Toledo, Ohio – University of Toledo head football coach Jason Candle announced the addition of two new staff members and the promotion of three others.  
 
Kerry Dixon II and Kevin Beard have joined the coaching staff. Dixon, who will coach the running backs for the Rockets, comes to Toledo from the University of Florida, where he coached the wide receivers for the past three seasons. Previously, Dixon was the running backs coach at Montana State, Florida Atlantic and Florida International. Beard was the wide receivers coach at the University of Tennessee in 2017. He has also coached at Miami (Fla.), Georgia and FIU. He will serve as UT's director of player personnel and assistant recruiting coordinator.
 
"I am very excited about the addition of Kerry Dixon and Kevin Beard to our staff," said Candle, the 2017 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year. ""Both men are great teachers and bring with them experience from the highest levels of college football. Kerry will do a great job with our running backs.  Kevin will play an important role in developing our young Rockets and also brings valuable recruiting experience to the table."
 
In addition, Candle announced the promotion of three other staff members. Director of High School Relations Ricky Ciccone will coach the nickel backs in addition to keeping his current title; Nate Cole will move from director of player personnel to director of player development; and Javon Ringer will move from quality control coach to assistant director of football operations.
 
"Ricky, Nate and Javon have all played important roles in our success," said Candle. "We look forward to their contributions to the development of our program."
 
 
Kerry Dixon II – Running Backs
 
Kerry Dixon II joins the Rockets' coaching staff as the running backs coach. For the past three seasons he was the wide receivers coach at Florida. Prior to that he coached running backs at Montana State (2010-11), FAU (2012-13) and FIU (2014).
 
During his time at Florida, Dixon mentored two freshmen, Antonio Calloway in 2015 and Tyrie Cleveland in 2016, who recorded 100-yard receiving games, something which had been accomplished only one other time in Gator history. Calloway caught 35 passes for 678 yards as a freshman, and became the third-fastest player in UF history to reach 1,000 receiving yards (17 games). Also, six different Gators received multiple receiving touchdowns in a game in both 2015 and 2016.
 
Dixon began his coaching career at an assistant coach at his high school alma mater, Booker T. Washington High School in Houston, Texas, from 2005-06. He entered the college coaching ranks in 2007, coaching quarterbacks at Morgan State. He moved on to Texas Southern to coach QBs in 2008, where he guided two signal-callers who each threw for over 1,000 yards. In his one season as the offensive coordinator at Stillman College in 2009, Dixon mentored an All-America running back, Quinn Porter, who rushed for 138.6 yards per game and went on to play for the St. Louis Rams.
 
Dixon coached running backs for two seasons at Montana State, helping the Bobcats reach the FCS quarterfinals in both seasons. In 2010, Dixon tutored All-Big Sky second-team running back Orenzo Davis, who rushed for 1,126 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 2011, he coached a tandem, Cody Kirk and Tray Robinson, that combined for nearly 2,000 yards and scored 21 TDs. Kirk made first-team All-Big Sky. His 1,351 yards ranks fifth in MSU history. Robinson was named second-team All-Big Sky as well as Big Sky Newcomer of the Year.
 
Dixon spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons as the running backs coach at Florida Atlantic. In his first season with the Owls, Dixon had the task of replacing the school's all-time leading rusher, Alfred Morris, a six-year NFL veteran with Washington and Dallas. Dixon employed a running back-by-committee approach that netted just 38 fewer rushing yards and 167 more receiving yards than the previous season. In 2013, FAU rushed for 2,215 yards and 21 touchdowns, both school records. In his one season at FIU in 2014, Dixon led a running backs group that rushed for more than 1,500 yards.
 
Dixon played football at Baylor from 2000-01 before transferring to Hampton in 2002. He started in two games at quarterback as a freshman at Baylor before moving to wide receiver as a sophomore. At Hampton, Dixon returned to the quarterback position and was named team captain as a senior.
 
Dixon, a native of Houston, received his bachelor's degree in political science from Hampton in 2004. He and his wife Robin have two children, Charlee (8) and Kerry (1).
 
Kerry Dixon's Coaching Experience
2018          Toledo – Running Backs
2017          Florida – Wide Receivers
2014          FIU- Running Backs
2012-13     FAU – Running Backs
2010-11     Montana State – Running Backs
2009          Stillman College – Offensive Coordinator
2008          Texas Southern – Quarterbacks
2007          Morgan State – Quarterbacks
2005-06     Booker T. Washington High School – Assistant Coach
 
Kevin Beard – Director of Player Personnel/Assistant Recruiting Coordinator
 
Kevin Beard joins the Rockets' coaching staff as the director of player personnel and assistant recruiting coordinator. Beard was the wide receivers coach at the University of Tennessee last season.
 
Beard was a wide receiver at the University of Miami (Fla.) from 1999-2003, playing a key role on the Hurricanes' 2001 national championship team. He caught 25 passes for 409 yards in 2001, including four receptions for 41 yards in Miami's win over Nebraska in the 2002 Rose Bowl. Beard totaled over 900 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in his career, and served as a captain on the 2003 Miami team that went 11-2 and won the 2004 Orange Bowl.
 
