A Monumental Weekend Coming for Toledo Football

Toledo commit, Neru N'Shaka highlights
the visitors on official visits this weekend.

By: Zach Harig -- January 14, 2016
Now that the recruiting dead period is over, coaches are now available to meet with recruits face-to-face again, whether that be via in-home visits or official college campus visits. For Toledo, this weekend will be extremely important for the 2016 recruiting class. Nineteen recruits are slatted to visit Northwest Ohio on the January 15th weekend. Of those nineteen, at least twelve are committed to The University of Toledo. Aside from that, The Sunshine State will be well-represented in the Glass City this weekend with five recruits out of the state of Florida.


Desmond Phillips, a 3-star athlete that is an early enrollee this semester with the Rockets, could also help sway Florida-natives towards the Rockets since he is already on campus as a Miami native.

TOLEDO COMMITS VISITING:
- WR Obi Anunike (Lewis Center, Ohio / 6'4", 205 pounds) -- COMMITTED 6/27/2015
- DB Justin Clark (West Bloomfield, Mich. / 5'10", 165 pounds) -- COMMITTED 6/30/2015
- LB Ron George (Pittsburgh, Penn. / 6'2", 200 pounds) -- COMMITTED 12/25/2015
- DT David Hood (Miami, Fla. / 6'1", 265 pounds) -- COMMITTED 5/26/2015
- DB Jamal Hudson (Miami, Fla. / 6'0", 185 pounds) -- COMMITTED 12/31/2015
- RB Ronnie Jones (Pittsburgh, Penn. / 6'1", 185 pounds) -- COMMITTED 3/28/2015
- DB Alonzo McCoy (Redford, Mich. / 5'10", 180 pounds) -- COMMITTED 3/21/2015
- WR Neru N'Shaka (Hallandale, Fla. / 5'10", 180 pounds) -- COMMITTED 12/19/2015
- TE Nate Swart (Washington, Penn. / 6'5", 225 pounds) -- COMMITTED 3/27/2015
- DB Jordan Williams (Pfleugerville, Texas / 5'10", 175 pounds) -- COMMITTED 7/24/2015
- DB Dedarallo Blue (Seffner, Fla. / 5'9", 180 pounds) -- COMMITTED 1/8/2015
- RB Shakif Seymour (Cleveland, Ohio / 6'0", 205 pounds) -- COMMITTED 5/22/2015
- OG Luke Doerger (Cincinnati, Ohio / 6'3", 300 pounds) -- COMMITTED 7/23/2015
- RB/FB Willie Ross (Ravenna, Ohio / 6'2", 245 pounds) -- COMMITTED 5/7/2015
- DB Zach Ford (Cleveland, Ohio / 6'3", 180 pounds) -- COMMITTED 6/30/2015
- TE Keidren Davis (Grand Rapids, Mich. / 6'5", 215 pounds) -- COMMITTED 6/27/2015

UNCOMMITTED RECRUITS VISITING:
- ATH Marquis Smith (Ypsilanti, Mich. / 6'0", 170 pounds) -- Considering: Toledo, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Syracuse, Kansas.
- WR Calvin Jackson (Pampano Beach, Fla. / 5'9", 160 pounds) -- Considering: Toledo, Iowa State, Bowling Green, Florida Atlantic, Florida International

TOLEDO COMMITS NOT VISITING THIS WEEKEND:
- WR Jalen Martin (Harper Woods, Mich. / 6'3", 200 pounds) -- Iowa State visit this weekend, will likely visit Toledo officially on 1/22 or 1/29.
- ATH Billy Kisner (Pittsburgh, Penn. / 6'0", 200 pounds) -- Appointments this weekend, will visit 1/29/2016.
- ATH James Jackson (Pittsburgh, Penn. / 6'2", 175 pounds)
- DL Edrick Mathews (Detroit, Mich. / 6'4", 270 pounds)

TOLEDO COMMITS ALREADY ON CAMPUS:
- DE Tuzar Skipper (Bronx, NY (JUCO) / 6'4", 245 pounds) -- Signed Letter of Intent with Toledo.
- ATH Desmond Phillips (Miami, Fla. / 6'1", 190 pounds) -- Enrolled Early

Dedarallo Blue (Seffner, Fla.) chose
Toledo over Iowa State.

As you can see, there's a lot to take in with official visits this upcoming weekend. The Toledo staff will be looking for a couple of more commitments, as will the current Toledo commits.

"There will be a few other guys that are uncommitted that I'll be after this weekend," outside linebacker, Ron George stated, "Tymar Sutton and Aaron Mathews are two guys I'm after specifically though."

"I'm very excited about this weekend," runningback commit, Shakif Seymour, told me, "I get to see the other boys that are committed and I get to see the coaches which is always fun."

Especially for the Florida natives and Jordan Williams, of Texas, this is the first time they really get a glimpse of Toledo. Even someone like Alonzo McCoy, who is only about an hour from the Glass City, said he's excited to get acclimated to his new home, "I'm most excited to be able to hang with my new family and to get a few for my new home at Toledo."

Jason Candle is off to an extremely
hot start on the recruiting trail.

