highest possible character in their administrators. For many years it appeared as though the sweater-vest-clad leader of the Buckeyes had exactly that. After failing to report "Tattoo Gate" in which many of his players exchanged Ohio State merchandise for tattoos, however, that is now in question.

Ultimately, it seems as if hiring Tressel is more trouble than it's worth for Akron right now. Not only will the media scrutiny be high due to Tressel's issues at Ohio State, but it just doesn't seem like a good fit.

The players at Ohio State are mostly to blame for the scandal that forced Tressel out of power, but he withheld important information from the NCAA. Since Tressel has already done it before, who is to say that he wouldn't hide information while at Akron if his job was on the line?

From Tressel's perspective this is likely a great job opportunity since there is a new regime with the Colts and coaching in college is basically out of the question. The hiring is going to get Akron attention, but that attention will be for all the wrong reasons.

Jim Tressel interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts for their head coaching position roughly a week and a half ago. Now it looks like Tressel may be headed back to college with the University of Akron in an administrative role.

Pat Galbincea of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported the story and says that an announcement could come as early as Thursday.

According to a Sports Illustrated article, Tressel has been surrounded by his fair share of violations, and the more recent sanctions against Ohio State and himself are still fresh in everyone's mind. I don't know how having these black marks against a coach qualifies him for an administrative role.

The penalty handed down to Tressel from the NCAA was a five-year, show-cause penalty, meaning a school would have to present its case and receive special permission to hire Tressel as coach.

I'm a Youngstown State alum, and I grew up in Jim Tressel country. I met him when I was a young boy at a basketball game, and he was honestly one of the kindest people I've ever met. I've been a fan of his since before I can remember, but now might not be the right time for a university to hire him in any role.

I understand The University of Akron football team has been bad lately, really bad. Back to back 1-11 finishes are never a good thing, and the last winning season was in 2005 (a 7-6 finish). Getting your university, your alumni and your students excited about Akron football again is important, and hiring Tressel, even in a non-athletic administrative role, would create buzz. But you risk creating the wrong kind of buzz for the university.

Former Auburn coach Terry Bowden is wanted by Georgiana Police on two warrants for unpaid tickets, according to WSFA.com.

Bowden did not make his court appearance on September 1 or pay the $537 in fees from the tickets. The two tickets are for speeding and having an improper tag.

WFSA has also reported that Bowden's license has not been reinstated since it was suspended back on October 27.

On December 28, Bowden was introduced as the head football coach at Akron University, his first Division 1 coaching job in 13 years.

This is a really poor way to begin his tenure at Akron, and Bowden should be ashamed of himself for refusing to pay his tickets or make the required court appearance.

As a leader of young men, he has set a poor example for his players to follow. As a man trying to prove he can still be a talented head coach in Division 1, Bowden's irresponsible decisions should really be a concern for Akron.

They are trying to move forward from a disappointing 1-11 season in which they were 0-8 in the MAC, and this troubling news is not going to help the program improve.

When he was introduced as Akron coach, Bowden said the following, via ESPN:

"There is a formula to be successful," Bowden said. "We will find it, find it in a hurry and compete in the MAC. You have to be a little bold in your presentation and get the players to invest in it. I believe I'm the right guy for the job, but it is not a one-man show."

He may think he's the right man for the job, but with this latest news, Bowden has some explaining to do. Akron must re-evaluate whether Bowden is the right man for their football program, because his actions are inexcusable.

You cannot have your head coach being in trouble with the law, that's not the role model young men need in order to mature into good adults and football players.

Follow @NicholasGoss35

With the college football regular season offer, coaching changes are happening every week. 

The latest team to get a new head coach is the Akron Zips, who according to ESPN's Mark Schlabach, have hired Terry Bowden. 

Bowden hasn't been a head coach at an FBS school since 1998, which was at Auburn. He replaces Rob Ianello, who went 2-22 in two seasons as the Zips head coach. 

While at Auburn, Bowden had a record of 47-17, but he was forced to resign after six games in 1998.

