The questions for Bo Polston came in rapid succession.
Toledo?! Why now? Is a de-commitment inevitable?
The flurry of inquiries was the result of a stunning commitment. Polston, a sophomore from Decatur Central in Indianapolis, is ranked among the best quarterbacks in the class of 2026 and had offers from Georgia, Michigan, Washington, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, California, Minnesota, and Indiana.
It’s not often (or ever) the University of Toledo beats out the best program in the country, the reigning national champions, and the national runner-up for a quarterback.
“Honestly, it took me by complete surprise,” said Greg Smith, a national recruiting analyst for Rivals and Yahoo! Sports. “You generally don’t see players rated that highly with that level of scholarship offers commit to Toledo. That’s not to disrespect the program, because they have built something strong under coach Jason Candle.
“It’s an enormous deal for the Rockets. They now have one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in the 2026 cycle. It’s the most important position in football, and if he’s as good as his recruiting rankings, he will elevate the program even more. Landing his verbal commitment also gives the coaching staff more credibility when building out the rest of the recruiting class.”
And Polston isn’t going anywhere.
Just ask him.
“Zero percent,” Polston said when asked about a possible change of heart. “I’m 1,000 percent locked in with Toledo.”
Roster retention has become paramount in the transfer portal era. In the case of Polston, the Rockets’ attempts to retain him will begin before he even signs a national letter of intent.
“I still think you’d rather have the commit and have to protect it,” said 247Sports Midwest recruiting analyst Allen Trieu. “With Bo, he had plenty of opportunity to go elsewhere or wait, and he chose to be a Rocket, so that’s a good sign. But there’s little doubt other schools will be coming at him between now and then.”
Just as shocking as picking Toledo was that Polston made the announcement so early, before the end of his sophomore season. But he decided to go the Justice Potter Stewart route — he knew it when he saw it.
“The relationships I have with coach Candle and [quarterbacks] coach [Robert] Weiner and even [running backs] coach [Nate] Cole, who recruits our area, is off the charts,” Polston said. “From the first day they offered me, they have treated me like absolute family. They haven’t changed their ways at all. They’re the most genuine people I’ve ever met in my life when it comes to the coaching world. And the culture at Toledo reminds me of the Decatur Central. I knew it was the right fit.”
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound QB is not chasing names, logos, or stadiums. Polston’s first offer came during his freshman year — from Toledo. He has visited UT a handful of times, along with Michigan, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Minnesota, Indiana, Purdue, and Miami (Ohio).
The process was eye-opening for Polston, who values developing a personal connection with coaches. He viewed relationship building as something he wanted to last a decade, 20 years, and 30 years into the future.
“I know I’ll be at a place that cares,” Polston said. “Coach Weiner and coach Candle are those type of people. All the coaches were great to me in this process, but those two just stuck out the most, because they’re going to be there for me when I’m 38 years old and done playing football.”
Attention came Polston’s way after he completed more than 50 percent of his passes for 1,683 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman. He added 1,614 passing yards and 19 touchdowns last season, leading Decatur Central to the Class 5A state final. In two seasons, he has rushed for more than 800 yards and nine TDs.
Rivals rates Polston as a four-star recruit and the No. 13 quarterback in the country. The 247Sports composite rankings list him as a three-star, the No. 30 QB, and a top 400 overall player. He’s a three-star and the 32nd-ranked QB, according to On3.
“This is going to be my place,” Polston said. “I’ve seen some people saying I’m using Toledo as a stepping stone, and that is not true. I’m going to be there for four to five years, three to four years, whatever it is, because I know coach Candle and coach Weiner are going to help me get to the NFL.”
First Published May 10, 2024, 4:11 p.m.