Toledo's 2016 class has a lot of pride between the current commits, especially when it comes to the Midnight Blue & Gold. "Get ready to win this MAC Championship," defensive back, Alonzo McCoy added in my interview with him. Ron George also added, "Our class can't wait to get up there and get straight to business. Our goal is the MAC Championship and anything less than that is unacceptable. Speaking for myself, I know I've been putting in work this off-season and I can't wait to get up there and leave it all out on the field."

There will also be a few more visitors this weekend from the preferred walk-on commits. Guys like Toledo Central Catholic punter, Zach Hoover, "Since I'm a preferred walk-on, I can't really do much because they can't pay for anything but I'll probably meet up with the guys since I live here."

With National Signing Day less than three weeks away, this weekend will be extremely monumental for the Rockets recruiting class. Currently, the Rockets have the second-best recruiting class in the Mid-American Conference, only behind the Broncos of Western Michigan, but that could likely change before National Signing Day with the few uncommitted recruits visiting Toledo this weekend.

What a start to Jason Candle's tenure at Toledo, huh? In just the first month, Candle has hit the ground running as far as recruiting is concerned and even managed to steal a couple of recruits from the jaws of Iowa State and former head coach, Matt Campbell. One recruit that chose Toledo over the Cyclones was cornerback, Dedarallo Blue who is a three-star by most agencies and will be on campus this weekend for his official visit. The Candle tenure is already lit.


I'll keep you posted on the latest Toledo Recruiting and Football news via Twitter: @ToledoZach

A Toledo Football Coaching Staff Update

JASON CANDLE CONTINUES TO MAKE STAFFING HIRES

BY: ZACH HARIG -- JANUARY 7, 2016

Out with the old, in with the new, right? It has been over a month since Matt Campbell was named the next head coach at Iowa State, but Campbell's departure is much bigger than just himself. To nobody's surprise, Campbell basically cleaned house in the Glass City as far as a coaching staff is concerned. In fact, the lone coaches remaining in Toledo from Campbell's prior staff would be runningbacks coach, Anthony Johnson and wide receivers coach, Derek Sage, aside from Jason Candle himself, who obviously took the head coaching job. Once Candle accepted the head coaching position, it was time to get to work creating his own staff.

Jason Candle is the next head man in Toledo, but what about
the rest of his coaching staff?

Almost immediately, Candle made the hire of Hiedelberg University head coach, Mike Hallett to coach the offensive line. With the departure of former offensive line coach, Tom Manning, to Iowa State, Hallett has major shoes to fill with the Rockets. However, the Rockets will return four out of five starters along the offensive line in 2016, all but center Ruben Carter.

"I believe in the student-athlete experience," Hallett stated after being hired at Toledo, "And I believe in the coach's role in helping those students reach their full potential - academically, athletically, and socially. My job is to take the student where they cannot take themselves and I am happy to be joining Jason Candle and assisting the program to reach even higher goals."

Hallett, a 1994 Mount Union graduate, says his relationship with Candle is one that shares that special Purple Raider connection, "I have known Jason for a long time," Hallett said, "I am very excited to be a part of his first staff here at Toledo. I feel Toledo is the preeminent university in the Mid-American Conference and I am humbled to be a part of this great institution and its people."

Former Hiedelberg head coach, Mike Hallett, who is the next
offensive line coach at Toledo.
Photo Courtesy: UT Rockets.

One trait that is irreplaceable in the Hallett hire is his past experience as a head coach, no matter the level. Despite previously only being at the Division-III level, Hallett has obtained a tremendous reputation among his peers in the coaching industry as well as recruits and high school coaches. Aside from this, Hallett coached Hiedelberg to a 55-36 record over nine seasons and spent three seasons prior to that as the head coach at Thomas More College in Kentucky as well. Hallett will bring a local mindset to Toledo and should become a tremendous recruiter, particularly in the Ohio area, given his relationship with local high school coaches.

With the completed hire of Hallett, the offensive coaching staff for Candle and the Rockets is complete, for the most part. However, there is one lingering question - who will take over as offensive coordinator and will that person also assume the role of quarterbacks coach? Candle, a quarterback mastermind himself, worked with the quarterbacks during his time as offensive coordinator with the Rockets. However, it is extremely rare to see head coaches work with one particular position on a consistent basis, which makes this an interesting area to watch.

Shugarts (bottom right, yellow) poses with the offensive line
and Boca Raton Bowl trophy.
Photo: Shugarts' Twitter

Another major aspect to Candle's coaching staff, especially along the offensive line, is graduate assistant J.B. Shugarts. The former Ohio State offensive lineman also spent time with the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL and is a major part of Candle's coaching staff. Shugarts worked with the Rockets' offensive line in 2015 under Matt Campbell and will be sticking around in Toledo under Jason Candle. Shugarts was on the sidelines in 2015 and helped signal play calls in the Rockets' no-huddle offense. Obviously, it will be tough for the offensive line to repeat what happened in 2015 after not allowing a sack until nine games into the season. However, with the Hallett and Shugarts duo along with four returning starters up front, the Rockets should find success once again.

As for departures, former Toledo offensive lineman and graduate assistant, Jeff Myers will become a new offensive line graduate assistant at Iowa State under Matt Campbell. Following his departure, Candle will likely look to add one more graduate assistant to the staff for assistance. When the hire comes, don't expect it to be big news, but since graduate assistants are typically younger and fresh out of college, players seem to relate to them quickly. Therefore, the smallest hires, such as graduate assistants, can pay off in terms of team morale and reputability.

