Q&A With Head Football Coach Jason Candle

2/21/2017 11:40:00 AM | Football

2017 Toledo Spring Football Prospectus 2017 Toledo Spring Football Prospectus

Jason Candle enters his second season as Toledo's head football coach coming off a 9-4 record in his debut as the Rockets' leader in 2016. The Rockets return 15 starters and figure to be in the hunt for a MAC championship title next fall. Associate Athletic Director Paul Helgren spoke with Candle just prior to the start of spring practice about the prospects for 2017.

Q: How would you assess your first season as head coach as well as the challenges for 2017?

Candle: We had a lot of great seniors last year and they went out with a great season. Going through a coaching change and having a whole new coaching staff, that's a very difficult process to go through, even with a veteran team. This year's team will take on a different approach. We'll be younger at some spots, not necessarily less talented. We're certainly younger in experience and will have some growing up to do in those key positions. It'll be fun to watch, it'll be fun to go to work and see what this team looks like.

Q: What are your biggest points of emphasis this spring?

Candle: I think we're trying to define who we are, to find out who our leaders are. It's a new senior class and a new group of players who are battling for roles on this team. We are trying to find out who our top players are going to be, and who emerges to take those roles. From there, we adjust schematically to what fits them the best and gives us a clearer picture of what our team will ultimately look like. We'll do a good job of generating some great competition at each and every position. Certainly some of our questions have to do with positions; some of those questions will not necessarily be answered this spring. So we're just trying to get some preliminary thoughts of what our team will look like and a snapshot of who we're going to be.

Q: You are starting spring practice two weeks earlier this year, and you'll be finished by March 25. What are the advantages of the earlier schedule?

Candle: I thought we needed a little bit of a change. I think our players are ready to practice when the terminology is fresher in their heads from coming off of last season. It gives us the chance to heal up some of our guys on the back end if injuries do occur throughout spring football, which as we know, sometimes happens.

Q: So do you get right back into off-season conditioning after March 25?

Candle: Yes. We'll use the month of April to continue our winter conditioning. Then there is a little bit of break in May, and in mid-May we'll get them back here and have them here for the summer. Plenty of time to get strong and get ready for pre-season camp.

Q: You said you are looking for new leaders to begin emerging this spring. On the other hand, you already have a great leader in senior quarterback Logan Woodside.

Candle: 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. He certainly did a good job of leading our football team in some of our key moments last year. I thought he played his best in some of the biggest games, and that's what you want your quarterback to do. The number-one characteristic that he has is that he has the ability to make everyone around him better. You need that type of leadership from the quarterback position. It's the most scrutinized position in all sports and he knows that very well. 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.

Q: Does that mean leadership beyond just throwing a football and completing passes?

Candle: When you're competing for a position, sometimes you can only focus on what you're doing, and you don't worry about what the other people in the offensive meeting room are doing. At the quarterback position, ideally, you need to understand how everyone is ticking because when it's third-and-five, it's all about trust and being on the same page.

Q: Considering the kind of success that Logan has had, are you holding him to a higher standard in his senior season?

Candle: Logan understands what a good practice looks like and he understands the day-to-day routine of what we ask our football team to do. He's always been an ambassador of that work ethic. We wouldn't expect anything less as he moves into his senior year. He's got big dreams and big goals for this football team, and for himself personally, so our job as a staff is to assist him and push him to make sure that he can be his best each and every day. That can only make our team better.

Q: Some part of that leadership is the fact that Logan is going to adjust to having some new people around him on offense. You're losing three starters from the offensive line, an All-American tight end in Michael Roberts and a star running back in Kareem Hunt. That's got to be part of the leadership equation, moving forward with new people in new positions.

Candle: We do return some veteran players at the offensive skill positions. We are as strong as we have been in my tenure here at wide receiver. We've got a couple of running backs returning in Terry Swanson and Art Thompkins, who have each run for over 100 yards in a football game. We're a little inexperienced at tight end, but we were last year as well and that turned out to be a strength for us. Mike Roberts obviously had a tremendous senior season, but we have some good young players at tight end, who will have a chance to make an impact. On the offensive line, we're losing a great one in Storm Norton, as well as Mike Ebert and Paul Perschon. Those guys will be missed, but I'm excited to watch some of the young guys who I know have been waiting their turn to be every-down players, step up and embrace their time to shine.

