Akron · Mid-AmericanAkron keeps four-quarterback race open after showcase
Reese Poffenbarger, Brayden Roggow, Semaj Beals and Johnny Brookhart participated April 25 at InfoCision Stadium before the Sept. 3 opener at Wake Forest.
SEP 3, 2026
The Pate State · Editorial IllustrationOn April 25, Akron’s Spring Showcase featured four quarterbacks, leaving coach Joe Moorhead’s starter decision unresolved before the Zips’ opener at Wake Forest, which went 9-4 in 2025, on Thursday, Sept. 3.
Reese Poffenbarger, Brayden Roggow, Semaj Beals and Johnny Brookhart participated at InfoCision Stadium in Akron. Moorhead also appeared during the showcase.
No showcase statistics or performance evaluations were provided, and Akron did not identify a leader. The choice could shape the Zips’ effort to improve on a 5-7 overall, 4-4 MAC finish in 2025 and compete in the conference.
After Wake Forest, Akron’s first listed home game is against Robert Morris on Saturday, Sept. 12. Moorhead has four names to sort through before Akron’s opener.
01 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
Akron has four September games to turn a four-man spring competition into a settled offense before the Oct. 3 trip to Central Michigan. The sequence includes road games at Wake Forest and Minnesota around home dates with Robert Morris and UNLV. Minnesota comes 16 days after the Sept. 3 opener; UNLV follows one week later.
Akron’s conference baseline is stronger than its losing overall record: The Zips went .500 in the MAC despite finishing two games below .500 overall, then closed with a 19-16 road win at Bowling Green on Nov. 18. The quarterback choice bears directly on whether an even league team can become a contender while lifting the overall record. By Oct. 3, four game results and the distribution of quarterback snaps will show whether the April competition produced separation.
02 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
Who takes the first quarterback snap at Wake Forest on Sept. 3?
Akron has not identified a leader or supplied showcase numbers, so the Sept. 3 lineup and first-half snap count are the first concrete answers. The assignment begins against a Wake Forest team coming off a 9-4 season, the strongest verified record attached to Akron’s opening stretch. How long Moorhead stays with the first quarterback will distinguish a starter from an opening rotation.
Will one quarterback own the job by the Oct. 3 trip to Central Michigan?
The first four games create natural checkpoints: Robert Morris on Sept. 12, Minnesota on Sept. 19 and UNLV on Sept. 26 follow the Wake Forest opener before Central Michigan on Oct. 3. The weekly snap counts will show whether one player has taken control or Moorhead is still dividing the job when Akron reaches its first listed MAC matchup.