Former Toledo defensive coordinator takes to Twitter
as he departs for Iowa State.

On the defensive side of the ball, Jason Candle somewhat suffered from the coaching carousel. Following Campbell's departure to Iowa State, Toledo athletic director, Mike O'Brien quickly jumped into action by naming defensive coordinator, Jon Heacock as his interim head coach. However, just days later, Jason Candle obviously was hired in the permanent position. At his press conference, Candle stated, "I think highly of Coach (Jon) Heacock and hope that he is the defensive coordinator at Toledo for a long time." However, after the bowl game, Heacock announced that he would take his time to decide whether or not he would join Campbell's staff at Iowa State, or if he would remain with the Rockets. On January 2, the 31-year college coaching veteran announced that he'd be heading to Ames, Iowa to accept the Iowa State defensive coordinator position. Quickly after, Heacock took to Twitter to praise Candle.

Toledo defensive coordinator,
Brian George.
Photo: Kent State Rivals

After Heacock's decision, just over a month away from National Signing Day, Candle would need to scramble to replace his former acquaintance. Just two hours after news broke on Twitter that Heacock could be leaving, there was a report that Brian George of Kent State would become Toledo's next defensive coordinator. And it's true. The former defensive coordinator of the Golden Flashes is now in the Glass City assuming the same position. So who is Brian George? George arrived to Kent, Ohio as defensive line coach in 2011 after short stints with Indiana and Miami University. In January of 2013, two years after arriving at Kent State, George was promoted to defensive coordinator.

Despite Kent State struggling in years past, George has led a decently solid Golden Flash defense. Not only that, but George has coached several NFL-caliber players in Roosevelt Nix and Demetrius Monday.

At Toledo, George will assume the same positions that he held at Kent State, meaning that he will coach the defensive line with the Rockets as well. The Rockets lost defensive line coach, Eli Rasheed in the Iowa State takeover as well. Rasheed was well respected by the players he coached including Jayrone Elliott, who is now in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers. Aside from Rasheed, the Rockets also lost graduate assistant, Christian Smith to the Cyclones.

At linebackers, the Rockets will have another new coach. Tyson Veidt, the former linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator for the Rockets, was included in the Iowa State departure. Now, there are a few questions at the linebacker and safety positions in terms of coaching.

Ross Watson.

That coach may or may not be Ross Watson, who was hired without a specific position back on December 30. Watson will either assume the linebackers coaching position or will coach safeties, depending on one more hire that Candle will need to make, which is a matter of fit. However, Watson comes from Northern Illinois, where he coached linebackers last season. Prior to DeKalb, Watson had coaching stints defensively with Nebraska and Florida Atlanta before becoming the director of football operations and later, a coaches assistant to Bo Pelini at Youngstown State.

The relationship between Watson and Candle is a familiar one. Watson, also a Mount Union native, coached and played with Candle in years past. "I'm finally lucky enough to be a Rocket!" Watson told me. Look for Watson to also have an extreme impact in recruiting.

Toledo's next cornerbacks coach,
Cory Robinson.
Photo: UM Terps

In the defensive secondary, nothing new -- out with the old, in with the new. Out goes cornerbacks coach, D.K. McDonald to Iowa State, and in comes Cory Robinson. Robinson, the former director of player personnel at Maryland and cornerbacks coach at IGM Academy, where he worked with high school, college, and professional defensive backs. More importantly, IGM Academy is located in Bradenton, Florida, which is a hot-spot for Jason Candle and his recruiters. In fact, three of Toledo's last four commits are from the state of Florida, where Candle spent a lot of time recruiting during his time as offensive coordinator.

Robinson recently returned back to the Glass City from a vacation in Jamaica and has been getting acclimated to Rocket Nation and the new surroundings. However, Robinson did tell me that he is, "Doing great!" And is loving Northwest Ohio. Look for Robinson to have an intricate role in recruiting.

Another new member of Rocket Nation is Ricky Ciccone, who was hired in an off-the-field role with the Rockets. Ciccone will become the next Director of High School Relations, which was a position filled by John Kuceyeski in years past before his departure. The relationship between Candle and Ciccone goes way back to the Mount Union days, where Candle was a senior during Ciccone's freshman season. Following that year, Candle went on to work with the wide receivers for the next three seasons.

"I've known Jason for 15 years," Ciccone stated, "I went to Mount Union and played runningback there and the summer before my senior year I actually worked for Coach Candle taking care of athletics grounds and facilities. After I graduated in the spring of 2005, I became a student assistant."

Despite having an off-field role now with the Rockets, Ciccone has a background of being on the field for several different programs. Most recently, the now 32-year old Ciccone was runningbacks coach at Ohio Dominican but prior to that, spent time as co-offensive coordinator at Olentangy high school and at Bluffton University where he was wide receivers coach.

Andrew Terwilliger will also remain with the Rockets as Director of Player Personnel. Terwilliger has been with the Rockets for the past few seasons.

