Men’s basketball

The Plain Dealer’s Elton Alexander reports that Kent State coach Jim Christian could be headed for Nebraska to take the place of Barry Collier if he gets the athletics director job at Butler.

Football

Akron is now in the hunt for 17 three-star-or-better players, reports Scout.com.

That compares favorably to other MAC schools…

• Temple has 10
• Miami, 8
• Bowling Green, 6
• Northern Illinois, 5
• Eastern Michigan, 4
• Central Michigan, 4
• Kent State, 3
• Toledo, 2
• Western Michigan, 1
• Buffalo, 0

If you’re skeptical of Scout’s anaylsis, here is what Rivals.com reports (Sorry, links won’t work here.) …

• Temple, 16
• Miami, 12
• Bowling Green, 12
• Akron, 10
• Northern Illinois, 9
• Toledo, 5
• Central Michigan, 5
• Eastern Michigan, 4
• Kent State, 3
• Western Michigan, 2
• Buffalo, 2

Looking at that list, the teams that stand out are Temple and Toledo. Temple also has the nation’s 15th best cornerback, Daryl Robinson, a four-star athlete who verballed with the Owls. Maybe the move to the MAC has helped.

Temple’s 2006 class was very average, with only a couple three-star players. Nine three-star players had interest in Temple last season, Rivals.com says.

Toledo, meanwhile, is clearly struggling. The Rockets don’t have a 2007 commitment yet, either.

As far as the Zips are concerned, Scout.com upgraded several of their targets, including …

• Sean Fobbs, 3 Stars, is a 6-foot-1 safety from Miamisburg, Ohio. Akron has offered him a scholarship, as have Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and Kentucky, Scout.com says. Michigan State looks to be his favorite, one story says. Rivals.com gives Fobbs two stars and doesn’t list Akron as a candidate. My outlook: bleak.
• Phillip (P.J.) Shirdan, 3 Stars, is a 6-0 safety from Drexel Hill, Pa. Akron and West Virginia seem to be the leading suitors for Shirdan, who has earned offers from both schools, as well as Temple. Virginia, Rutgers and North Carolina are also schools of interest, says Rivals.com, who gives Shirdan a two-star rating.
• Cornelius Ward, 3 Stars, is a 6-1 cornerback from Fort Washington, Md. His offers include Akron, Connecticut, Illinois, Marshall and Vanderbilt, Scout.com says. Rivals.com adds Buffalo and Miami (Ohio) and also gives Ward three stars. Rivals calls him a "lock-down corner." He is one of possibly eight Fort Washington players who may have a future in Division I. Akron commit Vincent Hill is one of them.
• Pete Rolf, 3 Stars, is a 6-4 linebacker from Piqua, Ohio. Running a 4.7 in the 40-yard dash, it seems Rolf has great athleticism. OhioVarsity.com named Rolf as Ohio’s fifth-best linebacker, which is good considering how deep the state is with LBs this season. Growing up in Utah, Rolf would like to return to the West. Rivals gives Rolf two stars. His top three include Oregon, Eastern Michigan and Akron, the site says, at least until the bigger western schools offer a scholarship. He told Scout.com he’d like to add more weight to his 220-pound frame.
• Mark Wetterer, 3 Stars, is a 6-5 offensive tackle from Cincinnati. He is OhioVarsity.com’s No. 2 offensive lineman because he is such a dominating run blocker. Unfortunately for Akron, J.D. Brookhart’s scholarship offer might be a periphery concern. Wetterer is mainly worried about getting offers from Clemson and Ohio State — his two favorites. His other offers include Cincinnati, Connecticut, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia, according to Scout.com. Wetterer will probably choose Maryland or West Virginia if he doesn’t get the offers he wants. Rivals.com gives him three stars.

Here is a disclaimer on all of this recruiting information: It’s not as reliable as everyone would like.

That is no fault of these recruiting Web sites, which have a daunting task. The problem, according to my colleague Jeff Rabjohns at the Indianapolis Star, is that football players are rarely matched against each other. You won’t see the top offensive tackle from Maine play against the best defensive end from Texas.

That is different in men’s basketball, said Rabjohns, a recruiting expert. Heading into a recruiting season, everyone knows who the top 20 players are and what they can do against top competition. That means there are fewer busts and fewer pleasant surprises than in football.

So maybe, Toledo’s coaches are better recruiting analysts than Temple’s. If this were basketball, that would be a less likely explanation.

• Captain Kangaroo reported some news nuggets about the team on ZipsNation.org — the site he helped to found. In this post, he says Zips coaches expect a couple more commitments before the end of the summer. There’s plenty of other good information, too. As I have said before, I can’t confirm anything from a message board.

Football

Zips recruit Gary Pride might play running back or wide receiver, according to his high school coach Kerry Coombs.

