Former Central Catholic LB Tim Terry Jr. Excited to Join Joe Moorhead and Akron

New Akron football coach and Western Pennsylvania native Joe Moorhead has been active in bringing players with ties to the Pittsburgh area with him to the Zips program.

This week, Moorhead has added three transfers, former East Allegheny and West Virginia tight end T.J. Banks, former Pitt wide receiver Shocky Jacques-Louis and former Central Catholic and Buffalo linebacker Tim Terry Jr.

After playing four seasons at Buffalo University, Terry entered the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 15 and made the decision on Thursday to play his final season of college football at Akron. Terry will bring veteran leadership and on-field experience to the Zips defense, after getting on the field for four seasons at Buffalo. Terry finished his career with 106 tackles.

Buffalo's @BigGucci_Tim recovers the fumble and takes it 70 yards to the 🏠 as the Bulls cap a 28-point second quarter! @UBFootball | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/UuQB4G5wQr

— #MACtion (@MACSports) September 25, 2021

Pittsburgh Sports Now caught up with Terry to get his thoughts on his decision and being a part of Moorhead’s first team at Akron.

“Once I saw that Coach Moorhead got the job, I immediately became interested,” said Terry. “I talked with Coach Moorhead and defensive coordinator Nick Toth and they laid out their plans for me and for the upcoming season and after hearing that, I felt that I would fit perfectly with them and the team. With me coming in as a sixth-year senior, they want me to come in and be a leader right from the start and to show the young guys how to do it and the right way to win. They expect me to show my leadership skills both on and off the field.

“On the field, I believe that I can provide a variety of things like coverage skills, swagger and leadership to the defense.”

Moorhead is taking over for Tom Arth, who was fired after going 3-24 during his tenure at Akron. Moorhead brings an impressive resume having most recently serving as offensive coordinator at Oregon, head coach at Mississippi State and offensive coordinator at Penn State. Terry is excited to join Moorhead and Akron and plans on doing whatever he can to win immediately.

“I can tell from what I’m hearing from the coaching staff that they’re going to build something very special at Akron,” said Terry. “Knowing his past experiences and knowing Coach Moorhead from the past because I played basketball with his nephew, I’ve known him for a long time and know that this is just the start of something special with Akron football. Coach Moorhead is a very down to earth coach. He was at Mississippi State and other places, he’s not here for the money, he’s not here for any of that stuff, he wants to make an impact on the community of Akron and the players lives that he brings into his program. He’s at the ground level right now, but he will build this program up.”