TOLEDO OH – Marquel Blackwell has been hired as the running backs coach at the University of Toledo, head coach Jason Candle announced today. Candle also announced that former Rocket offensive lineman Nate Cole will be the team's new director of player personnel.
 
            Blackwell, a former quarterback at South Florida, has 10 years of coaching experience, almost all of it in the state of Florida. Most recently he was a quality control specialist at Florida, where he worked with the Gator quarterbacks.
 
            "Marquel is an impressive young coach with a wide range of experiences on the offensive side of the ball," said Candle. "We are looking forward to his contributions to our very talented group of running backs. He also has an extensive background in the state of Florida, which is one of our primary recruiting areas outside of Ohio."
 
            Cole was an offensive lineman for the Rockets from 2006-10. After three seasons as a graduate assistant at UT, Cole coached as an assistant at Oberlin College and Notre Dame College in South Euclid, OH.
 
            "Nate is an up-and-coming coach who will be a big benefit to our players and coaches," said Candle. "He has eight years of experience at Toledo as a player and graduate assistant, so he understands our program and how we do things here."
 
 
Marquel Blackwell – Running Backs
 
            Marquel Blackwell joins the Rockets' coaching staff as the running backs coach. He comes to Toledo with 10 years of coaching experience on the offensive side of the ball, most recently as a quality control specialist at Florida in 2015. During his career, he has 20 high school coached players who have gone on to earn Division I scholarships, and has coached three college players who became first-round NFL draft picks.
 
            A native of St. Petersburg, FL, Blackwell prepped at Dixie Hollins High School before attending the University of South Florida, where he played quarterback for the Bulls from 1999-2002. He was a three-year captain and led the Bulls to a 9-2 record in his senior season. In his career, Blackwell threw for 9,108 yards and 57 touchdowns, and had 1,235 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. He had brief stint in the NFL with the New York Jets before beginning his coaching career.
 
            Blackwell's first coaching positions came at Freedom High School in New Tampa, FL, first as the offensive coordinator in 2006, then as the head coach from 2007-08. He returned to his alma mater to become a quality control coach at South Florida from 2009-11.
 
            Following a year as the running backs coach at Western Kentucky in 2012, Blackwell once again returned to South Florida, assuming the post of director of player development in 2013. He returned to the high school ranks in 2014, assuming the post of offensive coordinator at Lakewood High School in his home town of St. Petersburg. In 2015, he was a quality control specialist at Florida, working primarily with the Gator quarterbacks.
 
            Blackwell earned his bachelor's degree in communications from South Florida in 2002. He and his wife Sharvettye have a daughter, LeQuay, who was born in January.
 
Marquel Blackwell's Coaching Experience
2016           Toledo – Running Backs
2015           Florida – Quality Control Specialist
2014           Lakewood (FL) High School – Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator
2013           South Florida – Director of Player Development
2012           Western Kentucky – Running Backs
2009-11      South Florida – Quality Control
2007-08      Freedom (FL) High School – Head Coach
2006           Freedom (FL) High School – Offensive Coordinator
 
Nate Cole – Director of Player Personnel
 
            Former Rocket offensive lineman Nate Cole returns to his alma mater to assume the post of director of player personnel. A native of Dayton, OH, Cole played for the Rockets from 2006-10 and was a three-year starter.
 
            After his playing days were over, Cole stayed at Toledo, serving as a graduate assistant from 2011-13. He joined the staff at Oberlin in 2014 as an offensive line coach/special teams coordinator in 2014 before being named the offensive coordinator at the conclusion of the season. Cole then accepted the position of offensive line coach/rung-game coordinator at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, OH for the 2015 season.
 
            Cole earned his bachelor's degree in 2011 and his master's degree in 2013, both from the University of Toledo.
 
Nate Cole's Coaching Experience
2016           Toledo – Director of Player Personnel
2015           Notre Dame (OH) College – Offensive Line Coach/Run-Game Coordinator
2015           Oberlin College – Offensive Coordinator
2014           Oberlin College – Offensive Line Coach/Special Teams Coordinator
2011-13      Toledo – Graduate Assistant