This is the first story of a seven-part series breaking down position groups on the University of Toledo's roster entering the 2024 season.
Replacing Quinyon Mitchell was going to be hard enough for the University of Toledo.
Then fellow cornerback RJ Delancy transferred to Wisconsin. And a few months later cornerbacks coach Corey Parker was hired by Illinois.
The term “fresh start” is overused in college football, but for UT’s cornerbacks room in 2024, it’s entirely accurate. New starters, new coach, same results?
■ Week of June 30: Wide receivers/tight ends and defensive line
■ Week of July 7: Offensive line and linebackers
■ Week of July 21: Running backs
■ Week of July 28: Quarterbacks
“I’m excited about the guys because they’re hungry,” cornerbacks coach Perry Eliano said. “They’re motivated. There is a willingness to work, learn, and get better every day, and take the hard coaching in order to do that.”
Safety is a separate situation, as everyone is coming back — coach Ross Watson, Maxen Hook, and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
The first glimpse of a retooled backfield will come on Aug. 29 against Duquesne in the Glass Bowl.
Here is a look at the state of Toledo’s defensive backs.
2023 in review
There wasn’t much not to like about the Rockets’ defensive backfield last season. Toledo ranked 16th nationally in pass defense, limiting opposing quarterbacks to a 53.4 completion percentage with 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Mitchell — an All-American for the second consecutive season — was a pass-breakup machine when teams made the curious decision to challenge him. And Delancy and Chris McDonald played at an All-Mid-American Conference level. At safety, Hook was his usual self when not injured, earning first-team all-conference honors, while McNeil-Warren was named a mid-season All-American.
Position coaches
Losing Parker was a blow to the Rockets. He was young, talented, could coach on the field, and recruit in living rooms. It’s never opportune timing to replace a coach after spring practice, but Jason Candle got the best available on the market.
Eliano brings instant credibility to UT. He improved Ohio State’s secondary the last two seasons, as the Buckeyes fielded the nation’s No. 1 pass defense in the country in 2023, allowing just 145.9 yards per game. Prior to that, he helped turn Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner and Coby Bryant (2021 Jim Thorpe Award) into All-Americans and draft picks.
The Texas native previously coached at Bowling Green in 2016 and 2017 during the Mike Jinks era.
“It’s been a really, really good transition for me,” Eliano said. “I’m excited to see what these young men do.”
Watson, a member of the Larry Kehres Mount Union coaching tree, is back for his ninth season at Toledo. He’s been the safeties coach all nine years, adding the title of co-defensive coordinator in 2020. He’s been an integral piece in the Rockets steadily improving their overall defense.
Probable starters
■ Cornerback: Andre Fuller and Jadarrius Perkins or Zeke Blake.
Fuller played 119 snaps last season, the most for any returning cornerback. In two seasons since transferring from Akransas-Pine Bluff, the Florida native has played in all 28 games (starting two), recording 29 tackles, including one sack, and three pass breakups.
Perkins, a Florida transfer, is a former four-star recruit. He spent two seasons at Gulf Coast Community College in Mississippi, where he was ranked among the top JUCO recruits in the country. At Florida, he had 40 tackles, an interception, and three pass breakups in two seasons.
Blake, a Youngstown State transfer, had 31 tackles in 23 games for the Penguins.
■ Safety: Hook and McNeil-Warren.
The concerns at safety are nonexistent. If anything, the worry is keeping Hook healthy. The Indiana native has been banged up in parts of the last two seasons. He’s on track to be an NFL draft pick next spring, and McNeil-Warren is on the same trajectory. He had 69 tackles and two interceptions last year.
Most intriguing newcomer
Perkins brings a four-year track record of success at an acclaimed JUCO and the University of Florida to Toledo. He made one of the best interceptions of the year in 2022 when he ripped the ball from the grasp of Georgia wide receiver Dominick Blaylock.
Jadarrius Perkins bullied the receiver for this ball! #UFvsUGA pic.twitter.com/HagrnD4BPT
— CFB Pylon (@TheCFBPylon) October 29, 2022
Unanswered questions
The first is, do the Rockets have a lockdown corner that can scare opponents? There might not be a Quinyon Mitchell on the roster, but Fuller, Perkins, or Blake (or someone else) has to emerge as a difference-maker.
The next question is about depth. Last season, Toledo had an embarrassment of riches in its defensive backfield. It could be another deep unit this season, with Fuller, Perkins, Blake, Avery Smith, and Nasir Bowers in the fold. But the Rockets won’t truly know if they can rely on everyone until they prove themselves in August and September.
“They are extremely hard workers, extremely hungry,” Eliano said. “Those guys are always up at the office. They’re always in the facility. They’re always getting extra work. I noticed that instantly within the first couple of days. I was like, ‘Wow, OK.’ When you have a young man that leaves out the door and is a first-round draft pick, those guys saw what it looks like. And there’s no substitute for that.”
What to expect this fall
Few great units in 2023 lost as much as UT did in its cornerbacks room. The production and amount of impact players who are no longer on the roster probably has fellow MAC programs eager to throw on Toledo. But the cupboard isn’t bare. There are several high-caliber players primed to make a name for themselves and keep the secondary a no-fly zone.
“They have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder because, OK, Quinyon left, but, hey, we’re good football players too,” Eliano said. “And they’re ready to show that.”
First Published June 27, 2024, 5:25 p.m.
