Story by
Akron football 2025: Zips coach Joe Moorhead previews roster, season before Wyoming opener
- Story by
- Akron football 2025: Zips coach Joe Moorhead previews roster, season before Wyoming opener
The University of Akron football team kicks off the 2025 season at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28 at home against Wyoming with 57 returnees and 46 newcomers.
Akron finished 4-8 overall and 3-5 in the Mid-American Conference last season. The Zips ended 2024 with two wins — 38-17 at Kent State on Nov. 19 and 21-14 over visiting Toledo on Nov. 26.
Advertisement
"It is certainly very exciting," Akron fourth-year coach Joe Moorhead said Aug. 21 . "The first time in a very long while that Akron football is riding a wave of momentum, winning our last two, three of our last five and most conference wins since 2017. Retaining the Wagon Wheel and Toledo beat Mississippi State and Pitt. The kids are excited. They are fired up. They have had a great offseason and we look forward to Thursday."
Akron's roster looks vastly different from last season — as do most around the country — with the transfer portal.
"The portal giveth and the portal taketh away," Moorhead said. "We lost some, but we gained some, but more than anything I think we have increased the talent level on the team progressively well in four years. I like the culture of this team. We always talk about your 'ITY,' determining your individual and team success, availability, accountability and productivity. The second piece of that, we have got a bunch of guys that are really accountable and doing the right things on and off the field and I think that will lead to us having greater success in closer games."
Akron Zips quarterback Ben Finley, left, looks to throw against Colgate during the second half, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
Quarterback Ben Finley leads Akron 's offense into 2025 college football season
Redshirt senior Ben Finley is entering his second season as Akron's starting quarterback after previously playing at North Carolina State and California .
Advertisement
"We are really excited," Finley said. "We are going off the fire that we started late last season, coming off two wins. We have got a group of guys that are really enthusiastic for the season to start."
Reserve QB Tahj Bullock transferred to Colorado State , but the Zips have plenty of options behind Finley in redshirt senior Michael Johnson Jr., redshirt freshman Brayden Roggow, freshman Cibastian Broughton and redshirt sophomore Johnny Brookhart.
Johnson's father, Michael, played QB at Akron in 1988-89 before becoming a longtime college and NFL football coach. The younger Michael previously played at Penn State , Florida Atlantic and Syracuse. Brookhart's father, J.D., was Akron's head coach from 2004-09 and is in his second season as the Zips wide receivers coach.
"We have got a second-year senior quarterback who has played a bunch of really good football," Moorhead said of Finley. "We are surrounding him with excellent skill positions to make big plays and I think this is the best O-line we have had since we have been here."
Advertisement
Akron's top running backs from last season both left. This year's running backs include redshirt freshman Sean Patrick, redshirt junior Jordan Gant, redshirt sophomore Marquese Williams and redshirt junior Taven Curry.
Williams is in second year at Akron after transferring from Minnesota. Gant and Curry are newcomers, with Gant transferring from Tennessee State and Curry transferring from Louisiana-Monroe.
Akron Zips football coach Joe Moorhead talks to his players during the final timeout in a game against Kent State on Wednesday, November 1, 2023.
Akron projected to have several new offensive line starters
Redshirt sophomore Delvin Morris and redshirt junior Keylen Davis return after starting on the offensive line when Akron beat Kent State and Toledo last season.
Advertisement
"There is the potential that when we walk out for our first game, there are five brand new starters," Moorhead said.
Redshirt senior Darrell Johnson, Jr., a transfer from Western Kentucky, is projected to start at left tackle.
Freshman Kenneth McManus IV and senior Amarie Archer ( East Carolina transfer) are competing at left guard. Redshirt senior Colin Lyons and Morris are competing at center.
Davis is battling redshirt junior Allen Jones Jr (West Alabama transfer) to be the right guard. The right tackle spot will go to either redshirt junior Maasai King (Lackawanna College transfer) or redshirt senior Jayme Motley-Simmons (North Alabama transfer).
Advertisement
Akron returns its top three tight ends in redshirt junior Jake Newell, redshirt sophomore Conner Cravaack and redshirt junior Max Whisner.
Akron wide receiver Alex Adams (7) celebrates his first-half TD catch against Morgan State, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023.
Alex Adams and Myles Walker return to lead Akron's wide receivers
Akron's wide receiver corps features redshirt seniors Alex Adams and Myles Walker, who have dealt with injuries. Adams, a first-team All-MAC selection in 2022, missed all of 2024. Walker was limited to one game last season.
The other key wide receivers are redshirt freshman Marcel Williams (Marshall transfer), redshirt sophomores Israel Polk, Brandon Hills ( Washington State transfer) and Jean Louis III, redshirt freshmen Kyan Mason and Cameron Monteiro ( Pittsburgh transfer) and redshirt senior Tim Grear, Jr. (Fresno State transfer).
Akron Zips defensive back Elijah Reed celebrates an interception against Kent State in the final moments, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Kent.
Akron football set to have a new look defense vs. Wyoming
Akron's defense returns three starters from the wins over Kent State and Toledo: redshirt senior Justin Anderson and redshirt junior Elijah Reed in the secondary and redshirt senior Gage Summers at linebacker.
Advertisement
"Defensively, we lost a bunch up front," Moorhead said. "We may not be super talented at every position, but we have got a lot of talented depth. I think we are really deep on defense and I think we are well coached. I think coach [Tim] Tibesar does an excellent job with the scheme. I think collectively our sum is better than our parts."
Ohio State running back Sam Williams-Dixon runs toward Akron cornerback Justin Anderson last season.
"[Redshirt sophomores] Bruno Dall and Cyrus Durham will be the two starting ends," Moorhead said. "[Sophomore] Ronald Hull and [redshirt junior] Julien Laventure will be the two starting tackles. [Redshirt seniors] Gage Summers and Shammond Cooper will be the two starting inside backers.
"The nickel should be [redshirt senior] Alex Branch, the Kent transfer, backed up by the other Branch [sophmore Aamii Branch]. The corners are [redshirt sophomore] Catrell White and then it is between Reed, [junior] Terence Thomas, [redshirt senior] Malcom DeWalt IV for the other corner position. The safeties [are both redshirt seniors], Justin Anderson as the boundary safety and DiMarco Johnson as the field safety."
University of Akron football coach Joe Moorhead takes in the scene with five seconds left on the clock in a Zips victory over Kent State on Nov. 1, 2023.
Durham transferred in from Arizona, Laventure from Penn West-California and Aamii Branch from Kilgore College.
Advertisement
"We are bonding very well, the offense and defense," Durham said. "I feel like we have great team chemistry, and I feel like the expectations is just how we practice. Right now, we are practicing very intense and the results will show. ... The culture is heavy on hard work."
Laventure said Akron has "a bright season ahead" with "a phenomenal strength and conditioning staff, and an amazing school with great coaches and even better players."
Akron also set to have new specialists in football opener
The roster turnover extends to the specialists, as Akron will have a new long snapper, kicker and punter.
Advertisement
"The starting long and short snapper will be [redshirt senior] Jacob Dennis," Moorhead said. "The punting battle is between [junior] Joseph Castle and [graduate student] Brayden Johnson, a kid who transferred in from Bethel, Tennessee. Place kicking is between [redshirt sophomore] Adam Samaha, [redshirt sophomore] Owen Wiley and [redshirt freshman] Matthew Schramm.
Dennis transferred in from Colorado State and Samaha was previously at Michigan and North Carolina.
"The punt returners will be Sean Patrick and Terence Thomas, and the kick returner is TBD," Moorhead said.
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Zips football roster breakdown ahead of 2025 opener vs Wyoming
