The University of Toledo football team kicked off spring practices on Monday with high expectations coming off of an 11-3 season which included a Mid-American Conference West Division regular-season title.
The Rockets will hold 15 practices this spring, wrapping things up with the Spring Showcase open scrimmage on Sat., April 6 at the Glass Bowl.
Toledo returns six All-MAC players from last year's team and like most programs around the country will need to address some key losses via graduation and the transfer portal.
Rockets head coach Jason Candle addressed the media following Wednesday's practice at the Fetterman Training Center. Here are some observations from the media session:
Confidence in the new-look offensive line
Among the potential turnover at specific positions, one unit stands out when looking at who returns this season for the Rockets.
Toledo will need to replace the entire starting offensive line from last season, but Candle believes in the team's ability to do so. He quickly pointed to an example of a similar transition from the 2014 season to the 2015 season.
In 2014, the Rockets got strong offensive line play which helped them average 256.4 rushing yards per game. But following that season, the Toledo featured an entirely new starting offensive line and in the first test of that season at Arkansas, the Rockets upset the Razorbacks. The offensive line still helped the Rockets average north of 200 yards per game on the ground that season (207.9 ypg).
“In 2015, we had to replace all five starters,” Candle said. “We played Stony Brook in the first game that year and that game got canceled midway through the game and next week we went down and beat Arkansas and they were a top 15 team in the country. In '14 I think we led the conference in rushing and I know we did in '15 as well, so there are new faces, but the standard remains the same.”
Talent in the QB room
Despite losing the MAC’s most valuable player Dequan Finn in the transfer portal to Baylor this offseason, Candle is excited about the depth and potential at the quarterback position this season. All eyes turn to Tucker Gleason, a Georgia Tech transfer, who filled in admirably for Finn at various times the past two seasons.
Gleason has the experience and leg-up for the starting role this season. Still, he should be pushed this spring and the entire offseason by a young, talented bunch of quarterbacks in sophomore John Alan Richter, redshirt freshmen RJ Johnson III and Jake DeHaan, and early enrollee Kalieb Osborne.
“We're really excited about the room,” Candle said. “Tucker has done a really good job. We're really excited about what John Alan's future looks like. RJ Johnson has had two really good practices. Kalieb Osborne, our freshman early enrollee is here and he's injured and hasn't been practicing. Those guys, with their individual growth and what that room looks like, we're excited about what the future looks like there.”
MAC expansion
With the upcoming addition of UMass to the Mid-American Conference in all sports, the MAC has expanded its brand and is reportedly looking at adding even more teams to the conference in the future.
As conference realignment continues to shift the college sports landscape, Candle has faith in the MAC leadership to do what is in the best interest of the conference and each of its current members.
“Our conference office does a good job of putting us in a position to where we can put the best product on the field,” Candle said. “If they feel like that is adding extra teams and that adds value to our league, let's add as many as we possibly can. If it doesn't and it doesn't work and doesn't fit our footprint, those decisions are way above my pay grade and I don't get involved in that. I'm in the weeds here coaching our team.”
As far as UMass specifically, Candle said they should be a positive addition to the conference. The Rockets have recent history with the Minutemen winning 41-23 in Amherst, Mass. in 2023.
“UMass is a team we're familiar with and we've played them multiple times here in my time as head coach and we have them on the schedule again this year,” Candle said. “We're familiar with them and I think they are familiar with our footprint and I think it makes sense from a travel standpoint. All positive.”
Spring goals
Coming off of winter workouts, Candle said the return to the practice field is the next step in the process for new players, whether they are young players or transfers.
“We have a lot of good players in our program,” Candle said. “We have some high school guys who signed here in December that are here, nine or 10 of those guys, a few transfers, and a couple of junior college guys that have come in. We're just trying to get them acclimated to the scheme and the culture of the program. You go through winter workouts and that teaches you a little bit about your team, but this is the second phase of it. We've had a lot of energy in the first couple of practices but we have a long way ahead of us in the growth process.”
According to Candle, his staff is looking for each player to buy in during the spring and get an early jump on personal development before summer workouts and then fall camp.
“The challenge is the same for everybody whether you are here as a 17-year-old freshman that still should be in high school or if you are a 22-year-old guy that's been here a long time,” Candle said. “You have an individual growth plan and you have to meet the expectations of what that looks like. That's been clearly defined for everybody in the program and each position, they have objectives they want to hit through the course of spring practice individually and collectively. So we're just trying to do the best we can to make some mistakes and fix them.”
First Published February 28, 2024, 8:55 p.m.
