Akron · Mid-AmericanAkron Puts Its Opening Drive in a Fan Contest, With Joe Moorhead Still in Charge
Nine finalists remain for Akron’s “Offensive Coordinator of the Game” promotion, including Big Cat Katz and three longtime Zips ticket holders. The College of Business and accounting school are handling the drawing after the stunt drove a surge in season-ticket sales and national attention.
AUG 23, 2026
Opening possession the winner can help script against Robert Morris
Finalists Akron disclosed on Aug. 19
August date Akron set for announcing the winner
01 · The NewsWhat Happened
Akron disclosed nine finalists Wednesday for its “Offensive Coordinator of the Game” contest. A season-ticket holder chosen through a random drawing will help coach Joe Moorhead script plays for Akron’s opening possession against Robert Morris on Saturday, Sept. 12, at InfoCision Stadium. The university launched the promotion Aug. 4, and season-ticket sales have soared since then. The finalists include Dan “Big Cat” Katz, a sports-media personality, and James Bordeaux, a YouTuber and gamer. Martin Alan Whims II, Mike Beck Jr. and Steve Moyer are longtime Zips season-ticket holders. Akron plans to reveal the winner Tuesday, Aug. 25. The athletics department handed the selection to the College of Business and George W. Daverio School of Accountancy.
02 · The StakesWhy This One Matters
The funny part is easy to understand. Akron is letting a fan get close to the grease board without handing over the offense. Moorhead still scripts the possession, and the contest winner’s job is to help with that work. The selection itself has drawn almost as much attention as the football idea. At Wednesday’s event at House Three Thirty, Akron vice president Willy Kollman said, “Just to reiterate, the school of accounting drew this name. Akron athletics has nothing to do with this.” That line came after Katz was announced as a finalist. When Whims’ name followed, Kollman joked that the Akron accounting graduate might have had help from the school. The joke works because Akron is treating the drawing like a real process.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
The part easy to miss is that Akron has split the stunt into two separate rooms. The College of Business and the accountancy school handle who gets selected. Moorhead and his staff control what football input survives the meeting. Those are very different jobs. A random winner could offer an idea, but the staff still has to fit it into Akron’s personnel, protection and first-drive plan. That gives Moorhead a clean boundary. The fan can contribute without becoming the person responsible for the call. The promotion gets attention either way. Its football value depends on what crosses that boundary.
“The Aug. 25 announcement gives the stunt a person.”
The Wire Desk04 · The PersonnelWhat Changes Now
The Aug. 25 announcement will put a face on the promotion and show which audience Akron reaches most directly. Katz carries a sports-media following. Bordeaux brings a YouTube and gaming audience. The three longtime ticket holders represent the people already buying into Zips football. Akron has not said how the winner’s participation will work beyond helping script the opening possession. That leaves the important details open. Will the winner suggest one call, discuss a formation or sit through a longer planning session? Those are projections, not announced plans. The first public answer arrives with the winner’s name. The football answer arrives later, when Akron shows how much room the staff gave that person.
05 · The ChessboardWhat the Coaches Can Actually Change
Moorhead’s safest setup is a controlled planning session. Akron could show the winner a small menu of formations and early calls, then keep the final script with the coaching staff. If the fan favors a spread look, the coaches can decide whether that formation fits the protection and the players on the field. The staff could also use the winner’s idea as one early call before returning to its normal sequence. The relevant football scene is the first possession against Robert Morris. A formation tied to the contest would show the input reached the field. A familiar opening would show the staff kept the boundary tight.
06 · The ThesisThe Pate State Read
Akron found a promotion that sells tickets without pretending a random season-ticket holder can run a college offense. The College of Business handles the drawing. Moorhead handles the football. That’s the right division of labor. The only serious risk is theatrical football that promises more than it delivers. If the winner sits in the room and nothing reaches the script, the contest is mostly a publicity event. That’s fine for a low-stakes opening possession. If one recognizable idea makes it onto the field, Akron gets the football moment the promotion promised without asking Moorhead to surrender control. The Aug. 25 announcement gives the stunt a person. The Robert Morris opener will show whether that person had a football role.
07 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Who gets selected Aug. 25?
Katz, Bordeaux and the three longtime Zips ticket holders would give the promotion very different public faces. The winner will show whether Akron’s biggest gain stays with local fans, sports media or online audiences.
What does “help script” mean?
Akron has not said whether the winner offers one suggestion or joins a broader planning session. That detail will tell us how much access the promotion actually creates.
What does Akron show first against Robert Morris?
Watch the opening formation and first call. A setup connected to the winner’s input would show the idea reached Moorhead’s script. A standard look would show the coaching staff kept control.