So yes, there are still questions lingering. Who takes over as quarterbacks coach and is that the same person that takes over as offensive coordinator? Will Ross Watson be in charge of linebackers or safeties? We will find out in the weeks to come. For now, the current staff is hitting the ground running with recruiting. In fact, there are several official visits scheduled for January 15 in Toledo.



Follow Zach on Twitter: @ToledoZach for the latest Toledo Athletics updates. A special thanks to WTOL's Jordan Strack for contributing to the research in the article.

Toledo Thunder Making Noise in Debut Season

By: Zach Harig

There are over one-thousand football teams in the United States that refer to themselves as semi-professional. For many of those teams, it takes several years to find success. However, in Northwest Ohio, there's a football team that is beginning to turn heads around the region. In their debut season, the Toledo Thunder earned the Minor League Football Alliance championship following an unbeaten 12-0 season. Not only did the Thunder go undefeated, but their stellar success on the field led to them being ranked number-one nationally. Behind the vision of two local men, the Thunder were able to find success in just one short season.

Toledo Thunder co-founder and head coach, Brad Fields,
gathers the team for a prayer prior to kickoff.

The founders of the Toledo Thunder, Brad Fields and Jamie Young, played semi-professional football together in 1995, when semi-pro football was beginning to catch on. After noticing that Northwest Ohio lacked a quality semi-pro team, the duo looked into bringing back a competitive and organized team back to the area, with the vision of also helping local charities.

After deciding to go through with the plan to form a team, Fields says they focused on finding players first. "We knew we had to get players," Fields said, "We reached out to players from knowing big names or from former guys that we've coached," he added.

Once the roster was completed, the team was nearly 90% Toledo natives, according to Fields. From there, the team began the 2015 season by routing their first two opponents, the Miami County Blitz and Motor City Jaguars, by a combined score of 99-0. The Thunder would continue their success throughout the season, including a 34-0 shutout against their local rival, the Northwest Ohio Knights. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Thunder would celebrate their undefeated season. However, perhaps the more impressive mark, would be their $5,000 total, which was raised by the team for local charities.

Toledo Thunder founders Brad Fields and Jamie Young
celebrate with the MLFA Championship trophy.

Following their success on the field, the Toledo Thunder announced they would play in DeLand, Florida in the NFE AA National Championship against the Portmouth Warriors. With a win in that game, the Thunder would become the only first-year team in semi-pro football history to go undefeated in league play and win a national title. Who could have predicted this kind of start for a semi-professional football team in Northwest Ohio? Well, look no further than Thunder co-founder, Brad Fields.

"Believe it or not, our expectations from the start were to go to this national title game that we are playing in," Fields stated, "We told the guys in our first team meeting in December 2014 that we won't settle for anything less. We told them we can achieve this goal as long as they buy into the system," he continued.

As the season began, the Thunder rested their offense on quarterback, Gary Allen. However, an early season injury to the offensive leader would lead the coaching staff, led by Fields, to turn to former Rogers high school star, DJ Tucker.

"We were extremely confident in both Gary and DJ at quarterback," Fields said, "The only thing is that DJ was our starting safety as well and we needed him more on defense at the time."

Tucker wouldn't disappoint as the starting quarterback, passing for over 1,000 yards on the season along with twelve touchdown passes. A major reason for Tucker's success throughout the season was former Toledo St. John's Jesuit wide receiver Mike White, who caught 34 passes for nearly 800 yards and six touchdowns on the year. Behind the air-raid duo, runningback Ed Toles averaged over ten yards per carry along with six touchdowns, providing nightmares for opposing defensive fronts.

Toledo native and Thunder quarterback, DJ Tucker.

On the defensive side, led by defensive coordinator Tim Ross, the Thunder were extremely solid and pitched several shutouts on the year. Former Rogers standout, Isaiah Ballard racked up 66 tackles and a blistering 12 forced fumbles, averaging one per game. Behind him, in the defensive secondary is Scott high school native, Gene Patterson as well as former Ohio State Buckeye, Derjuan Gambrell, who obviously stole the spotlight after he began his semi-professional career with the Thunder.

"We couldn't have been successful if it wasn't for the players and staff believing in what Jamie and I set as a foundation," Fields, both co-founder and head coach of the Thunder, stated. "We had expectations to be a championship football team and the great support we received from fans and local businesses throughout the season helped make that happen."

As the Thunder begin their journey to Florida to play for a National Championship, they will attempt to make semi-professional football history. It's safe to say the Thunder are quickly exceeding their expectations, especially in just their first season.


For more information regarding the Toledo Thunder, check out their website: www.ToledoThunder.org

The Success of True Freshman Kicker, Jameson Vest

REPLACING KICKING LEGEND, JEREMIAH DETMER

By: Zach Harig -- December 7, 2015

Eleven months ago, the Toledo Rockets were in Mobile, Alabama coming off of a GoDaddy Bowl victory. Not only that, but the Rockets were celebrating some tremendous careers that would be lost due to graduation, including kicker, Jeremiah Detmer. The Hilliard, Ohio native finished his career as the Mid-American Conference's all-time leader in accuracy after finishing his career with nearly an 85% field goal percentage. Detmer would set the bar for not only Mid-American Conference kickers, but college football kickers as a whole before his graduation in 2014.

Jameson Vest has stepped up for the Toledo Rockets in his
first collegiate season.

