Akron Zips 2026 Season Preview

The competition pits the well-traveled Poffenbarger against holdover Brayden Roggow. Poffenbarger is on his fifth stop in six seasons, having passed through Old Dominion, FCS Albany, Miami (Fla.) and North Texas, where he sat behind high draft picks and starters rather than playing. Nearly all of his live work came at Albany, where he was highly productive as a starter in 2022 and 2023, throwing for around 3,300 yards a season, completing about 60 percent of his throws, tossing 60 touchdown passes and adding eight scores on the ground, part of a career total near 6,700 passing yards. He impressed in the spring and profiles as the likelier starter. Roggow, a 6-4 sophomore, attempted only 17 passes a year ago, but his size and running ability appeal to an offense hunting for playmaking versatility.

The Zips return two of their top three targets. Marcel Williams caught 45 balls for 641 yards and two scores and is an all-conference candidate on the outside, while Kyan Mason worked the slot for 33 receptions, 481 yards and five touchdowns, doing his damage with shifty quickness. That gives whoever wins the quarterback job a stable pair to lean on. At tight end, Conner Cravaack heads the room, with Michigan State transfer Wyatt Hook joining as a newcomer who saw time on special teams in the Big Ten and could grow into a red-zone target with three years of eligibility left.

The backfield is the strength of the offense. Jordan Gant is back after rushing for 1,032 yards and six touchdowns and earning second-team all-conference honors in his first year following a jump up from the FCS level. He anchors what is the deepest, most talented group on this side of the ball. Backup Sean Patrick also returns after averaging nearly seven carries a game as a freshman and figures to handle punt-return duties as well.

This is the swing unit. The room lost multiple contributors to the portal, with starters scattering to Pittsburgh, Iowa State, Auburn and Kansas State, a hit that leaves real questions up front. Yet the Zips still bring back a core of experienced hands and have layered in transfers. Left guard Amarie Archer, center Colin Lyons and right tackle Allen Jones Jr. are the veterans, and left tackle Dayne Shor returns after missing all of last season with an injury. If the group comes together, the ground game and the passer both benefit; if it does not, the season stalls.

Cyrus Durham is the anchor after a productive sophomore year that produced three sacks and 31 tackles, and he chose to stay rather than test the portal following his transfer in from a Power Four program. Ronald Hull returns as a starter inside at defensive tackle. The Frazier twins, Dahvon and Jahvon, are both back, with Dahvon flashing upside off the edge, and Jon'Trell Mixon adds bulk at nose. Rotational holdovers give the front some needed experience after portal attrition thinned the depth.

This is the thinnest spot on the roster. Five key contributors departed, leaving a sizable hole in the middle of the defense. Jason Hocker steps into the starting middle-linebacker role after appearing in five games a year ago, and junior Aamii Branch, versatile enough to play down near the line or at nickel, provides a steadying presence. Young players such as Gavin James will be pressed into meaningful snaps quickly.

The secondary is the strength of a defense that finished ninth in the league in scoring last season. Corners Terence Thomas and Catrell White are the returning mainstays, with veteran addition Alex Branch joining a wave of incoming corners to raise the competition. At safety, senior Daymon David is projected to start if he returns to full health from injury, alongside sophomore Rodrick Hunter, another name to watch. Branch mans the nickel. There is enough experience and depth here to keep the Zips competitive on the back end.

The kicking game is in good shape despite one loss. Placekicker Matthew Schramm was excellent after taking the job early in the year, connecting on 12 of 13 field goals, including four of five from beyond 40 yards. Punter Joseph Castle averaged 42.9 yards per attempt with a long of 68. A departure to the portal did cost the Zips a versatile leg who had handled multiple duties, but Schramm and Castle give the unit a reliable foundation.