Q: Talking about the offensive line, you've got a nucleus of players who have started and played well, guys like Nate Jeppesen, Elijah Nkansah, Bryce Harris, Yazeed Atariwa and Brant Weiss. So there is a core of veteran offensive lineman. But who are some of the up-and-coming linemen who will need to step forward?

Candle: Those guys you mentioned 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. Chandler Cotterman is a strong presence at guard. He has a chance to be a first-team player. I'm really excited about him and his growth so far, and the way he's worked off the field and in the weight room. Cameron Bell has practiced for two years as a second-team guy and is now ready to compete for a starting spot. Brandon Heidecker is in the mix, as is Luke Doerger, who is coming off of a redshirt year. He is showing some real growth in the weight room and working to put himself in a position to be successful.

Q: You mentioned your strength at the receiver position. You've got two receivers coming back in Cody Thompson and Jon'Vea Johnson who put up big numbers last year. I think people may have forgotten about Diontae Johnson, who had an impressive freshman year then missed last season due to injury. Expectations are high for all three of those guys I would assume.

Candle: We had two receivers who each grabbed 10-plus touchdowns last year, and then we have Diontae coming back. Diontae also provides value in the return game. I think he might benefit from having the time off to grow and mature a bit. So I'm really excited about those three. We also have some receivers who got their feet wet last year and are ready to make some plays for us. Danzel McKinley-Lewis and Desmond Phillips played some meaningful time last year and made some plays for us. Certainly we're looking to expand their roles. (Junior) Andrew Davis and (redshirt freshman) Neru N'Shaka are coming off injuries and could be factors. Darryl Richards was in the rotation last year and is back as a senior. So, there is a lot of depth at receiver. The competition throughout the spring will be fun to watch.

Q: Cody Thompson really stood out last year. You've got to be very excited to have a quarterback/receiver combination like that, something you can build around in your passing game.

Candle: Cody is very versatile. You can move him around to a lot of different spots. He possesses a ton of skill and brings a really workmanlike approach to each and every day. As a coach, you're always trying to develop leaders and groom guys to be vocal and be at the forefront of everything. Since he has been here, Cody has led that position group just by his work ethic and by his desire to be the best. That has shown up on game day. So we're expecting a big senior year out of him and out of the other guys he has helped and supported. Cody is just a fantastic player, a great student and a great teammate. I can't say enough about that guy.

Q: At tight end, odds are you're not going to get 16 touchdowns out of that position next year (the number Michael Roberts had in 2016). But success at tight end is also measured by other things, like run blocking, pass blocking and down-field blocking. How do you see that position shaking out?

Candle: We had so much success in the passing game last year because Mike was such a presence. I think our staff has to do a great job this off-season of developing our playmakers and putting them in the best position to be successful. We have a number of players we are looking at to fill that role, guys like Adam Kulon and Jordan Fisher. We traditionally haven't been a team that's thrown the football at that high of a success rate to the tight end, but Mike commanded that because he was a mismatch for everybody we played against. If somebody at that position develops to be like that, then so be it. If it's not, then we'll find the best 11 guys and get them in the position to be successful and to score touchdowns.

Q: At running back, you lose Kareem Hunt, who was a great talent and will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest running backs in UT history. But, as you mentioned earlier, you've got two guys who are proven, so I don't think anyone is going to be feeling sorry for the Rockets this fall.

Candle: Terry Swanson is entering his fourth year playing for us. He played as a freshman, he's been an all-conference performer for us. Just two years ago, he and Kareem were both second-team all-conference backs. 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. One thing Terry brings is consistency. Each and every day you know exactly what you're going to get. As for Art Thompkins, he's an explosive playmaker. 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. We also have Nevone McCrimmon and Shakif Seymour, two young guys who are coming on strong. Both have had good off-seasons. I look forward to working with them and seeing what they will bring to the table as well. We will need our running backs to go three, four, or even five deep for us to be successful.

Q: Moving to defense, over the last two years you've had a lot of outstanding players on that side of the ball. Some of those guys are gone now. So how do you evaluate the defense coming into this spring? Who will step up and replace the talent that has graduated?