So how would Toledo replace the production that Detmer provided for four seasons? The answer was Jameson Vest, a recruit in the 2015 class out of Peachtree City, Georgia. Obviously, replacing someone that had been in discussion for a Lou Groza award for nation's best kicker isn't easy, but for a true-freshman to come in, it would be nearly impossible.

"Jeremiah gave me big shoes to fill," Vest stated, "He set the standard for kickers at Toledo and it really made me determined to get better and become the standard myself."

Prior to the 2015 season kicking off, a lot of questions for head coach, Matt Campbell, were about special teams. It was obvious that even the Toledo coaching staff had many questions to answer themselves in terms of the kicking void left by Detmer. However, in fall camp, Vest dominated, winning the job over sophomore, Sam Vucelich. 

"I came in cocky about my abilities and thought I was better than I really was," admitted Vest, "Looking back, I'm very fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to start."

After earning the job, the first game of the season had arrived against Stony Brook. Ultimately, Vest would get an opportunity early in the first half on a 33-yard attempt. Good snap, good hold, and it split the uprights for three points, resulting in the first points of Vest's young career. The road to replacing Toledo legend, Jeremiah Detmer was underway, or so we thought. After a heavy downpour and thunderstorms throughout the first half, the game would be cancelled at halftime following nearly three hours of storm delay. All statistics from the game were scratched, as was the score, and just like that, Vest was once again looking for the first points of his career.

Vest has shined in the spotlight of big games in 2015.

The following week, Toledo made the journey to Little Rock, Arkansas to face the Arkansas Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium in the heart of the state. In front of a sellout crowd of 55,000 people, Vest lined up for a short field goal of nearly thirty yards. Unfortunately, 6'10" Arkansas offensive lineman, Dan Skipper, would get a hand on the kick. The first attempt of Vest's career was blocked. A short moment later, Toledo head coach, Matt Campbell would send Vest out to attempt another, this time from nearly forty yards in a hostile environment and it was to take the lead. The Georgia native would leave no doubt about it, his first points in a Toledo uniform were recorded and he put Toledo ahead of the Hogs, where the Rockets wouldn't look back, notching the upset and biggest win in school history, 16-12.

"The first kick was crazy, I never realized how loud SEC country was until I was on the field. That second kick was all business, I didn't even notice the crowd when I went out. I told myself I was making this one to take the lead," Vest stated.

Not a bad "first game" for an eighteen year old kid, a clutch go-ahead kick against a SEC opponent and a national spotlight after an upset victory.

Former Toledo kicker, Jeremiah Detmer set the standard
with an 85% career field goal percentage.

A week later, against another Power 5 opponent in Iowa State, Vest would continue to make a name for himself. Late into the second half, Vest would hit a game-tying field goal to make it 23-23 and ultimately send the game into overtime, where Toledo would win the game, 30-23.

Since the opening weeks, Vest has continued to impress and fill the shoes of Jeremiah Detmer rather smoothly for a true freshman. Vest would finish the 2015 season with a conference high 18 field goals for a 69-percent field goal percentage. The eight field goals missed by Vest throughout the season, ultimately cost him a chance at making an All-MAC team.

"It's very humbling," Vest said on not making All-Conference, "I knew in the back of my mind that it wasn't a great season missing eight kicks. The fact that the MAC knew it too just made it easier to realize that I want to dedicate the off-season to getting better."

Aside from the field goal percentage, Vest also led the Mid-American Conference in scoring per game, accounting for an average of just over nine points per contest, in the same category as the most explosive runningbacks and wide outs in the conference.

Although Vest was not recognized as All-MAC for his incredible efforts throughout the season, his teammates, coaches, and predecessor have certainly taken notice.

"He's impressive," stated Jeremiah Detmer, who still has a relationship with Vest, even after his graduation, "For a true freshman to come in to a program and transition as well as he has, it's remarkable. He's made big time plays and has stepped up for his team. The most exciting part about his season is that he has three more to improve!"

Jeremiah Detmer set the standard at Toledo and in the Mid-American Conference but true freshman, Jameson Vest has entered the Glass City and has exceeded expectations. A conference-high eighteen field goals in 2015 will place a bright spotlight on the Georgia native over his next three seasons in Northwest Ohio.

Questions? Comments? Interact with Zach on Twitter: @ToledoZach

A Way Too Early Look Into Toledo's 2016 Expectations

JASON CANDLE UNDERSTANDS THE LOFTY EXPECTATIONS AT TOLEDO

By: Zach Harig -- December 4, 2015 
Yes, the year is 2015 and yes, Toledo still has a bowl game to play, which will be announced on Sunday. However, it's never too early to be looking ahead to next season, especially after the recent hire of former offensive coordinator, Jason Candle. The Candle hire has brought excitement back into the Toledo Football program, but with excitement, comes tremendous expectation.

"The expectations are high and the bar has been set," said new Toledo head coach, Jason Candle, "Nine wins is a tremendous season for anybody in the country, but for a Mid-American school to win nine games and two of those wins over Power-Five schools, that's elite company, so we want to continue that, we want to try to better that and we want to ultimately end up in Detroit playing for a championship."

