This was supposed to be a time when Connor Walendzak signed to play baseball at Purdue.
Instead, the standout Perrysburg athlete signed his national letter of intent Wednesday to play football at the University of Toledo.
“To grow up and achieve one of my dreams has been an experience that’s second to none,” said the All-Ohio running back, who sent in his national letter of intent from a family vacation in Turks and Caicos. “To have all the support I’ve had my entire life — my family, my coaches, my teammates, my friends, my trainers — and to have this moment inked in is surreal.”
Walendzak is one of 16 players who signed with Toledo during the early signing period. The Rockets’ class ranks 96th nationally and seventh in the Mid-American Conference, behind Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Miami, Ohio, and Ball State.
The class features 13 high school seniors and three transfers. UT will have additional signings in February after the roster is assessed. The remaining players likely will be a combination of high schoolers and college transfers who fill an immediate need.
“We’re really excited about the early signing period for the 2023 class,” Toledo recruiting czar Ricky Ciccone said. “I feel like we did a really good job as a staff addressing and filling some of the roster needs we have not only in the immediate future but in the long term, as well. Really excited about where we’re at.”
The Rockets signed seven players from Ohio, three from Florida, and one each from Mississippi, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Indiana.
There are nine defensive players and seven offensive players.
“Very happy with the class,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. “We addressed some needs in this first signing period. The landscape of college football has changed quite a bit in the sense that there are two signing days and there are so many different ways you can supplement your roster throughout the course of a year.
“I think you have to be very educated with what it looks like on the front end. We backfilled the bottom part of our roster with some really talented freshmen, and as we continue down the path, if we feel like there are holes in the top half, you always have the ability to address that with transfers.”
The drawing card is former ballyhooed four-star recruit Travion Ford, who is transferring from Missouri. The 6-foot-2, 259-pound defensive end will be eligible immediately and have three years of eligibility.
In two seasons at Missouri, Ford only appeared in one game. He suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in 2021 and did not play in 2022. The St. Louis native was the No. 139 overall recruit in 2021, according to ESPN, and one of the top defensive ends in the country.
During a heralded high school career, Ford had 37 sacks, 163 solo tackles, five fumble recoveries, four defensive touchdowns, and two safeties. As a junior and senior, he had 65 tackles, including 33 tackles for loss and 15 sacks, three fumble recoveries, and two TDs.
Ford is the second-highest-rated recruit Toledo has ever signed.
“We graduated some rock star players on the defensive front,” Candle said. “We do believe we have some really good young ones coming along. I don’t think you can ever have enough defensive linemen. We add an older guy into that room and I think he’ll be a great addition to our team.”
The five highest-ranked high school players in the class are East Liverpool (Ohio) offensive lineman Mason Ludwig, Ann Arbor Huron defensive end Laith Shamma, Hollywood (Fla.) Chamiade-Madonna defensive tackle Wayne Peart II, Columbus Bishop Watterson offensive lineman Cole Rhett, and Central Catholic defensive back Braden Awls.
“Ever since I was a kid, I always dreamed about playing college football. Now that I’m finally going to be able to do it, it’s a really big moment in my life,” Awls said. “I get to represent my city for another four years, which is awesome. Every time I would visit, it just always felt like home to me.”
Jones County (Gray, Ga.) safety Javion Clark, who committed to Toledo in November, flipped to East Carolina.
Junior cornerback Micah Cherry is transferring from Pearl River (Miss.) Community College, and wide receiver Shawn Munnerlyn transferred from Rutgers.
The Rockets signed one quarterback — RJ Johnson III from Atlanta Westlake. He threw completed 66.2 percent of his passes for nearly 9,000 career yards, with 78 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. He ran for 697 yards — an average of 4.4 yards per carry — and 13 touchdowns.
What stuck out most was the amount of immediate local talent. The class has four northwest Ohioans in Walendzak, Awls, Perrysburg offensive lineman Grant Zimmerly, and Wauseon wide receiver Sam Smith. Walendzak and Smith are part of a half dozen early enrollees.
“I thought the local talent was pretty good,” Ciccone said. “There were a lot of guys that we evaluated not only from film but live evaluations. Really excited about the local guys. We feel great about them. And they’re great in the classroom, in the community, and from a character standpoint and leadership perspective.”
First Published December 22, 2022, 12:06 a.m.
