Miscellaneous

Mike Waddell wooed the people of Cedar Falls, Iowa, turning his trip to campus into a political stump, according to the local newspaper.

The University of Northern Iowa decided not to hire the former Akron associate athletic director to its AD job. Rather, the Panthers went with Troy Dannen, whose experience entails being executive director of a statewide girls’ sports organization.

Although Mack Rhoades was probably more qualified to get the Akron AD job, Waddell should be UNI’s AD, instead of this Dannen fellow. Despite this rant, rest assured, The Wad will get his shot.

Notes…

While we are on the topic of miscellany, you might have noticed that the blog posts have been few and far between the past couple weeks. It’s a slow time for college athletics news. Although I’ll be pretty busy this summer (10 credits and a legal job), I plan to report quite a bit from football camp in August. In my opinion, this will be the most intriguing camp since 2005, when I started the blog.

Ohio.com’s Dan Kadar discussed the possibility of Jason Taylor becoming a Cleveland Brown.

Football

As I was walking through the Summit County Courthouse, I saw Manny Nemer and Ted Curtis about 20 yards away from each other.

I thought: This is either a major coincidence, or the eminent domain proceedings have begun. The answer is the latter.

It is not Manny’s property that is at stake in the first trial, however. First is his relative Joe Nemer, who owns Joe’s Sun Bar and Grille.

After you hear the verdict, remember how much the university offered: $1.038 million. Joe would have to get at least $2,000 more than that to make his fight worthwhile.

Manny’s trial begins June 16.

A note…

Speaking of controversy involving football, my favorite state legislator stepped down today. The ABJ alleges that John Widowfield bought Ohio State football tickets with his campaign funds and sold them, keeping the profit. Knowing John, I find it really hard to believe he would intentionally do such a thing. The Cuyahoga Falls resident is running for Summit County council in November.

New offers…

Carlos Hilton, cornerback, Youngstown (East H.S.)
Offers: Akron, Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan and Kent State
Height: 5-foot-7
Weight: 157
Speed: 4.48
Notes: Hilton is quite short, but that hasn’t kept schools away. Cincinnati tops his list right now because his brother plays there. Hilton would rather play safety, but good luck playing D-I safety with his size.

Sean Cascarano, offensive tackle, Glenview, Ill.
Offers: Akron, Arizona, Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Michigan State and Virginia
Height: 6-6
Weight: 270
Speed: Not listed
Notes: The Zips coaches offered Cascarano a scholarship on Tuesday. He plans to research the Zips. Cascarano is pretty bright, scoring a 32 on his ACT.

Mike Naples, wide receiver, Somerville, N.J.
Offers: Akron, Vanderbilt and East Carolina
Height: 6-4
Weight: 220
Speed: 4.6
Notes: Naples probably will wait until NLOI Day to sign. His size makes him a candidate to convert to tight end.

Tom Chroniger, quarterback, Hyattsville, Md.
Offers: Akron and Eastern Michigan
Height: 6-1
Weight: 190
Speed: 4.7
Notes: Rivals.com pegs him as a dual-threat signal caller. Chroninger said he will decide based on the quality of education and the campus life.

Football

More scholarship offers, per Rivals.com…

Malik Generett, wide receiver, York, Pa.
Offers: Akron
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 205
Speed: 4.5
Notes: Generett caught only 31 passes for four touchdowns as a junior. If Generett is that big and that fast, and Akron is his only offer, he must have tennis rackets for hands.

Derrell Person, wide receiver, Washington D.C.
Offers: Akron, Virginia, Maryland and Illinois
Height: 6-2
Weight: 220
Speed: Not listed
Notes: Person likes Illinois because Ron Zook has recruited the D.C. area heavily in the past.

Jordan Houser, cornerback, Fairborn, Ohio
Offers: Akron and Eastern Michigan
Height: 5-11
Weight: 175
Speed: 4.5
Notes: Houser is getting interest from BCS schools, but his grades might be an issue.

Lorne Goree, linebacker, Springdale, Md.
Offers: Akron, Syracuse, Illinois and Maryland
Height: 6-2
Weight: 220
Speed: 4.65
Notes: Maryland, Virginia and Virginia Tech top Goree’s list because he wants to live away from home, but not too far.

Xavier Hughes, safety, Germantown, Md.
Offers: Akron, West Virginia and Buffalo
Height: 6-1
Weight: 165
Speed: 4.6
Notes: Hughes is a big hitter. He prefers to go to Ohio State, but the Buckeyes have not offered a scholarship.

Football

The university says InfoCision Stadium is on schedule, despite the lousy weather in Ohio this spring.

The webcam shots don’t show a whole lot of progress. However, it is fascinating to watch the workers scurry around like ants.

Track

Coach Dennis Mitchell talked to the ABJ’s Tom Gaffney about the great win over the weekend.

Despite the women’s dominance in the past, those meets felt like half victories to Mitchell.

Football

Three new offers…

Rodriguez Price, running back, Fairburn, Ga.
Offers: Akron and Army
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 175
Speed: 4.4
Notes: To me, Price’s highlight video showed a rather tackleable runner who does have a burst of speed.

Alex Bayer, tight end, Pickering, Ohio
Offers: Akron, Bowling Green and Miami (Ohio)
Height: 6-4
Weight: 222
Speed: 4.78
Notes: Bayer is agile and has reliable hands, according to Rivals.com.