Since then, Bowden was a college football analyst for ABC. In 2009, he took over as head coach for North Alabama, a Division II school. 

Bowden has a very difficult task ahead of him, seeing as how the Zips have been bottom dwellers of the MAC for quite some time. 

The last time Akron had a winning season was in 2005, when the Zips went 7-6, but lost in the Motor City Bowl to Memphis. 

The Bowden name has been a staple in college football for many years. Terry's brother, Tommy, was a head coach at Clemson, and his father, Bobby, had a ton of success with Florida State. 

There hasn't been a Bowden in FBS football for a few years, so we'll see if Terry can get the name going strong while at Akron. 

Many speculated that Bowden's decision to coach at North Alabama was just a start to get back to the FBS level, and look what we have now.

However, taking the job at Akron is a bold move because of how poor the program has been for years. It's not easy to recruit for the MAC, especially when the team has been awful. 

Bowden's name alone should help him, but even then it may not be enough. 

Sometimes after you make a mistake in life, you’re forced to swallow your pride, pick yourself up off the ground and begin to work your way back up the ladder.

Such is the case for former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, who resigned from his duty with the Buckeyes back in May amid a scandal that tarnished his once pristine reputation.

Tressel was one of the most celebrated icons of college football during his tenure in Columbus, but now just a few months after his departure, he is faced with the reality of being a soon to be 59-year-old head coach with a big blemish on his resume.

Sure, Tressel should have enough money from the many millions he made from his time coaching at Ohio State to retire and live out a happy life, but the coaching fire could also still be burning down inside his soul. You know that he simply can’t be happy with how things ended with the Buckeyes.

If Tressel wants to rebuild his legacy, it’s not going to happen by him sitting up in the booth as the replay consultant for an Indianapolis Colts team that most people have already completely forgotten about.

No, if Tressel wants to truly rebuild his legacy, he’s got to get back in the game, and he’s got to find another major head coaching job.

Now saying that is easy, but actually getting the offer from a major program is a whole different story.

Still, there apparently is some interest for Tressel’s services out there. He’ll reportedly be meeting with officials from Akron University sometime this week, according to the Lake County Sentinel.

For those who aren’t big into Akron football, yes, the Zips are an FBS team.

Well, barely. They’ve won exactly five games in the last three seasons in the mighty MAC.

Yes, this would basically be like starting at the bottom for Tressel, who got his coaching career started at Akron back in 1975.

Thinking about seeing that sweater vest on a college football field in the state of Ohio is certainly something interesting to ponder, but in reality, Akron fans better not get their hopes up and start making welcome signs for Jim Tressel just yet.

Sure, bringing in a high-profile coach would certainly add some credibility to the program, but given all that went on with Tressel at Ohio State recently, he’s just too dangerous for any school to touch right now.

Although the way that Akron fired head football coach Rob Ianello on Saturday afternoon was absolutely cruel and inexcusable, they university made the right move.

Ianello went a despicable 2-22 in two seasons with the Zips, and finished dead last in the Mid-American Conference both years.

Still, that doesn't warrant the school informing Ianello that he is fired over the phone on his way to his mother's funeral.

Where is the conscience Akron? Thanksgiving was just last Thursday for crying out loud.

The way Akron handled his firing is more disgusting than the two wins in two seasons, and should be punishable by the NCAA.

The news came one day after Akron was throttled 68-19 at Western Michigan on Friday. The loss wraps the Zips' season up at 1-11, 0-8 in the MAC.

Ianello's performance was so brutally bad that the university dismissed all of his assistants as well.

Sure, programs have had rough patches or down years, but these past 24 games under Ianello have been a tough stretch of football to say the least.

Akron hasn't even been competitive this season. Its only win came at home against VMI back in September.

The Zips have lost eight consecutive and have been blown out by at least 32 points seven times in 2011.

Thirty-two points. Let that sink in.

Akron's passing and rushing attacks rank 105th and 102nd respectively. Its scoring offense and defense ranks 118th and 117th respectively.

Ianello needed to be fired, he had to be fired. But no one should have to hear that news on the day of their mother's funeral, even if it was inevitable.