Toledo, Ohio - Toledo's 2017 spring football practice schedule was moved up two weeks earlier than in previous years. The Rockets will hit the field for the first time on Feb. 14 and conclude the six-week practice season on March 25.      

    There were good reasons to move the practice season up on the calendar. Plays and terminology are still fresh in the players' minds, and it also gives them more time to recover from any injuries sustained during spring ball.

    But second-year Head Coach Jason Candle also had another motive in mind.

    "I like the idea of getting back out onto the field earlier, " said Candle. "We had a very good season (in 2016) and I can't wait to see what the future holds for this team."

    The Rockets were 9-4 in Candle's debut as head coach, earning a berth into the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. However, they came up one game short of their ultimate goal, a trip to the MAC Championship Game, leaving additional incentive for 2017.

    A MAC title is at the top of Toledo's goals this season, and once again the Rockets should be serious contenders for the crown. UT returns one of the nation's most explosive offenses. Led by senior quarterback Logan Woodside, Toledo averaged 38.0 points per game and led the Mid-American Conference in total offense with 517.8 yards per game. Woodside paced the nation with 45 touchdown passes. Two of his favorite targets are back—Cody Thompson (64 receptions, 11 TDs, 19.8 ypc) and Jon'Vea Johnson (40/10/19.3)—as is 2015 second-team All-MAC running back Terry Swanson. On defense, the Rockets return seven starters, including All-MAC linebacker Ja'Wuan Woodley.

    "We're very excited about next season," said Candle. "We have a great group of senior leaders, and plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. We will have some growing up to do in some key positions, but certainly the talent is there for us to compete for a championship. It'll be fun to watch and fun to go to work and see what this team looks like."

    The following is an overview of the Rockets by position heading into 2017 spring practice:

Quarterback
     What could senior Logan Woodside possibly do for an encore?

     Woodside shattered just about every Toledo passing record in the books in 2016. He led the nation with 45 touchdown passes, 16 more than the previous best in Rocket history. He connected on 69.1 percent of his passes for 4,129 yards, an average of more than 317 yards per contest. He earned first-team All-MAC honors and was named a contender for the Heisman Trophy by the Hesiman Trophy Trust. Most importantly, he directed the Rockets to nine wins, pacing an offense that scored at least 31 points in 11 of 13 games.

    What's left for Woodside to improve on? Not much really, at least statistically speaking, so Candle is counting on him to inspire others.

    "Logan's leadership, his accountability, and his buy-in to the program have been outstanding. His value as a leader is at an all-time high," said Candle. "He's going to have to go from making himself better, to making everybody around him better on a day-to-day basis, in the off-season, and throughout next season."

    Backing up Woodside is another senior, Michael Julian, and sophomore Mitchell Guidagni. Julian has some game experience, having played in 14 games in his college career, with one starting assignment.

Running Back
    Kareem Hunt is no longer in Toledo's backfield, but no one should feel sorry for the Rockets. Candle has plenty of firepower in store.

    Hunt finished his four-year career as UT's all-time leading rusher, racking up 4,945 yards, three All-MAC awards and the North Team MVP award in the 2017 Senior Bowl. But Hunt was never a one-man gang. Right beside him most of the way was Terry Swanson, now a senior and ready for a chance in a brighter spotlight. In addition, sophomore Art Thompkins burst on the scene in 2016. Redshirt freshmen Nevone McCrimmon  and Shakif Seymour are in the mix, too, and will have a chance to shine this spring.

    In 2015, Swanson rushed for 923 yards, earning second-team All-MAC honors. Last year, he had fewer carries but still rushed for 583 yards and caught 10 passes out of the backfield.

    "Terry Swanson has been an all-conference performer for us," said Candle. "I know if Terry's development and growth can take the same leap that Kareem's did from his junior to senior year, you'd expect some really good things out of Terry this fall."

    Thompkins rushed for 235 yards as a freshman in 2016, averaging an eye-popping 8.1 yards per carry.

