Sports

Akron Football Coach Put Guardrails On Viral Play Calling Promo To Prevent Sabotage

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iStockphoto / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Joe Moorhead will help one Akron fan call plays in the home opener.


Akron football has made headlines this offseason thanks to a viral play-calling promotion for the 2026 season. A fan will script the opening drive of the Zips’ first home game.

The marketing ploy has been a major success. The program raised tons of money in the days that followed the announcement. But with the good, came the bad.

The terms of the deal are simple. If you are a season ticket holder, you will be entered into a raffle. The winner of that drawing will call plays on the opening drive of a Week 2 matchup with Robert Morris.

Akron season ticket sales are on a historic rise. Everyone wants to be play caller for a day. And this is one of the least expensive ways to do so.

According to the school’s athletics website, season tickets start at just $75. That’s had both positive and negative effects.

Robert Morris fans are buying up tickets.

David Ubben of The Athletic says the RMU fanbase is looking to sabotage the opening drive. They hope to win the drawing, and script plays that fail miserably.

Head coach Joe Moorhead has guardrails in place to prevent that very scenario. Everything must be approved by Akron’s leader. He will modify the gameplan as he sees fit.

Moorhead assured his players he won’t “let the circus roll into town” or make a mockery of the game. He’ll oversee the entire process, approving or modifying any plays the fan suggests.

So, while the winning fan will earn the opportunity to call plays, he or she will not have full autonomy. Moorhead will have the final say. Sabotage will not be possible.

Senior deputy AD Matt Pottorff hinted that there could be guidelines when recently speaking on the play calling promo. A predetermined list of plays will be recommended. The opening drive will probably look similar to what we’d typically see Moorhead script.

“First, we’re going to call that person NFL Draft–style and let them know that they got selected,” he said. “Then we’ll find a time for them to come to campus, where they’ll meet with coach Joe Moorhead. He’ll run them through what plays we would normally call in the opening drive and then figure out what they want to do with it.”

It makes sense, even if it takes a bit of the shimmer off the promotion. After all, the Zips are still trying to win the football game.

Still, it will be an incredible experience for the winning fan, which Moorhead anticipates will spend the first half on the sidelines and the second half in a luxury box.

Akron takes on Robert Morris on September 12. All eyes will be on the Zips for the opening drive.