Local Standouts to Become Toledo Rockets in 2016

By: Zach Harig -- (@ToledoZach on Twitter)

MATT WINZELER & ZACH HOOVER STAYING HOME TO BECOME ROCKETS

Over the past several seasons, some of the Toledo Rockets' most notable recruits and players have been right from their own backyard. Most notably, senior cornerback Cheatham Norrils (St. John's Jesuit High School) and junior left tackle, Storm Norton (Whitmer High School). Last season, in the 2015 recruiting class, Matt Campbell and the Rockets also signed three local products in Central Catholic standout linebacker, Chris Green (Norwood) as well as fellow Irish offensive lineman, Ramon Miles and Rossford's Nate Childress.

For the Rockets, the recruiting pipeline in their own backyard is beginning to pay off, and it likely will in the 2016 recruiting class as well. Two current standouts in the Northwest Ohio high school football scene include Central Catholic punter, Zach Hoover, as well as St. John's Jesuit quarterback, Matt Winzeler, both seniors for powerhouse football programs. Following their graduations of their respective high schools, the two have accepted preferred walk-on spots at The University of Toledo.

Despite each being a preferred walk-on and not scholarship recruits yet, Hoover and Winzeler are not your typical 'recruiting class fillers' as most big-time programs call their preferred walk-on commits. The two Toledo-natives will come in and compete right away, as the Rocket coaching staff has told them.

Toledo Central Catholic punter, Zach Hoover, will have a serious
chance to compete for the starting job as a true-freshman.

"My parents and I had a meeting with Coach Campbell and Coach Bryan Gasser (Special Teams Coordinator) in the summer and we talked about me competing right away," Hoover stated about his role with the Rockets. "They said they like my talent coming in, they like how I play wide receiver and basketball too because they like my athletic ability and how it allows them to have more variety with the punt team, such as rugby style punting," he continued.


For Winzeler, the 6'3", 185-pound gunslinger knows he will have his work cut out for him once arriving on campus, and the coaches aren't promising anything, but that doesn't seem to bother him.

"The coaches haven't guaranteed anything, especially with the current quarterback situation now," Winzeler stated, "They just told me I will be given every opportunity to earn a scholarship once I am there. They said they would not have recruited me or offered me the preferred walk-on opportunity if they did not see the potential for me to play, or start, in the future at UT."

St. John's Jesuit quarterback Matt
Wenzeler will provide depth at the
quarterback position for the 
Toledo Rockets.

Obviously, with senior quarterback Phillip Ely being eligible for a medical redshirt after missing last season due to an ACL tear, there's a chance he could return next year. Aside from Ely is junior quarterback Logan Woodside, who has also started several games for the Rockets in Ely's absence. Winzeler, a 2,300-yard, 18 touchdown thrower as a junior in 2014, will look to learn from the quarterback duo once he arrives on campus.


Even though Hoover and Winzeler each committed to stay home, they had their fair share of interest from other schools as well. Hoover, a 6'3", 170-pound wide receiver, kicker  Irish, has been a hot commodity as a punter for the past year. "I have received a lot of interest from Cincinnati, Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, and I've had South Carolina showing me a lot of interest lately as well," Hoover stated, though no offers were made.

In fact, Hoover has been receiving so much attention on the recruiting trail that Kohl's Kicking, the recruiting agency and website for specialists, actually rated Hoover as a 4.5-star on a five-star scale. On July 7, Hoover attended a Kohl's Kicking camp at John Carroll University in Cleveland. There, Hoover averaged nearly 44 yards per punt.

Hoover, also a wide receiver at Central Catholic, is a true athlete at punter.

Last year, Kohl's Kicking ranked the Central Catholic product the sixth-best punter in the entire country and the best punter in all of Ohio. After reading the comments from Jamie Kohl, the founder of Kohl's Kicking, it's easy to see why Hoover is such a highly sought after prospect.