• Congratulations to Domenik Hixon, who signed his first NFL contract. The Broncos drafted the former Zips wide receiver in the fourth round of the 2006 draft.
• Buchtelite sports editor Dan Kadar had a one-on-one interview with Charlie Frye yesterday. He said the former Zips quarterback has bulked up noticeably. His story will appear in the Buchtelite’s 24-page Welcome Back issue.
• Since we’re on the topic of the Buchtelite, we have planned an extensive series on the athletic department’s finances. Look for that to start sometime in the fall.

Men’s basketball

I must say, ESPN.com really impressed me today.

The Worldwide Leader wrote extensively on the MAC with a summer update. Not surprisingly, the package focuses mainly on Akron — its clear favorite to win the conference.

But will this be the year two MAC teams reach the Big Dance? Mid-major guru Kyle Whelliston says maybe, with Akron and Ohio being the frontrunners. Bracketologist Joe Lunardi says Akron will win the MAC, with Kent State receiving an at-large bid.

Here is a really interesting quote in that article from coach Keith Dambrot:

"Our players have all pretty much played with LeBron (James) or tried to guard him," Dambrot said. "He’s kind of adopted us. He’s so huge right now. It’s amazing how we can get in the door (of recruits) with that connection. It’s not all that different than with what (John) Stockton’s done with Gonzaga."

When I’ve talked to Coach Dambrot, he’s always been very honest. Rarely will he be more optimistic or pessimistic than how he really feels. This quote is all the more reason Akron needs to lock him up long-term.

I haven’t spoke with Mack Rhoades since softball coach Julie Wright quit, but I hope he is still devoting his energy toward a new contract for Dambrot and J.D. Brookhart. Heck, lock up track coach Dennis Mitchell and rifle coach Newt Engle while you’re at it.

The athletic department has already shown that it won’t tolerate losing and poor leadership in asking women’s basketball coach Kelly Kennedy to resign. Now Akron needs to tell its coaches that the university will be just as adament in awarding success.

Football

Forgive Tim Crouch and Kiki Gonzalez if they show up to practice with dark circles under their eyes.

They’ve been working on their pass protection and blitz packages late into the night … On the Xbox.

The ABJ’s Dan Kadar wrote a fun feature about these players’ obsession with NCAA Football 07.

Men’s soccer

Akron is getting even more credit.

Just days after being named the seventh best team in the nation, coach Caleb Porter’s recruiting class earned a No. 25 ranking.

Football

I haven’t done much on recruiting lately, so here are some nuggets to satisfy your hunger.

Three recruits are close to committing to Akron…

• Cody Pitts is a 6-foot-3 tight end from Hubbard, Ohio. He told Rivals.com that he has three schools after him: Akron, Toledo and Bowling Green. Of those three, he favors the Zips. However, Michigan State is his favorite. If the Spartans show interest, that seems to be the direction he wants to go. Rivals does not rank Pitts. Scout.com does not list Pitts at all.
• Aaron Williams is a 6-0 linebacker from Pittsburgh. Like Pitts, it will be a MAC decision for Williams. He likes Toledo’s coaches but he thinks he can play sooner at Akron because linebackers will graduate before he gets there. Rivals does not rank Williams. Scout.com gives him two stars.
• Rontez Miles is a 6-2 safety from Pittsburgh. He has offers from Akron, Kent State, Temple, Pittsburgh and Colorado. Miles says he wants to go to either Akron or Pittsburgh. He said he wants to play somewhere with his brother, Vondre Griffin, whom Akron also has offered a scholarship.

Here is an updated list of the three-star players who have interest in Akron…

• Frank Edmonds, running back from Lakewood. Despite being only 5-6 (yes, five-foot-six), Edmonds is the fourth-best running back in Ohio. He has interest from a lot of Big 10 schools, but said his Akron and Ball State have gone beyond anyone else in recruiting him. Akron seems to have a pretty good shot at Edmonds.
• B.J. Cunningham, wide receiver from Westerville. Miami (Ohio) and Cincinnati lead a list of mainly MAC schools. Akron’s chances seem slim.
• Derek Moye, wide receiver from Rochester, Pa. Pitt, Penn State and Boston College are his top choices.
• Mike Dykes, offensive guard from Pittsburgh. He’s almost certainly headed to North Carolina.
• Mark Spinney, offensive guard from Nashua, N.H. A lot of Big East teams have offered Spinney a scholarship, but Akron is the best team so far. Spinney is 6-4, 265 and appears to be a load of muscle.
• Anthony Mihota, defensive tackle from Fredericksburg, Va. He has high interest in Maryland and Akron has not yet offered a scholarship. Doesn’t look good.
• Jordan Mabin, cornerback from Macedonia. Mabin looks like he’s headed to Pitt.
• Chris Rucker, cornerback from Warren. Miami (0hio), Indiana and Cincinnati are the favorites.
• David Arnold, safety from Copley. Indiana, Illinois and Syracuse are the leaders. If Ohio State offers Arnold a scholarship, that will all change.
• Kahlil Permenter, safety from Waldorf, Md. He has offers from Akron, Temple and Boston College. He is the No. 10 prospect from Maryland. Vincent Hill, who already committed to Akron, is No. 11.