So can they? The Rockets could have a few question marks in 2016. The first will be the inexperience of the head coach. Although new head coach, Jason Candle has spent seven years in Toledo, there are questions to be answered. Some have argued that Candle gets too fancy with the play-call and doesn't use his workhorses, Kareem Hunt and Terry Swanson enough in the ground game. However, players simply love the Jason Candle hire. In the regard of the head coach, the fans don't matter, the alumni don't matter, the national media don't matter, it's about the players and the coaching staff buying in. A lot of times during the Matt Campbell era, we heard, "Trust in 'The Process'" which is the definition of what needs to happen in college football. In the world of college football, players love to play for younger coaches, which Candle, at age 36, is. Don't worry about the coaching inexperience, Candle will be a thunderous hire for the Rockets.

New Toledo head coach, Jason
Candle understands expectations.

The next question in 2016 will be the lack of returnees on defense. Toledo will lose defensive leaders, Trent Voss, Keenan Gibbs, Tre James, Allen Covington, Orion Jones, Chase Murdock, Cheatham Norrils, Chris Dukes, Chaz Whittaker, Rolan Milligan, and Juwan Haynes, who all saw regular action in 2015. A huge development in the Jason Candle hire for the Rockets was retaining defensive coordinator, Jon Heacock, who is staying in Toledo to become a part of the new staff, which is crucial. Heacock's defense has looked completely changed in 2015 after a dismal season a year ago. The 'multiple defense' look on the defensive side of the ball has given Toledo the ability to sub players in and out and due to the incredible depth on the defensive side of the ball, the Rockets have featured the top scoring defense in the Mid-American Conference. But this depth won't be returning in 2016.

Jon Heacock will certainly have his hands full in 2016 on the defensive side of the ball. Without the graduated leaders next season, guys like DeJuan Rogers, Treyvon Hester, Marquise Moore, and Jaylen Coleman will truly need to step up. The front seven should be solid once again next season behind Hester and Moore's elite strength and run stopping ability. Toledo was second in the MAC in the regular season in terms of run defense, look for that to continue once again in 2016. Jaylen Coleman was also lost mid-season in 2015 due to a broken leg, hopefully he can bounce back to once again be a major force in the MAC. As far as the secondary, Toledo will feature a similar secondary to the 2014 season, which was highlighted by then true-freshman, Trevon Mathis, who had some growing pains but ultimately played well in his first season of college football. Next season, Mathis, Jordan Martin, and Josh Teachey will need to step up in a big way as far as the true-corners are concerned for the Rockets. Guys like Connery Swift and Delando Johnson will also be important contributors in nickel and dime packages, especially since Jon Heacock loves to use his substitutions.

Guys like Keenan Gibbs have provided
Toledo with a lot of depth in 2015.

The pass defense could struggle in 2016, which is typical in the Mid-American Conference. The good news behind the pass defense is that two of the best quarterbacks in the MAC, Matt Johnson of Bowling Green and Blake Frohnapfel of UMass (who isn't in the MAC in 2016), are now graduating.
Other than that, Toledo will need to use odd blitz packages off of the edge, perhaps with guys like Swift and Johnson from their nickel and dime positions.

On the offensive side of the ball, Jason Candle won't miss a beat. Right now, quarterback Phillip Ely is petitioning for a sixth season with a medical redshirt, after missing nearly all of 2014 due to injury. If it is declined by the NCAA, which isn't likely to happen, quarterback Logan Woodside would assume the position over Michael Julian and redshirt-freshman, Mitch Guadagni, who has an extremely bright future with the Rockets down the road. Woodside, a soon-to-be senior out of Frankfort, Kentucky, had a solid season in 2014 ultimately ranking fourth in the MAC in passing efficiency and throwing for 2,272 yards and 19 touchdowns. Aside from being offensive coordinator, Jason Candle has also been quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons with the Rockets, so he understands the core nucleus of signal callers. The passing game, whether it be Ely or Woodside next season, should be decent, even without top wide receiver, Alonzo Russell, who will be graduated. Guys like Cody Thompson, and soon-to-be senior Corey Jones, will be the main targets in 2016 and wide outs Jon'Vea and Diontae Johnson will also be assets as well as tight end, Michael Roberts.

Trevon Mathis, pictured here with Matt Campbell, will be
relied upon greatly in 2016.

Roberts, a 6'4", 265-pound weapon for the Rockets should have a breakout senior season in 2016. This season, just eighteen catches for 188 yards and four touchdowns for Roberts, but they all seemed to come in the clutch and big-time moments. Next year, he'll be even a bigger redzone target with Alonzo Russell.

The running game will be interesting, but not necessarily in a bad way. Running back Kareem Hunt, a current junior and soon-to-be senior, could dart for the NFL draft due to his current mid-round projection. Currently, NFL Draft Scout has Hunt listed as the ninth best draft eligible back, out of 213. Aside from Hunt, current sophomore Terry Swanson will carry the load along with soon-to-be senior Damion Jones-Moore. Swanson has been a workhorse but has been overshadowed by Hunt in several instances. If Hunt leaves to play on Sunday's, look for the runningback not to miss a beat, though it is nice to have that one-two punch between physicality and speed in Hunt and Swanson. Younger backs like Art Thompkins could also see a lot of action in 2016, especially if they miss Hunt's presence.