Candle: We have to do a great job of identifying who our best 11 are and match the scheme to what fits our players. Graduation hits us a little bit, but it's nothing to cry about because you always have good players behind graduating seniors who have waited their turn. I don't think this year is any different. We have a lot of players who have played either special teams or in back-up roles. So now it's the responsibility of our coaches to make sure those guys transition into becoming first-team and every-down players.

Q: Let's start with the defensive line. What are the strengths and challenges there?

Candle: Our most experienced player at defensive tackle is Marquise Moore. He understands the daily routine of playing winning football and what we ask our players to do. 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. I know he'll do a great job of that. Other tackles who played some meaningful snaps are Daniel Davis, Nate Childress, Lamarr Davis and Willie Ross. Reggie Howard is a junior-college transfer who will have a chance to be in the rotation at tackle. Edrick Matthews and David Hood are coming off of redshirt years. Those eight guys will be fighting for time at the defensive tackle spot.

Q: And then at defensive end, you've got Ola Adeniyi, who had a really good year, and Zach Quinn is a senior with significant experience.

Candle: Ola and Zach played a ton of football for us. 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. Malik Jones is a fifth-year transfer from Maryland who provides depth there, as well. Obi Anunike is a freshman who is enrolled and practicing with us. So we have a depth on the defensive line, plus a freshman class coming in that we're certainly really excited about.

Q: Linebacker looks to be the area with the most experience on defense.

Candle: You count on those guys to be in the right spots. They know the defense, they understand where everyone needs to be. Ja'Wuan Woodley is one of the better linebackers in our conference. He plays at a different speed than everyone else. Success is really important to him. He has high expectations for himself and our defense. Tyler Taafe was very consistent for us, starting all 13 games last year. Jack Linch is a senior and a great special teams player for us who has played meaningful snaps as a linebacker. We'll also get Richard Olekanma back after missing most of last year due to injury. Tre'shun Wilson is a redshirt freshman and an explosive player. We're certainly excited to watch his development. Anthony Davis now is in his third season and it's time for him to produce and become a major factor. So there's a lot of competition at that position.

Q: In today's game, the defensive backfield is so important. You've got a lot of guys coming back who have played at cornerback and safety.

Candle: Our two starting cornerbacks from last year, Trevon Mathis and Ka'dar Hollman, are back. Aaron Covington, who had the interception at the end of the Northern Illinois game, played a ton of meaningful snaps at cornerback last year. Kareem Felder, who is an extreme talent, is coming in off of his redshirt year, as are Justin Clark and Keelen Roberts. Kennedy Frazier, a senior, is coming off an injury. So we have a lot of guys at that position that have a chance to compete.

Q: And at safety?

Candle: We've got to find out who the best three guys are at those positions. DeDarallo Blue, Josh Teachey, Ronnie Jones, Jordan Williams, all four of those guys are in the mix. Josh was a starter for most of the year, and the other three played on special teams or in back-up roles in situational packages. Now it's time to put some more on their plate and see what they can deliver for us.

Q: On special teams, you lose Corey Jones as your kickoff and punt returner, so it would seem there is an opportunity for someone to step up and earn that spot in camp.

Candle: In years past, whether it was Eric Page or Bernard Reedy or Corey Jones, we have had a slot receiver who is the guy who's used to having the ball in his hands a lot. So there's an opportunity to fill the void at both of those spots. At punt returner, we'll be looking at Danzel McKinley-Lewis and Desmond Philips this spring. At kickoff return, Diontae Johnson, Art Thompkins, Desmond Philips and Neru N'Shaka are all possible candidates.

Q: How do you assess your special teams units?

Candle: There's room for improvement in every position, but I thought we were solid in the special teams units last year. 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.

Q: You've got a punter to replace. Who are you looking at for that position?

Candle: Michael Julian is our leading candidate at punter. He's still playing at quarterback so he will be practicing at two positions. We have a walk-on, Rueben Luna, who will be competing with him this spring.

Q: At placekicker, you used Jameson Vest for field goals and Sam Vucelich for kickoffs last year. Will you continue with that combination?

Candle: That's a possibility, yes. I think both of our kickers did a good job last year, but they know they will have to be even better this year. They're striving for consistency. We'll have some good competition at that position.

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