Cincinnati Walnut Hills senior defensive end Jason Stargel Jr. orally committed to play football on scholarship at the University of Akron this past weekend, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Stargel, an Enquirer Division I all-area selection, was second-team all-district. Stargel, who is 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, had 39 tackles, 64 assists, 12 1/2 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in the regular season.

The University of Akron will face Oral Roberts University in an ESPN Sears Bracketbuster game at 2 p.m., Feb. 18 at Oral Roberts, ESPN announced Monday evening in a press release.

This will be the ninth year for the Zips as a BracketBusters participant (3-5).  Akron defeated Creighton 76-67 at Rhodes Arena last season (Feb. 19).  UA will appear on TV for the second time in the event (at VCU, Feb. 20, 2010), according to a news release.

Men's basketball

Akron is the only team with one loss or fewer in the MAC, after comfortably beating Central Michigan Saturday night.

The University of Akron men’s basketball program has offered Milford junior Garrett Mayleben a scholarship, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Mayleben, a 6-foot-8 and 205-pound forward, also has an offer from Wright State. He is averaging 8.2 points and 5.0 rebounds this season.

Western Hills senior wide receiver Josh Smith will reportedly visit the University of Akron this weekend, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Smith, 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, also has scholarship offers from Ball State, Kent State, Toledo, Youngstown State and Kentucky.

The University of Akron football program is showing interest in multiple Cincinnati Northwest High School juniors, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Defensive back Miles Baldwin (5-10, 170), linebacker Nolan Miller (6-1, 215), defensive back/wide receiver DeQuan Render (6-1, 175) and linebacker Rasheen Jones (6-3, 225) are receiving interest from the Zips.

Men's basketball

Akron hot-shot the defensive-minded Ball State Cardinals out of the gym, winning 70-58.

Men's basketball

The most difficult crossover game is also the Zips first game against a MAC West foe.

Cincinnati St. Xavier senior running back Conor Hundley has given an oral commitment to play football on scholarship at the University of Akron, according to Mike Dyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Hundley, 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, was offered by UA on Sunday and gave his pledge to the Zips on Monday. St. Xavier coach Steve Specht confirmed this to Dyer.

Men's basketball

The talk of fans leaving Rhodes Arena was, "Who is this Nick Harney? And can he do that regularly?"

Men's basketball

Keep refreshing your browser for in-game updates...

Men's basketball

Akron is favored by 5 over Kent State in tonight's game at Rhodes Arena. I will liveblog from the sold-out game.

Football

Tweet from Coach Terry Bowden...

Hudson football coach Ron Wright confirmed that senior Quaison Osborne will play at the University of Akron.

Men's basketball

With their impressive duo of big men, the Buffalo Bulls have done nothing to disprove the notion that they are the best team in the MAC.

Kent Roosevelt High School coach John Nemec confirms senior offensive lineman Curtis Black has orally committed to play football for the University of Akron.

Canton McKinley High School senior offensive tackle Kevin Mills has given an oral commitment to play football for the University of Akron, according to ScoutingOhio.com

Men's basketball

Keep refreshing your browser or smartphone for live updates...

Men's basketball

OK, Zips. You beat Bowling Green and a mediocre Miami team. Ready for your real competition?

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC select former University of Akron forward Darren Mattocks with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 Major League Soccer SuperDraft on Thursday.

Mattocks received a Whitecaps soccer scarve from MLS Don Garber after his name was announced at the Kansas City Convention Center in Missouri.

Men's basketball

Nick Harney's floater gave Akron's its biggest lead of the game of one point. But it was sufficient to give the Zips another valuable road victory in the MAC.