Perhaps the biggest loss in the Matt Campbell departure was offensive line coach, Tom Manning, who is arguably the best in the entire country. Over the past two years, Manning's offensive lines had allowed just three sacks, even after replacing all five starters this season. In 2016, the Rockets will return all but Ruben Carter, their center and a Florida State transfer. Guys like Mike Ebert and obviously, big Storm Norton, will be extremely solid and depended on.

Behind Kareem Hunt, if he returns, Toledo will have another
lethal ground game.

Overall, the 2016 season should be one of well-deserved expectation. The Rockets will be solid and despite the loss of an extremely capable senior class and coaching staff, Jason Candle will right the ship. The Toledo offense will be electric once again behind their offensive line and guys like Cody Thompson, Corey Jones, and potentially Kareem Hunt, if he returns. Toledo will open the season at Arkansas State on September 3rd and will also play out of conference against Maine and Fresno State at home and then on the road at BYU on September 30.

Athletic Director Mike O'Brien also knows that a lot of pressure will be placed on his first-year head coach next season, "It's hard to say what kind of season we'll have next year, but I know they're going to play really hard behind Coach Candle and he will rally the troops. I can't give you a one-loss prediction but it's going to be a great year behind his (Coach Candle's) leadership."

For myself, it's hard not to expect a nine win season. The out-of-conference schedule is a bit easier than it has been in years past. In fact, Toledo should expect a 3-1 season in the non-conference. As far as for the MAC schedule, which isn't out yet, there will be a lot of coaching changes if Dino Babers bolts from Bowling Green and potentially P.J. Fleck at Western Michigan. Toledo may not be the preseason favorite to win the MAC, but they will compete in the MAC West. Next year's senior class will step up and be leaders, especially behind the new coaching staff and the understanding of culture and tradition at Toledo. I expect a 9-3 season next year with a strong offensive line and running game. As usual, no matter who the offensive coordinator is, Jason Candle will run a balanced offense. Expect potential losses to BYU on the road, which is an extremely tough place to play, and then potentially losses to either Arkansas State on the road, Western Michigan on the road, or even a team like Bowling Green or Central Michigan at home. We won't even mention those Huskies in DeKalb.

Thoughts? Comments? Interact on Twitter: @ToledoZach

Recruiting Wars: Iowa State vs. Toledo

New Toledo head coach, Jason
Candle.

CAMPBELL VS. CANDLE -- THE WAR HAS BEGUN

By: Zach Harig -- December 2, 2015

After Iowa State prevailed to defeat Toledo, 37-30, in 2014, Toledo returned the favor with a 30-23 overtime victory against the Cyclones in 2015. In a rubber match of sorts, the two teams now get to battle it out on the recruiting trail. Yes, I'm trying to tell you that two schools that are nine hours apart, will compete in recruiting, and we all know why. Now that Matt Campbell is officially an Iowa State Cyclone, he is destroying his own legacy at The University of Toledo by stealing players he recruited away from his former school.

In the 2016 recruiting class, Toledo originally had 22 commits, that is before the Campbell departure. Almost immediately, Toledo received decommitments from cornerback Jatairis Grant of Akron, Ohio. The reason? Matt Campbell and the Cyclones came calling with an offer and an official visit, which will be taken on December 4 by Grant. When asked about Iowa State, Grant stated, "Coach Campbell hasn't told me much yet, I plan on seeing how it is when I get down there. I don't have a top three yet, Toledo and ISU are my only two."

New Toledo head coach, Jason Candle played with Matt
Campbell at Mount Union, now they're recruiting foes.

Aside from Grant, Toledo lost a commitment from Columbus, Ohio Athlete, Tyrece Speaight. Speaight, a three-star by several agencies, has been heating up on the recruiting trail and has received interest from several MAC schools as well as, wait for it, yes, Iowa State. After a December 1 decommitment, Speaight has since been tweeting a lot about Toledo, especially after today's hiring of Jason Candle as their head football coach. In fact, one current Toledo commit told me, "I'm 100% sure we will get Tyrece's commitment back." There is no word on an official visit or any offers from Iowa State for Speaight.

Another recruit who was highly considering Toledo and is still is to an extent, is Traver Vliem, a defensive end out of Midland, Texas. Vliem, a 6'3", 240-pound athletic freak coming off of the edge now holds 20 offers, but one of his favorites is Toledo. However, Matt Campbell and his staff are already working on perhaps swaying him to Ames. "Coach John Kuceyeski (part of Campbell's new Iowa State staff) called me and said I was on a short list of guys they'd be looking at and they'd have Campbell reach out to me in the next couple of days," Vliem stated. He also stated it's a possibility that he will take an official visit to Iowa State.

Matt Campbell and his staff at Iowa State
have officially began their recruiting efforts.

From there, we advance to Jalen Martin, perhaps the biggest commit for Toledo in the 2016 class. That is, until Martin was given something to consider. Matt Campbell extended an offer to Martin, a Harper Woods, Michigan product, just hours after being introduced as Iowa State's new head football coach. Now, Martin is expected to take an official visit to Ames, "sometime in the next few weeks," according to his father, Gregory, who also added that "Jason Candle is a great hire for the Rockets." The 6'3", 200-pound Martin is a strong handed and high IQ football player who is an underrated three-star in the class. Iowa State will strongly push for his services before signing day and don't be surprised if new Toledo head coach, Jason Candle can't convince him to stay in the Glass City.

