The Akron Zips aren’t known for their pulling power in college football circles. That makes their new head football coach even more exciting.
On Saturday, Akron officially announced the hire of Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead as its new head coach. Moorhead is one of the sport’s most respected offensive minds, and has power conference experience in a two-year stint as Mississippi State head coach.
Moorhead replaces Tom Arth, who was fired by Akron in November.
Moorhead does have Akron ties, having spent five years there as an assistant from 2004 to 2008. He put himself on the map with his highly successful two-year tenure as Penn State offensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017. He went 14-12 as head coach at Mississippi State, and lost his job there largely due to off-field issues. The 48-year-old still comes with a big reputation and that makes this a coup for Akron, a team coming off a 2-10 season in the MAC.
The timing of Moorhead’s decision to leave his role at Oregon will certainly raise eyebrows. There appears to be some uncertainty hanging over the Ducks’ head coach, and it could have been a consideration for Moorhead when deciding to join the Zips.
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