For student athletes who held an offer from former Akron Zips football coach Rob Ianello, the past couple of months had to be stressful.
One Tallmadge Blue Devils offensive lineman fell into that category.  Ianello offered left tackle Jon Cipa several weeks before being relieved of his duties as head coach.
At 6-foot-5 and 290 lbs, Cipa could help bolster the Zips line.  He’s a raw talent who can play in the MAC, his high school coach Joe Vassalotti said.  He’s drawn interest from a pack of Division I-AA, Division II and Division III schools, but the Zips were his only Division I-A offer and whether he would get the chance to commit to them remained to be seen.
“That was our concern,” Vassalotti said.  (The Cipa family) didn’t hear from anyone after Terry Bowden was hired.”
Ultimately Cipa could find out something this week. According to a source, his parents are scheduled to meet with Bowden tomorrow.
“I think he’ll give his commitment to Akron,” Vassalotti said.
In the meantime, the new Zips coach is fulfilling a promise he made in his news conference.  He called Vassalotti Saturday not only to talk about Cipa but to reach out as well.  He’s also been in contact with a couple of coaches in the City Series.
In other recruiting news, Bowden has cast his gaze further north to Mayfield High School in the Mayfield City Schools to show interest in Alex Brooks, who is touting himself as a QB-athlete.
Brooks, currently a junior, stands 6-foot-1 and weights 195 lbs.  Judging from tape, he has a strong enough arm and the ability to run with the ball as well…The Zips extended an offer to North Olmsted 5-foot-11 running back-defensive back  Marc Remy.  They will have to battle MAC rival Toledo for his services.

Linebacker Brian Wagner, the Zips leading tackler, recorded 147 stops last season for the team and led the MAC.  He also ranked third in the country.

Wagner, a junior last year,  received his degree early from U of A, which gives him a year of eligibility left to join Rich Rodriguez with the Arizona Wildcats, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

Six future members of the Akron Zips football are on campus according to a source with knowledge of the situation.  Judging from the players who will ultimately play, coach Terry Bowden successfully kept the oral commitments of some of the recruits that former coach Rob Ianello received oral commitments from while he was still here.
The players who will tentatively join the program include:

Rodney Carroll from Locust Grove Va., a transfer from Hargrave Military Academy, an offensive lineman who had drawn interest from several colleges in the mid-Atlantic states.
Ben Cunningham, who will enroll early from Medina High School, a safety who gave former coach Rob Ianello a commitment back in August.
Malachi Freeman a defensive back transfer from Nassau Community College with some punt return skills.
Tyrell Goodman from Yonkers N.Y., a quarterback who was voted Class A Player of the Year by the New York Sportswriters Association.  Goodman played QB for Ianello’s alma mater.
Albert Presley from Marietta, Ga., a defensive end transfer from Dean College.
De’Andre Scott from Frederick, Md., defensive back transfer from Hargrave Military Academy.

Men's basketball

Akron may be hitting the 98-mph fastballs pretty well. But Wednesday, the Zips step into the box against a knuckleballer.

Men's basketball

Are you ready for three months of twice-weekly wild showdowns?

Men's basketball

In case you're having a boring Friday, take a moment to "roar" for the Zips.

The San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League signed former Akron Zips safety and wide receiver Andre Jones.
Jones played for the Zips from 2006-09 where he played safety his first two years and wide receiver in his final two.
As a safety he racked up 184 tackles, four interceptions, 10 passes defensed, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one sack in 24 games (22 starts).
He eventually made the switch to wide receiver his final two years for the Zips, starting in 19 of 23 games and totaling 80 catches for 1,231 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning All-Mid-American Conference honors as a senior.
The SaberCats signed Jones from the Milwaukee Mustangs as a defensive back where he earned All-Arena honors in 2011.

Men's basketball

Two weeks ago, Keith Dambrot implied that he will be happy if Zeke Marshall returns for his senior season.

Football

Newcomer UMass will play in the MAC East and will visit InfoCision Stadium this fall.

Football

Terry Bowden wasted no time in hiring a big name as his second-in-command.

University of Akron men’s basketball player Nikola Cvetinovic was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week on Monday.

Cvetinovic, a 6-foot-8 and 230-pound senior forward from Loznica, Serbia who speaks five languages, also earned two MAC Player of the Week honors last season (Dec. 6 and Feb. 28).

Football

Terry Bowden said he wanted someone he could trust in charge of defense. Going further, Bowden insinuated this man would control the entire unit, almost exclusive of the head coach's intervention.

Dealing with adversity is nothing new this season for the University of Akron men’s basketball team.

Zips coach Keith Dambrot and his staff have been forced to juggle the lineup several times due to inexperienced players and a few off the court problems.