The University of Akron is giving one season ticket holder access to a part of college football normally reserved for coaches, helping design the Zips’ opening offensive drive.
The winner of Akron’s “Offensive Coordinator of the Game” promotion will work with head coach Joe Moorhead before the team’s September 12th home opener against Robert Morris.
Moorhead initially hesitated when the athletics department proposed the idea, partly because he had never heard of another Division I program attempting a similar promotion.
The selected fan will not receive complete control of the offense or make unreviewed decisions during the game. Moorhead described the arrangement as a collaborative planning process involving the coaching staff.
Moorhead Was ‘Hesitant and Skeptical’ at First
Moorhead said the athletics department approached him while he was preparing plays for fall camp. “I was busy, unironically enough, scripting some plays for fall camp practice, and they came to me with the idea of a promotion that would allow a raffle winner to be a part of our game-planning process,” he told TMZ Sports.
“I was a bit hesitant and skeptical, not having heard this before,” Moorhead continued. “But the more we talked about it, we decided to give it a go.” Akron has promoted the opportunity as an unprecedented look inside its football operation. Moorhead said the winner will learn how coaches assemble an opening script and contribute ideas for the first possession.
The Fan Will Work With Akron’s Coaches Before the Game
“This will give our fans a behind-the-scenes experience that has never been done before anywhere,” Moorhead said in Akron’s official announcement. “I’m excited to show them how to put together the opening script and see what they can do.”
Moorhead described the preparation as a collaborative process with Akron’s staff. The coaches remain responsible for preparing the team and managing the game.
Each Season Ticket Counts as One Entry
All current Akron football season ticket holders are automatically entered into the random drawing. Each individual season ticket counts as one entry, meaning a supporter who owns four tickets receives four chances to win.
Existing ticket holders can earn additional entries by referring new season ticket buyers. Referral information can be submitted through Akron’s ticket office or included when the new tickets are purchased.
The university will select one winner at random on August 19th. That person will then have several weeks to meet with Moorhead and participate in planning the opening series.
The Promotion Will Debut Against Robert Morris
Akron hosts Robert Morris at InfoCision Stadium on Saturday, September 12th. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, with the game streaming on ESPN+. Moorhead said the promotion had received an overwhelmingly positive response, despite some predictable criticism on social media.
He pointed to one post about the contest generating approximately 15 million views, giving Akron national attention before its first home game. “At the end of the day, when you get 15 million views on one Twitter post … they say any publicity is good publicity,” Moorhead told TMZ Sports. “And this has been overwhelmingly positive.”