If you follow the University of Toledo football program on Twitter, you may have noticed a theme develop this August.
Former Toledo football stars found themselves competing for NFL roster spots this preseason, and when they were done playing games against one another, they made sure to take the time for a photo with with all the former Rockets.
Wit the GANG 🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/KGlFhpGRJu
— Diontae Johnson (@Juiceup__3) August 26, 2019
Toledo had as many as 22 players in NFL training camps this offseason and 14 former players have now made a team's 53-man roster or signed as part of the practice squad.
The players are proud to be part of the growing number of Toledo players in the NFL.
“It's one thing to talk about being a family,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. “It's one thing to talk about the camaraderie and brotherhood of playing here. When you see those type of moments and how proud of each other they are and how excited they are for their teammates, I think that is really special.”
The 14 Toledo NFL players is the most in the Mid-American Conference ahead of Central Michigan with 11.
For Logan Woodside, Toledo's all-time leading passer, he found a nice bond right off the bat with veteran Tennessee Titans running back David Fluellen and All-Pro punter Brett Kern. Woodside played well in the preseason and now finds himself on the practice squad for the Titans.
“We have a couple of Toledo guys in here, and it's just good to be around them in a locker room setting,” Woodside said. “Then I've just been seeing a lot of Toledo guys across the preseason have been playing really well. That's awesome to see some of my good buddies making plays out there in these preseason games.”
One of the surprise Toledo players to make an NFL roster is Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Tuzar Skipper. While former Rockets receiver Diontae Johnson was a third-round pick of the Steelers in this year's NFL draft, Skipper was an undrafted free agent who forced himself onto the roster with his good preseason play.
With Johnson and Skipper along with second-year pro Ola Adeniyi and Trevon Mathis who made the practice squad, the Steelers boast four Toledo alums.
Mathis told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about what it's like to play with Adeniyi and Skipper after playing with the defensive duo in college.
“Two different skill sets, but they're both great players,” Mathis said. “[Skipper’s] having a pretty good preseason, just like Ola did last year. I benefited from them at Toledo, having those two guys on the D-line. It made my job a lot easier.”
Cody Thompson, who had a strong preseason with the Kansas City Chiefs and landed on their practice squad, said the attention to detail and high expectations of Candle and his coaching staff helped make the transition to the NFL easier.
“Coach Candle held everyone here to a high standard as a person and a player,” Thompson said. “He knows he's going to push you and wants to get the best out of you and the best for you. I think that's biggest thing that I took away from my time at Toledo. [The Chiefs coaches] are going to test you and see how much you can handle. They have high expectations just like coach Candle and coach [Matt] Campbell did at Toledo. They are not going to settle for anything less. They know what everyone’s best looks like, and they expect that each play and each day.”
Candle enjoyed this preseason being able to watch some of former players compete for a job and move closer toward their dream of playing in the NFL.
“It's really an honor to watch those guys play and it's fun to be part of their journeys,” Candle said. “It's an exciting time for them and it's an exciting time to talk to them and text back and forth to feel the excitement and energy they have for being on the doorstep of solidifying that dream of being on an NFL roster. Some guys did a really good job of doing that. Some other guys put some really good things on video tape that could lead to some other opportunities. It's exciting for our program and exciting for those young men.”
First Published September 6, 2019, 9:47 p.m.
