Week 1 Wrapup - 2013
Week 1 is in the books and it definitely gave a lot of reason to get excited for the upcoming season. On the field, scores came and went on opening week, with only Oklahoma State tumbling out of the rankings by virtue of their 21-10 defeat at the hands of #14 Mississippi State. Replacing them was UCF who eked out a victory from Akron thanks to a huge performance from their quarterback.
No upsets of note this week, as the top 25 held steady for an impressive (22-1) record with two teams not playing on kickoff weekend. Florida State led by Jameis Winston remains entrenched at #1 following their 10 point victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers, Florida State saw 40 first place votes this week, the only remaining team remaining votes was the Oregon Ducks who received 21 after routing Sam Houston State in their season opener.
The injury bug bit hard in Ohio, with the team losing Doran Grant to a broken ankle in the opener. A tough loss for the team who will struggle to replace a defensive star such as Grant, especially as the season will only continue to get harder. Ohio State stayed at #22 in the polls and their rise will be slowed due to such a significant injury. It's likely he will miss one to two months and up to the whole season depending on potential setbacks.
Twisting into recruiting news, Isaiah Ross becomes the highest ranking player to commit thus far into the young season. Ross will join Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa next season. Ross the #3 ranked receiver and #8 overall prospect is a strong receiver with good hands, albeit average speed. He provides Saban the big target he loves to have. Alabama proved lightning strikes twice, also inking Melvin Graham (ATH) from Forestdale Alabama. The 5 star athlete plays halfback, wide receiver and safety in high school and could fill a bevy of needs for the program. He also has some experience playing as a wildcat quarterback and could see a potential move there.
Oklahoma State despite their loss, sees athlete Jeff Oliver from Concord, Missouri joining their ranks following his commitment. Oliver poises to be a linebacker to safety in the college ranks, while also playing tight end in high school.
Rounding out the top 100 prospects this season, Todd Williamson will be heading north. The San Diego prospect has inked his letter of intent to head north to Oregon, shunning USC and Texas in the process. The second ranked free safety in this years class, Williamson can be expected to be a major contributor within a year or two, with excellent speed and good coverage, he could be a future all-american.
Finally, the NCAA is gravitating towards a playoff system, and while they opened the season in silence (as oddly as that is), they have stated that this year, they have eliminated conference bowl game tie ins. While there are still automatic qualifiers, the NCAA is using this season as a test for the feasibility of a potential playoff by removing specific tie ins.
Akron Zips Weekly News
While news in Akron continues to be slow, unsurprisingly, no prospect inked their letter of intent to come play for the Zips, but Kozlov has made it clear who his top targets are. 2* Cornerback, Peter Wesley from Medina, Ohio has come into his sights, Wesley is a coverage cornerback, but with three other MAC teams (Toledo, Bowling Green and Miami) all fighting for his services.
Ahmad Watts (3*) outside linebacker from Jasper, Indiana is being recruited heavily by MAC programs, while not listing Akron as his top school, Watts has them as his second, just behind home school, Ball State. Kozlov described Watts as a "future star" and feel he could be a big prospect for the team.
TJ Moss (3*) quarterback from Mayfield Heights, Ohio is a pocket passer which doesn't fit very well with Kozlov's system, but Kozlov seems to be very interested in bringing the quarterback to Akron. Even so, Moss has stated he wants to go to West Virginia, while the school isn't hedging much interest in him, if that changes, it's very likely to see him heading to Virginia over Akron.