Also, if you haven’t seen the debate on ZipsNation.org, here is Terry Pluto’s column about Akron’s schedule. He calls it a disaster. I think that’s a little too strong, but so is the Zips schedule strength. Pluto is right that Akron needs to build a good record early to draw fans.

I wrote this on ZipsNation; I’ll repeat it here. I’ve been in Indianapolis all summer as a sports writing intern for the Indianapolis Star. When I tell people where I’m from, they say one of two things. Either it’s, "Oh yeah! The Zips!" Or, "You’re lucky to have Terry Pluto."

My point? Pluto is one of the nation’s best. Don’t take him for granted.

Tom Reed is highly regarded as well. If you want to whine about columnists, look at the Plain Dealer. I really don’t care for any of theirs.

• By the way, Dwight Smith signed with the Vikings. The Saints cut him last week. He will get $6.5 million over three years.

Baseball

Zips outfielder Rashard Graves is hitting well in a wood-bat league in Nashville.

Playing for the River Rats, Graves is hitting .300 with five RBIs and 11 walks in 40 at-bats.

Add him to the list of Zips, such as Tom Farmer, Kurt Davidson and Charlie Lenhard, who are playing well this summer.

Graves said he decided to play in Tennessee rather than Indiana, because the former has more talent. Graves hit .250 last season in 33 games for the Zips.

Men’s soccer

Remember how Akron got shafted in the seeding for last year’s NCAA Tournament?

You know, the screw-job that made the head coach leave and forced the Zips to play two games on the road en route to the national quarterfinals?

Maybe the respect is starting to come. College Soccer News has ranked the Zips seventh in the nation, despite Akron’s loss of former coach Ken Lolla and star forward Ross MacKenzie. It is Akron’s highest preseason ranking ever.

Football

Gary Pride has enough talent to attract attention and scholarship offers from most of the MAC.

Today, the 5-foot-9 receiver from Cincinnati settled on Akron, OhioVarsity.com reports.

Here is my profile on Pride from last month. At that point, Akron was Pride’s only offer. As you can see, many more schools have gained interest since then.

Pride is the Zips third commitment, and also the third wide receiver.

Football

Vincent Hill now looks assuredly in Akron’s possession.

Rivals.com listed the three-star receiver from Maryland as having committed to the Zips a few weeks ago. Then the leading recruiting Web site retracted it.

Now it appears Hill has given coach J.D. Brookhart a solid verbal commitment. A Maryland newspaper confirms that.

He chose Akron over scholarship offers from BCS schools Maryland, Connecticut and Illinois. The 5-foot-10 receiver also had interest in Colorado, Virginia and North Carolina.

Hill has exceptional speed and hands. He just needs to hit the weights.

Miscellaneous

Have you ever used Google Trends?

After Rick Reilly talked about it in a recent column, I gave it a shot.

Basically, it’s a function that shows what regions and cities are searching most for a certain topic.

This graph shows how the world’s interest in Akron peaked right around the time the Zips were heading to the Motor City Bowl.

This site also shows the cities who are searching "Akron Zips" most often. Not surprisingly, it goes Akron, Cleveland and Columbus. Lastly is Chicago, which puzzles me a bit.

If you use your creativity, you can have some real fun with this site. Here is a search for Charlie Frye. The site only works when a large volume of people have searched for the topic. Therefore, checking on J.D. Brookhart and Domenik Hixon will be fruitless.

Football

Robbie Frey, a three-star running back from Lehighton, Pa., has told Scout.com he intends to decide between Akron and Connecticut.

The Associated Press named Frey a first-teamer for Class AAA in Pennsylvania. Frey, who led the state in rushing as a junior, will commit before his senior season begins, Rivals.com says.

Football

After last season’s success, everyone believed in the back of their minds that the bowl game would translate to recruiting prowess.

So far, there has been little evidence of that for the mainstream fanbase.

Obviously, the amount of recruits in mid-July is not a completely telling fact. Still, Akron has only one commitment (two-star wide receiver Jerome Royal).

This is nothing to panic about, and these stats mean practically nothing. But here is how the rest of the MAC has done so far…

• Miami has five commitments, including four-star receiver Chris Givens.
• Central Michigan has four commitments, but no one all that special.
• Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Kent State and Akron have one commitment each, and none of the players are worth mentioning.
• Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michgan have no commitments.

Men’s soccer

GoZips.com posted a feature on Jonathan McClain, a senior defender.