What to know about Akron at Wake Forest football season-opening game

The University of Akron football team kicks off the 2026 season at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, in Winston-Salem, N.C., with a game against Wake Forest University.

Akron finished 5-7 overall and 4-4 in the Mid-American Conference in 2025. The Zips ended last season with a 19-16 win over host Bowling Green on Nov. 18.

"I feel really optimistic coming out of fall camp," Akron fifth-year coach Joe Moorhead said Aug. 31. "I thought the kids did a really good job coming in every day, putting in the work in the meeting room to learn the schemes, coming out on the field every day with the right intent and energy. I saw our level of execution and attention to detail improve every single practice. I came out of it feeling really positive."

Here is a breakdown of what to know ahead of kickoff.

Akron welcomes back All-MAC players Jordan Gant and Marcel Williams

Once again, Akron's roster looks vastly different from last season — as do most around the country — in the transfer portal era.

"We really are operating in an Etch A Sketch era now," Moorhead said. "The season starts, you draw your picture. It ends, you shake it up again and you gotta start all over. We have 41 new faces, so that'll be exciting, but challenging. Offensively, we graduated [quarterback] Ben Finley. We are returning [running back] Jordan Gant, [wide receivers] Marcel Williams and Kyan Mason and [tight end] Conner Cravaack. We really got hit hard by the transfer portal on the offensive line, so we'll have some new faces there."

Gant and Williams earned All-MAC second-team honors last year.

"As a team, I feel like we have no limits," Gant said. "I feel like we can accomplish anything we set our minds to."

Williams said the newcomers on offense "have been gelling together pretty well" with the returnees.

Akron had four other players receive All-MAC honors, and all four transferred to another college — wide receiver Israel Polk (Oklahoma State), defensive linemen Julien Laventure (Texas Tech) and Bruno Dall (Central Florida) and offensive line Keylen Davis (Pittsburgh).

"In the portal era, we have lost 37, 39 and 41 [players] the past three years," Moorhead said. "I think 12 of our top 15 players on paper from last year went to the portal in addition to the guys who exhausted their eligibility. So it's always a fine line of you're excited about the guys that you've developed and didn't get poached by a bigger school or guys that you've developed and are having an opportunity to play a more significant role."

Akron set to have a new starter at QB vs. Wake Forest

Akron will have a new starter at quarterback on Thursday. The Zips return reserve QBs Brayden Roggow and Cibastian Broughton from last season, and welcome sixth-year college student Reese Poffenbarger and freshman Semaj Beals. Poffenbarger previously was at Old Dominion, Albany, Miami (Florida) and North Texas.

"All those guys have done well," Moorhead. "We got them a bunch of reps during fall camp and, you know, we'll see where it leads heading into Game 1."

Akron football will have a new look defense vs. Wake Forest

Akron's defense will look different again this season. The Zips lost several starters, including defensive back Malcolm DeWalt IV, who made the Atlanta Falcons' 53-man roster this week.

Moorhead said DeWalt "has a great opportunity" in the NFL.

"We lost Bruno Dall and Julien Laventure to the transfer portal, as well as two or three linebackers," Moorhead added. "Cyrus Durham coming back and elected team captain will kind of be the anchor of the defensive line, along with Ronald Hull and Jon'Trell Mixon.

"We got a bunch of guys fighting for playing time at linebacker. I'm not quite sure that that depth chart is set yet, but certainly Aamii Branch and Rodrick Hunter are the guys on the back end from the safety position that have logged a lot of snaps. Terence Thomas and Catrell White, those are guys once again with returning snaps."

Branch said the defense has "a lot of potential" and "the goal is to win a MAC championship."

Durham added the Zips "have a lot of positive momentum going into the season."

Akron returns incumbent specialists

Moorhead is happy to have incumbent punter Joey Castle and incumbent kicker Matt Schramm back.

"It's good to have two guys who have done that in games come back at those positions," Moorhead said.

Akron coach Joe Moorhead gives insight on Wake Forest

Moorhead knows playing an ACC opponent in Week 1 will be a challenge.

"Certainly, we have the utmost respect for coach [Jake] Dickert and his program," Moorhead said. "Anytime you can win nine games in a Power 4 program, particularly at a selective academic institution like Wake Forest, is a huge accomplishment.

"… This a program that is smart and tough. They play sound, physical football, and that reflects when you turn on the film. I am excited, obviously, to go against an opponent and play against Wake Forest. [QB Gio] Lopez, [RB Ty] Clark, [WR Carlos] Hernandez, [DE Langston] Hardy, the linebacker, No. 21 [Aiden Hall], they have got really, really good players."

Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What to know about Akron at Wake Forest football season-opening game