Akron alum named winner of 'Offensive Coordinator of the Game' promotion

Marty Whims II's phone rang Tuesday. On the other end of the call was Akron athletic director Andrew Goodrich offering Whims the opportunity of a lifetime on the football team's sideline. When Akron hosts Robert Morris for its Sept. 12 home opener, the Zips plan to turn offensive playcalling duties over -- somewhat -- to the executive from a Cleveland-based real estate firm. Weeks after the school launched its viral "Offensive Coordinator of the Game" promotion, Akron announced Whims as the contest winner, thrusting the alumnus and longtime season-ticket holder into the role of assisting Zips head coach Joe Moorhead script plays during the opening offensive series of the Week 2 matchup. "It's super cool," Whims said in a video released by Akron football. "My boss shared it on LinkedIn, so business contacts are reaching out, friends, family. I mean, everybody's just super excited about it, wishing me good luck. It's been awesome." 🚨IT'S OFFICIAL... — Akron Football (@ZipsFB) August 25, 2026 Martin Allan Whims II is named OC of the Game presented by @Arbys Steak Nuggets‼️#GoZips 🦘 #MakeTheClimb pic.twitter.com/3VHtodEq07 Akron generated national attention earlier this month when the school announced the raffle offering season-ticket holders the chance to call plays alongside Moorhead. The promotion not only garnered buzz but also reportedly produced record-setting sales of season tickets and stadium suites. According to Akron, the Zips have fully sold out their inventory of 17 suites at InfoCision Stadium for the first time since the it opened in 2009. "We had what we believe to be the largest ticket sales day in Akron athletics history [Aug. 5]," Matt Pottorff, a senior deputy athletic director at Akron, told the Akron Beacon Journal earlier this month. "We no longer have suite inventory for sale, we've moved twice as many loges as last year and we're still picking up momentum." Such an uptick in revenue was at least part of the campaign's mission. Pottorff told the Beacon Journal that the school intends to allocate 70% of all ticket sales across all sports toward the Zips' NIL and revenue-share programs. "It's a win-win for the program," he said. "Obviously, we get more people in the stands. We generate more buzz. But that money is also going to our coaches to be able to directly use to support the recruiting and retention [of players]." Naturally, the opportunity to call plays for an FBS football team attracted interest well beyond northeastern Ohio. The Zips' initial social media post announcing the contest Aug. 4 has generated more than 23 million views as of Tuesday evening, and the school has seen ticket purchases from coast to coast. Among Akron's most prominent new season-ticket holders is ESPN's Pat McAfee. So how did the promotion work? According to Akron, all season-ticket holders were automatically entered into a random drawing. On Aug. 19, the school announced nine finalists spanning five states, a group that included longtime local fans such as Whims, seemingly unaffiliated newcomers based in Nebraska, New York, New Jersey and Texas, and a pair of prominent social media figures: Dan "Big Cat" Katz and streamer James Bordeaux, whose YouTube channel centered on the EA Sports College Football video games has nearly 600,000 subscribers. An alumnus of Akron's College of Business and the chief financial officer of Stark Enterprises, Whims has held Zips season tickets since at least 2009. As for how Moorhead and the Zips intend to execute the gimmick? Akron won't be placing its playcalling solely in Whims' hands come the first quarter. Instead, Moorhead plans to script out a dozen-plus plays for the opening drive before meeting with Whims in the lead-up to the game. But Akron's fifth-year head coach has no intention of cheapening the experience or cheating Whims out of his shot to call plays, either. "I'm not going to shortchange [the contest winner]," Moorhead told the Beacon Journal. "I want this person, whoever it is, to kind of see how the sausage is made. So, this ain't going to be a fluff [experience], OK, whatever, pat them on the back, give them a T-shirt and send them on their way. I mean, I want it to be worthwhile. "I'm going to sit this person down, and I'm going to actually take them through the Robert Morris scouting report. I'm going to show them their tendencies on first and second down by formation. [I'll say], 'These are the plays that we like for each formation. This is how I've constructed the openers to attack them and why. Let's see what you have and if there's anything that we're able to kind of translate into our system or terminology.'" Whims will be helping Moorhead break in a new quarterback: Transfer Reese Poffenbarger, who joined the Zips this offseason after stops at Old Dominion, Albany, Miami and North Texas, is set to lead the program's offense this fall. Whims will also be operating in seasoned company alongside Moorhead, the veteran playcaller who stewarded an Akron offense that ranked fifth in the MAC in yards per game (353.5) last season. Publicly, Moorhead has taken an open-minded approach to the stunt. "It's a unique opportunity," he said this month. "The football program benefits from season tickets and then shines us in a positive light." But in the wake of a 5-7 finish last fall, Moorhead has also been clear about where his focus lies. "I told our players when they heard about it, I said, 'I'm not going to let the circus roll into town. It ain't happening under my watch,'" Moorhead said. "It's going to give somebody a unique opportunity, but I'm never going to make a mockery of the game or disrespect our opponent."