Akron parts ways with head coach Tom Arth

Tom Arth is no longer the head coach at Akron after three seasons, per Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. 

Arth went 3-24 while at the helm for the Zips, and they are 2-7 this season with three tough games to close out 2021. In 2019, they were 0-12.

Associated head coach and inside linebackers coach Oscar Rodriguez Jr. is expected to serve as the interim head coach. 

Per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, a couple of names that could be on the list to replace Arth are Toledo co-defensive coordinator and former Mount Union head coach Vince Kehres and Hoban High School head coach Tim Tyrell. Hoban is located two miles from Akron’s campus, and Tyrell was a finalist for the head coaching job at Youngstown State in 2019.

Akron has posted some pretty dismal statistics this year. They are the worst scoring defense in the MAC, allowing 38 points per game.

On the offensive side of the ball, they have allowed 50 sacks, which is 130th in the FBS. The next team has allowed 38. Akron has been playing three quarterbacks pretty consistently, as all three have at least 44 passing attempts on the year. Both DJ Irons and Zach Gibson have eight touchdown passes, and Irons is the team’s second-leading rusher.

The Zips head to Western Michigan on Tuesday.

Arth’s DIII success did not translate to the higher levels

Arth, 40, was a standout quarterback at Division III John Carroll in the early 2000s after a storied career at Cleveland’s Saint Ignatius High School, a powerhouse high school football program.

While at John Carroll, Arth set more than a dozen quarterback records and was a unanimous All-American in his final two seasons. He led the team to their first Division III semifinal in program history in 2002.

After a brief career at the professional level during which Arth backed up Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, Arth returned to his alma mater as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He became the head coach in 2013. Over four years at the helm, John Carroll went 40-8, never finished lower than second in the Ohio Athletic Conference, and made the Division III semifinal in 2016. He was a two-time OAC coach of the year.

Arth moved on to Chattanooga from 2017-2018 and had a 9-13 overall record before being named the Akron head coach in December 2018.