"Zach is a solid punting prospect. He has good levers and a great frame. He hits with consistency and showed leg strength at the 2014 scholarship camp. His upside is great, his hands need to be cleaned up and his steps can continue to be straighter. Solid prospect," Kohl stated on the Toledo commit.

After winning the 2014 Division III State Championship with the Central Catholic Irish, Hoover is having a solid season in 2015 as well. A starter at wide receiver, kicker, and punter, the all-around athlete has punted the ball just thirteen times due to the high-powered offense this season, but is averaging 45.5 yards per punt.


In contrast, Winzeler, was beginning to receive mass amounts of Division II interest at quarterback before deciding to walk-on at Toledo. "I had interest from Wayne State, Malone University, and the University of Findlay. I also received interest from Ohio University and Youngstown State, but no offers were made."

Winzeler, a 2,300 yard thrower as a junior in 2014 along with 18 touchdowns, has begun to heat up during his incredible senior season thus far. After a 2-8 overall record for the St. John's Jesuit Titans a season ago, they have improved to 6-2 overall through eight games this season, with a monumental game against Hoover and Central Catholic this Friday night.

The improvement of Doug Pearson's St. John's Titans comes majorly from the improvement of Matt Winzeler. Despite a breakout season in 2014, the maturity and leadership that Winzeler has portrayed as a senior has made an impact on the team, ultimately translating to wins.

St. John's Jesuit quarterback Matt Winzeler is a steal for the Toledo Rockets.
Photo Courtesy: St. John's Jesuit High School

Winzeler says a dedication to mature and get stronger in the off-season has made the biggest difference, "I worked a lot in the weight room getting stronger and gaining weight which has helped a lot on the field being more durable."

"Also, just working on my overall mechanics with throwing and footwork has made a big difference in my game this year. The biggest difference between last year and this year is my maturity and confidence in my abilities. Knowing what I'm capable of doing and trusting the work I've put in and implementing it into how I play on Friday nights," Winzeler continued.


Due to the proximity to campus, Hoover and Winzeler have been on Toledo's campus several times. For Winzeler, the visits to The University of Toledo began at a young age, "I've lived in Toledo, just ten minutes away from the university for all of my life, so I went to football and basketball games growing up with my dad all the time."

Those visits would continue throughout high school, "Throughout my high school recruitment, I took multiple visits on campus and attended camp the summers before my sophomore, junior, and three different times this past summer."


For Hoover, his visits have occurred during spring practices and home games, which peaked his interest. "The atmosphere is great, I love seeing all of the fans tailgating before the game and then filling the stadium for kickoff," he stated.

After visits to several Big Ten schools such as Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin to name a few, Hoover decided to accept a walk-on spot at Toledo and stopped taking other visits.

"I have loved the coaching staff since the first day I visited there, I love the way the program is going and really like what Coach Campbell is doing for the program," Hoover continued, "I think Toledo is a great fit for me."



For Hoover, even as a preferred walk-on, there will be an opportunity to start right away. Current starting punter, Nick Ellis, will be a senior next fall during Hoover's true-freshman season, but has struggled in the past. Despite past struggles, Ellis has stepped up his punt average this season, averaging just over 39 yards. Hoover, however, will have a true chance to win the job, especially with his 45 yard per punt average. As a preferred walk-on, don't be surprised if Hoover earns his scholarship right away and wins the starting job, even over a senior.



The local connection for the Toledo Rockets will continue in the Class of 2016 with Central Catholic's Zach Hoover as well as St. John's Jesuit quarterback, Matt Winzeler. Although they're both preferred walk-ons, don't sleep on Hoover to win the job right away and Winzeler to learn behind Ely, Woodside, and his fellow quarterbacks to ultimately earn a scholarship.

There's a certain excitement when Toledo fans can watch someone that grew up in the shadows of The Glass Bowl. Toledo's name is now known in the world of College Football, and the kids from The Glass City feel a certain entitlement to protect their city and their stadium, more so than recruits who aren't originally from the 419. Watch out for Zach Hoover and Matt Winzeler as they take their talents down the road to the bright lights on The Glass Bowl.