Someone that Toledo is losing extreme ground on is three-star defensive end/outside linebacker, Jalen Cochran out of Canton, Michigan. Cochran, a 6'3", 235-pound beast, was strongly considering Toledo and called them, "my number one school," in early November before Matt Campbell's departure. After Campbell accepted the job in Ames, Cochran immediately received an offer from the Cyclones. Following that moment, Iowa State shot up Cochran's list and become his new number one, "I believe I'm having an in-home visit with Iowa State on Thursday," he added. As far as Toledo goes, "I think Jason Candle was a great hire for Toledo, but I don't really know him since he is an offensive guy and I can't really consider them until they hire a full staff." Ouch.

In the Class of 2017, looking ahead, Matt Campbell already took a leap. Iowa State received a commitment from 2017 quarterback, Devon Moore, a 6'4", 215-pound pro-style gun-slinger out of Waterloo, Iowa. Moore held three offers before committing from Toledo, Illinois State, and obviously, the Cylcones.

2016 Toledo tight end commit, Nate Swart is a
"True Rocket" and is devout to his commitment.

Despite losing several commits as of late, Toledo does have a solid core still committed. Three-star runningback, Shakif Seymour of Parma Heights, Ohio stated he's, "All in on Toledo." Aside from that, Pennsylvania product and Toledo commit at tight end, Nate Swart also stated, "Why commit when you know another offer will just make you decommit? I committed to Toledo months ago and nothing has changed, I'm going to school there in the fall."

As for as for Coach Jason Candle, he spoke at his press conference, and to myself, about his recruiting war with Coach Campbell: "Well we have to work diligently and get our plan together and make sure the kids that have made the decision to come to The University of Toledo still come to The University of Toledo. And we'll work really hard to do that. Ultimately, at the end of the day, you can't make decisions for kids, that's their prerogative and what they want to do. But our job is to present the information to why UT is a great fit for you and why you can be successful here, we're going to mold you to be a great young man and make sure you take your academics seriously and give you a chance to play great football and if that's what you want to do, I want you to be here. I'm not interested in guys that are coming here for other reasons other than the ones that are real," said Candle. He then joked that his first night of sleep may not come until July.

For new Toledo head coach, Jason Candle, it's a challenge to keep this recruiting class together, especially when he predecessor is now working against him. However, this was the wisest hire that Athletic Director, Mike O'Brien could have made for Toledo due to Candle's familiarity of the culture, tradition, and recruiting. Candle was one of Campbell's best recruiters on his staff and was actually voted one of the, "Best non-Power 5 recruiters" by Rivals a few years ago. Candle will be a tremendous recruiter and should do a great job keeping this class in tact for the most part.

You can view my interview with Coach Candle following his press conference by clicking HERE.

I'll keep you posted on the rest of the news via Twitter: @ToledoZach

Jason Candle to Become Toledo's Next Head Coach

What a turn of events for the Toledo Rockets over the past few days. On Saturday night, head coach Matt Campbell accepted the Iowa State head coaching job, just a day after the Rockets were rumored for a potential BCS Bowl (before losing to Western Michigan). Then, a photo gets tweeted out in the Iowa State WAR room in Ames, Iowa featuring Matt Campbell and several other former Toledo coaches, including offensive coordinator, Jason Candle. In another change of events, rumors struck on Wednesday afternoon that Candle is now becoming the next head coach of the Toledo Rockets.

Former offensive coordinator, Jason Candle will be introduced
as Toledo's next head coach at 4:30 pm on Wednesday.

Candle, a 36-year old offensive genius, began his coaching career at his alma-mater, Mount Union with Matt Campbell. After coaching receivers from 2003-2006, he became the offensive coordinator for the 2007-08 season until ending up in Toledo. At Toledo, Candle began as the tight ends and slot receivers coach in 2009 but eventually took over as offensive coordinator for Matt Campbell in 2012, turning the Rocket offense into a balanced powerhouse. Now, Candle is expected to accept the Toledo coaching job and be introduced to the media at 4:30 pm on Wednesday.


Originally, many thought Toledo was going outside of the current staff to hire a head coach. Especially after Campbell cleaned house as far as the Rockets former coaching staff was concerned, taking them all to Iowa State aside from defensive coordinator Jon Heacock and runningbacks coach, Anthony Johnson.

Jason Candle has turned Toledo's offense into a balanced
powerhouse.

Candle could be introduced at the Toledo men's basketball game on Wednesday night at Savage Arena. The hire is incredibly smart due to Candle's tremendous reputation as a recruiter and a long-time Toledo assistant under Campbell. Following Campbell's departure, Toledo players overwhelmingly vouched for Candle to become their next head coach. After the vacancy, Athletic Director Mike O'Brien announced he would be hiring a search firm to conduct a national search. Now, just days later, that won't be needed. Matt Campbell has begun to recruit his former Toledo commits, now to Iowa State, and Jason Candle can now put a stop to that bleeding. It won't be easy to convince current Rocket commits in the 2016 class to stay, but Candle has the ability to do so, since he recruited many of the current commits anyway.


I'll keep you posted on the latest via Twitter: @ToledoZach