It’s football season — sort of.

Two months after the University of Toledo went viral for its thrilling six-overtime victory over Pittsburgh in the GameAbove Sports Bowl, the Rockets were back on the practice field Monday at the Fetterman Training Center.

The first day of spring practice is akin to pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training. There’s universal excitement, curiosity regarding newcomers abounds, and positivity reigns supreme.

“A lot of energy here,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. “Practice 1 comes that time of year where everybody’s tired of touching cones, running over lines, jumping over hurdles, and things like that. It’s time to play football. I think the trick is to make sure that you carry the lessons learned through the month of February and the end of January and apply them to practice. And I thought our guys did a really good job of that today.”

Monday began a minor rebuild for the Rockets, who lost one of the most prolific wide receivers in program history (Jerjuan Newton), a projected top-100 draft pick (Darius Alexander), a Day 3 draft pick (Maxen Hook), and plenty of other defensive playmakers. But this is Toledo. It might be a have-not in the college football world, where finances have an outsized impact. The Rockets, however, don’t skimp on expectations.

Enough production at key positions returns, along with an acclaimed transfer class, that UT will be pegged as one of the MAC favorites. The work in the weight room began in January, changing venues on Monday to turf. Fans won’t get a glimpse until the season-opener at Kentucky, however, because Toledo isn’t hosting a spring game. The installation of new turf in the Glass Bowl is the reason. 

Here are three spring practice storylines (and how they might turn out).

1. Identify leaders

Newton, Hook, Dan Bolden, Anthony Torres, and Tucker Gleason were last season’s captains. All except Gleason are gone. Newton was often the team spokesman after losses, providing a measured, sound message in the face of defeat. He might have been even better inside the locker room.

Candle has spoken of Newton’s leadership qualities numerous times in recent years, highlighting the wide receiver’s work ethic and purpose. The Rockets need to replace Newton’s considerable on-field production and find someone who can galvanize the team, no matter the result on game day.

“I think we’ve been blessed here with some really great players the last few years that have not only talked it, they’ve walked it, too,” Candle said. “So they’ve set a really good example at these particular positions where guys move on. It’s concerning to the outside fan. It’s concerning sometimes to the coaches, and it’s worrisome on what it’s going to look like. But I feel really confident in the culture of our team and the guys in our locker room. They’ve paid attention to those great players that moved on and really paid attention to the standard of excellence of how they operated.”

Football teams win games because they have good players, prepared coaches, and, yes, a little bit of luck. Leadership, however, is a prerequisite for winning championships. The importance of inspiration and motivation cannot be underestimated. Skilled leaders can cultivate solidarity and create a positive team atmosphere.

“Just stepping up, being that guy people look up to, helping them along, it’s something I’m ready for,” senior wide receiver Junior Vandeross III said. “I’m happy I’m able to do that.”

● How we think it will turn out: Gleason is an obvious candidate. The starting quarterback is the most recognizable player, and Gleason’s been the consummate teammate throughout his UT career. Vandeross and Chip Trayanum are two more candidates on offense, with Braden Awls, Nasir Bowers, Avery Smith, and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren defensive players who could take on a leadership role.

2. Fix the offensive line

Three of Toledo’s Game 1 starting offensive linemen are back in 2025 — Left guard Carter Fouty, right guard Ethan Spoth, and right tackle Cole Rhett. Center Jakob James and left tackle Allen Jones, Jr., are the departees.

What does it mean? Perhaps some information can be gleaned from coaches’ comments and the small bits of spring practice that are observed. But this is an offense that ranked 108th in rushing, allowed 20 sacks, and converted a little more than 50 percent of its fourth downs, failing to pick up fourth-and-1 and fourth-and-2 on numerous occasions.

Spoth and Rhett drew positive reviews from Candle and offensive line coach Mike Hallett during an inconsistent year. A full-time move to center is possible for Spoth, who won a hot wing eating contest at halftime of a women’s basketball game last week.

The Rockets signed four transfer offensive linemen — 6-foot-2, 293-pound tackle Anthony Boswell from Purdue, 6-foot-4, 330-pound guard/tackle Jonathan Harder from Cincinnati, 6-foot-5, 305-pound tackle Terrance Moore from Pittsburgh, 6-foot-5, 304-pound tackle Christian Medlock from Northern Illinois.

With transfer running backs Trayanum and Kenji Christian, power football will be back in style at Toledo.

Asked about the objective during spring practice, Spoth said, “To be very violent.”

“Run the football,” he continued. “We brought in some big guys from some big schools, and we’re really just working hard to win the line of scrimmage and protect Tucker. We got some new running backs. We’re going to really work on hitting the hole and establishing the line of scrimmage.”

● How we think it will turn out: The offensive line will be improved. Yes, it can’t be much worse, but the addition of the transfer running backs is huge, and there are upgrades on the line via experience and the portal. Stephen Gales is another returning linemen that coaches liked last season, and Grant Zimmerly played a tremendous game at Mississippi State. There are enough options available that the Rockets should put together one of the top lines in the MAC.

3. See progression in Gleason’s game

The senior quarterback has a full year of experience starting under his belt. Now he needs to take a leap and be the top quarterback in the MAC. It sounds like a high bar, but Gleason has the ability to accomplish that expectation. In 2024, he completed more than 60 percent of his passes for 2,793 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Gleason rushed for seven touchdowns, but his yards-per-carry were down significantly from the past, from 4.4 in 2022 and 4.6 in 2023 to 3.8 in 2024. And he had an issue with fumbles. He will have the wide receivers, the running backs, and the offensive line to improve everything in his stat line.

“I really challenged him to be more vocal, to take command, and to really take the next step as a player,” Candle said. “And I think if you can really do that from a decision-making, processing, and an accuracy standpoint of things, then naturally, you’re going to be a great leader because guys are going to want to follow the guys that do it right, the guy that does it right all the time.

“Smart kid, highly invested in his future, highly invested in our football program, and a guy we’re going to lean on heavily.”

● How we think it will turn out: If Gleason limits his turnovers, he’s easily one of the best QBs in the MAC. He’s well-liked and has a level of determination that can’t be underestimated. With an improved offensive line and run game, Toledo’s offense should put up numbers that fans are used to in these parts. The biggest beneficiary of running the football is Gleason, who can air it out and create yardage with his own legs.

First Published February 24, 2025, 7:51 p.m.