    "Art is an explosive playmaker," added Candle. "He's a guy that can score from anywhere on the field. He has improved in the passing game and certainly has improved in blitz pick-up, which gives him the right to expect some playing time in any situation."

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
    On the other end of Woodside's accurate passes is a receiving corps that is as talented as any that has ever worn the Midnight Blue and Gold.

    Senior Cody Thompson has established himself as one of the top big-play receivers in the country. Thompson has ranked in the top 10 in yards per reception in each of the past two seasons. In 2016, he caught 64 passes for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns. He earned first-team All-MAC honors and set the school record for receiving yards in a season.

     "Cody is very versatile. You can move him around to a lot of different spots," said Candle. "He possesses a ton of skill and brings a really workmanlike approach to each and every day. Cody is just a fantastic player, a great student and a great teammate. I can't say enough about that guy."

     Also making a big impact last season was junior Jon'Vea Johnson. Johnson grabbed 40 passes for 773 yards and 10 TDs, earning second-team All-MAC accolades.

     Sophomore Diontae Johnson sat out last season with an injury but is ready to come back into the lineup one year removed from an oustanding freshman campaign. He caught 14 passes in 2015 and also averaged 22.8 yards on 11 kickoff returns.

     Other receivers who have seen action for the Rockets are senior Darryl Richards, junior Andrew Davis and sophomore Danzel McKinley-Lewis. Redshirt freshmen Desmond Phillips  and Neru N'Shaka are up-and-coming receivers who will have a chance to make their marks this spring.

    Replacing first-team All-America tight end Michael Roberts will not be easy, but Candle likes the players he has at that position. Senior Adam Kulon and sophomore
Jordan Fisher are the leading candidates to fill that role.
 
Offensive Line
    Toledo loses three starters from the offensive line but still has five players who either started or saw significant action in 2016.

    Returning players who started at least six games last year include seniors Elijah Nkansah and Nate Jeppesen, as well as sophomore Bryce Harris. Senior Brant Weiss and junior Yazeed Atariwa have seen plenty of action in their careers as either part-time starters or a reserves.

    At 6-6, 315 pounds, Nkansah is a two-year starter who looks to anchor the left tackle position. Jeppessen had eight starts at center and right guard in 2016, Harris had six at center, and Weiss had five at right tackle. Atariwa had one start at right guard, and also saw emergency duty on the defensive line.

    "We've got a very solid core of players on the offensive line," said Candle. "They have all played meaningful snaps and college football games throughout their career, which is encouraging. But we've also got some younger guys who are ready to show what they can do."

    Those young linemen include sophomores Chandler Cotterman, Brandon Heidecker and Cameron Bell, as well as redshirt freshman Luke Doerger.
 
Defensive Line
    Marquise Moore has played alongside many great defensive linemen in his college career. Now it's time for the fifth-year senior to step into a leadership role.

    Moore has started 21 games as a Rocket, including 11 in a 2016 season in which he compiled 36 tackles. Candle is looking for bigger things from his 300-pound tackle this season.

    "Marquise understands the daily routine of playing winning football and what we ask our players to do," said Candle. "He's a big guy at tackle who needs to take the next step and be a leader. He's going to be counted on to be an every-down player, not a rotation guy."

    Other tackles with playing experience are senior Daniel Davis, sophomores Nate Childress, Lamarr Davis and Willie Ross. Reggie Howard is a junior-college transfer who will have a chance to be in the rotation. Edrick Matthews and David Hood both will be redshirt freshmen in 2017.

    At defensive end, junior Olasunkanmi Adeniyi came into his own in 2016 with 49 tackles and 8.0 tackles for loss. Senior Zach Quinn is a three-time letterwinner who has tallied 43 tackles in his career.  Senior Tuzar Skipper had 22 tackles in 13 games as a junior college transfer last season.

     "Ola and Zach have played a ton of football for us," said Candle. "Ola obviously had great production last year, and Zach has played a lot on special teams and been very productive when he's had his opportunities to play on defense. Tuzar Skipper also played some meaningful snaps last year."