Jonathan Atchison, linebacker, Atlanta
Offers: Akron, Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Indiana, LSU, Louisville, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, East Carolina and Navy
Height: 6-3
Weight: 216
Speed: 4.54
Notes: It looks like Atchison is headed for Alabama. Even if he’s not a future member of the Tide, the other SEC, Big 10, ACC and Big East schools should preclude Akron’s hopes.

Football

An Akron alumnus almost conquered one of America’s favorite reality shows.

Jason Taylor came up just short, as Kristi Yamaguchi won the competition.

Taylor impressed the judges at each stage, and he definitely improved his chances at becoming an actor when his football career concludes.

Men’s basketball

Zips guard Rydell Brooks was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, stemming from an incident Saturday night.

Brooks sat out last season after transferring from Niagara University.

Prosecutors said police approached Brooks’ SUV and “were greeted with gunfire.” Police found guns and masks inside the SUV, which carried Brooks and another Akron man. Brooks allegedly fled from the vehicle after the shots.

Brooks’ grandmother said the Buchtel graduate had never been in trouble before.

This is the second embarassing event in as many years for Akron, as walk-on Andrew Moss was arrested for armed robbery last fall.

With a crowded, youthful backcourt, Brooks wasn’t likely to see much playing time.

I would have written about this sooner, but I have been in class all day.

Track

Akron can confidently boast one of the best track programs in the Midwest, and it’s certainly the MAC’s elite.

This weekend, the men joined the women as MAC champions, consummating a rise that seemed always to fall a few points short in past seasons.

Last year, the men lost by one point to Eastern Michigan, despite a four-point lead heading into the final event. This championship almost went the same way, but the Zips sprinters performed just well enough in the final event to beat EMU by one point.

It was the men’s first ever conference championship — indoor or outdoor. Cadeau Kelly was MAC Male Field Performer of the Year. He won the long jump and triple jump competitions.

The women’s win was a blowout. The Zips beat Western Michigan by 55.5 points. Stevi Large earned MAC Female Field Performer of the Year.

Zips fans have come to expect such dominance, but Dennis Mitchell deserves mountains of credit for the consistency at which his women’s team wins. The women have won three straight outdoor championships and four straight indoor championships.

Mitchell was named MAC Coach of the Year. It was an easy decision, considering the male/female sweep has only been done three times in conference history, and not since 2000.

About 18 Zips will head to Fayetteville, Ark., for the NCAA Regional Meet at the end of the month. If the individuals are successful at the national level, this could be the most successful season any program has enjoyed in school history.

Football

A new offer…

Steve Hull, safety, Cincinnati (Sycamore H.S.)
Offers: Akron
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 176
Speed: 4.5 (according to Hull)
Notes: His teammate, Bud Golden, is getting a ton of BCS offers as a running back. Hull, meanwhile, is the defensive captain at Sycamore. His childhood dream has been to play for Ohio State. (Doesn’t Cincinnati have a Division I program, too?) Anyhow, Hull visited Northwestern and enjoyed it. A lot of MAC schools are interested in Hull, too.

Football

The coaching staff has returned from a post-spring break. Now is where you will see recruiting really pick up.

If you have never followed recruiting as a fan, it is pretty exciting. There is always a chance Akron will pick up a player or two who seemed destined for BCS spotlight.

At this time of the year, I like to see J.D. Brookhart and his staff target unknown players and build a relationship from Day One. It worked for Keith Dambrot and his staff when Zeke Marshall’s stock exploded.

Here are five new scholarship offerees…

Justin Jones, tight end, Conyers, Ga.
Offers: Akron, Alabama-Birmingham and East Carolina
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 240
Speed: 4.8
Notes: You all have wondered what LeBron James would look like on the football field in college. Jones is the same size. UAB was the first school to offer Jones a scholarship. Jones says he will weigh the dorm life aspects heavily when choosing.

Brandon Heath, offensive tackle, West Chester, Pa.
Offers: Akron and Villanova
Height: 6-5
Weight: 305
Speed: 5.4
Notes: Heath also has interest in Michigan State, Penn State and Virginia.

Dan France, defensive end, North Royalton, Ohio
Offers: Akron, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Miami (Ohio) and Bowling Green
Height: 6-6
Weight: 275
Speed: 4.9
Notes: France could play defensive end, tight end or offensive tackle in college. Miami and Indiana lead the pack because of the RedHawks’ campus and academics and the Hoosiers’ conference.

Abdul Smith, cornerback, Pennsburg, Pa.
Offers: Akron, Auburn, Cincinnati, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Louisville, Maryland, N.C. State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Temple, Wisconsin and Florida International
Height: 5-11
Weight: 180
Speed: 4.5
Notes: Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia and Illinois have a good chance to land Smith, who wouldn’t mind staying close to home. If Akron gets him, the NCAA should investigate.

Devon Smith, athlete, Waldorf, Md.
Offers:
Height: 5-7
Weight: 140
Speed: 4.4
Notes: Smith does not look like a college football player. One good hit and… I don’t want to think about it. But what Smith lacks in size, he makes up for with speed. He has been timed at 4.19 in the 40-yard dash. Smith is just one of the players Akron has targeted from Waldorf, Md. Another was Kahlil Permenter, a safety who declined big-time scholarship offers because of an injury. Perhaps Smith could persuade Permenter to resurrect his career.