    Other names to watch out for at defensive end are Malik Jones, a fifth-year transfer from Maryland, and Obi Anunike, a grayshirt freshman who enrolled in January.

Linebackers
    The linebacker position, led by senior Ja'Wuan Woodley, has the most experience on the Rocket defense. Woodley was a third-team All-MAC selection in 2016, racking up 79 tackles and 13.0 TFL. In 2015, he was the Defensive MVP of the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl.

    "Ja'Wuan Woodley is one of the better linebackers in our conference," Candle said. "He plays at a different speed than everyone else. Success is really important to him. He has high expectations for himself and our defense."

    Other veteran linebackers include junior Tyler Taafe, who stepped in and started all 13 games at middle linebacker last year, and senior Jack Linch, who had 24 tackles at linebacker and on special teams. Junior Richard Olekanma, is back after missing all but three games last year due to injury.

    Candle said he will also be keeping his eye on some younger linebackers this spring, like redshirt freshman Tre'shun Wilson.

Secondary
    Toledo's secondary returns both starting cornerbacks and a starting safety. But there will be plenty of competition to fill the five backfield  positions.

    Senior Trevon Mathis and junior Ka'dar Hollman are back at the corners. Mathis started all 13 games in 2016, making 44 tackles and adding an interception and two pass breakups. Hollman started in eight games, making 33 tackles and breaking up eight passes. Sophomore Aaron Covington played in 11 games, making 15 tackles and snagging a key interception late in the Northern Illinois win. Other cornerbacks with playing experience are junior Marcus Whitefield and senior Kennedy Frazier.

    Candle is also high on redshirt freshmen Justin Clark, Keelen Roberts and Kareem Felder.

    Following the graduation of DeJuan Rogers and Connery Swift, the situation at safety is pretty wide open. Junior Josh Teachey (28 tackles) started 12 games at the star position last season, but no other safety has more than one career start in college. Sophomore DeDarallo Blue (26 tackles) had an impressive freshman season, gradually working his way into more playing time as the year progressed.

    Others to look out for at safety are junior Anthony Davis, sophomores Ronnie Jones and Kahlil Robinson, and redshirt freshman Jordan Williams.

Special Teams
    The Rockets return two placekickers but will need to replace punter Nick Ellis, who had an oustanding senior season. Candle will also need to find a replacement for Corey Jones, who handled kickoff and punt return duties in 2016.

    Junior Jameson Vest and senior Sam Vucelich shared the kicking duties last year and that combination could continue in 2017. Vest handled field goals and extra points, connecting on 13-of-19 field goals and 61-of-62 PATs. Vucelich averaged 60.2 yards on 81 kickoffs.

    The leading candidate to replace Ellis at punter is senior Michael Julian, who also serves as a backup quarterback.  Julian will be competing with walk-on Reuben Luna this spring.
    Candidates for kickoff returner include sophomores Diontae Johnson and Art Thompkins, along with redshirt freshman Desmond Phillips. Phillips will also be competing with sophomore Danzel McKinley-Lewis at punt returner this spring.

    Senior Brad Spelman returns as the team's long snapper.

    "There's room for improvement in every position, but I thought we were solid in the special teams units last year," said Candle. "We did a really good job on our cover units. The kick return we gave up in the bowl game obviously was a glaring moment, but until that point we were number-one in our conference in kick-return coverage. We did a consistently good job on the punt unit all year; the coverage was really good. In the return game, I think we can do a better job. That's an area that needs to improve."
 
2017 Schedule
    The Rockets have six home games next season, including a matchup vs. a very tough Tulsa squad on Sept.16. Toledo will open the 2017 season at home vs. Elon on Thursday, Aug. 31. UT's non-conference road games are at Nevada (Sept. 9) and Miami (Sept. 23).

    In Mid-American Conference play, the Rockets will host Akron, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan. Toledo will face Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan and Ohio on the road. Dates and times for the games will be released later by the Mid-American Conference



Spring Football Media Day