Beard graduated from Miami in 2003 with a degree in degree in liberal arts and a minor in sociology. He enjoyed a four-year professional career in the Arena Football League before embarking on a career in coaching.
 
Beard began his coaching career in the high school ranks, working with wide receivers as an assistant from 2010-13 at University High School in Davie, Fla. He returned to his alma mater in 2014, where he accepted a position as the assistant director of football operations in 2014. A year later, he was named the Hurricanes' wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. In 2016, Beard was hired by Georgia as the quality control coach for wide receivers before moving on to FIU to coach wide receivers.  Shortly after joining FIU, he went on to become the wide receivers coach at the University of Tennessee. 
 
Kevin Beard's Coaching Experience
2018                Toledo – Director of Player Personnel/Assistant Recruiting Coordinator.
2017                Tennessee – Wide Receivers
2016                Georgia – Quality Control (Wide Receivers)
2015                Miami (Fla.) – Wide Receivers/Passing Game Coordinator
2014                Miami (Fla.) – Assistant Director of Football Operations
2010-13           University High School (Davie, Fla.) – Assistant Coach
 
Ricky Ciccone – Nickel Backs/Director of High School Relations
 
Director of High School Relations Ricky Ciccone will be adding on-field coaching duties to his responsibilities. He will be coaching the nickel backs for the Rockets in 2018.
 
Ciccone is entering his third year as Toledo's director of high school relations. He coordinates the Rockets' recruiting efforts, and handles communications with high schools around the country.
 
This past year, Ciccone helped the Rockets secure the No. 1 recruiting class in the Mid-American Conference, according to 247 Sports and Scout.com. In 2017, Ciccone helped the Rockets land the No. 1 recruiting class in the MAC, as ranked by every major recruiting service. In 2016, Toledo had the No. 2 recruiting class in the MAC, according to ESPN.com.
 
Prior to joining the Rockets in 2016, Ciccone worked in a number of collegiate and high school positions in the state of Ohio, most recently as the running backs coach at Ohio Dominican University.
      A native of Coshocton, Ohio, Ciccone attended the University of Mount Union where he played football from 2001-04. Ciccone was a second-team All-OAC running back as a senior in 2004. He was a member of teams that won Division III national championships in 2001 and 2002.
 
      Ciccone began his career as the running backs coach at Marietta College in 2006 before moving to the high school ranks, taking assistant's positions at Marietta High School in 2009 and Tri-Valley in 2010.
 
      In 2011, Ciccone assumed an assistant coaching position at Kenyon College, where he coached the defensive line and served as recruiting coordinator. He moved on to Bluffton, where he was the co-offensive coordinator, wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator from 2012-13. Ciccone coached four all-league receivers and return specialists for the Beavers, who set a school-record for conference wins (5) in 2012.
 
      Ciccone returned to the high school coaching ranks in 2014 as the tight ends/slot receivers coach and special teams coordinator at Olentangy High School, helping the Braves earn a 10-0 regular-season record and a trip to the Division II state semifinals. He spent the 2015 season at Ohio Dominican, coaching the running backs.
 
      Ciccone earned his bachelor's degree in history from Mount Union in 2005 and his master's degree in education from Marietta in 2008. He and his wife Tessa make their home in Toledo.
 
Ricky Ciccone's Coaching Experience
2018                Toledo – Nickel Backs/Director of High School Relations
2016-17           Toledo –Director of High School Relations
2015                Ohio Dominican – Running Backs
2014                Olentangy High School – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends/Slot Receivers
2012-13           Bluffton – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Special Teams Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2011                Kenyon – Defensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator
2010                Tri-Valley High School – Assistant Coach
2009                Marietta High School – Assistant Coach
2006                Marietta College- Running Backs
 
Nate Cole – Director of Player Development
 
Nate Cole will assume the new position of director of player development. He served the Rockets the past two years as the director of player personnel.
 
As the director of plyer personnel, Cole served as the program's NFL liaison and community service coordinator. The Rockets had a record three picks in the 2017 NFL Draft while Cole was serving as liaison. The football program logged over 2,500 hours of community service under Cole's supervision, and had five players nominated for community service awards. Cole will continue to serve as NFL liaison in his new role.
 
A native of Dayton, Ohio, Cole played for the Rockets from 2006-10 and was a three-year starter, four-year letterwinner and team captain as a senior. After his playing days were over, Cole stayed at Toledo, serving as a graduate assistant from 2011-13. He joined the staff at Oberlin 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/running-game coordinator at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio 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
2018           Toledo –Director of Player Development
2016-17      Toledo – Director of Player Personnel
2015           Notre Dame (Ohio) College – Offensive Line Coach/Running Game Coordinator
2014           Oberlin - Offensive Line Coach/Special Teams Coordinator
2011-13      Toledo – Graduate Assistant
 
Javon Ringer – Assistant Director of Football Operations
 
Javon Ringer will begin a new role for the Rockets as the assistant director of football operations. Last year he served as a quality control coach at UT. He will assist Director of Football Operations Andrew Terwilliger with most non-coaching aspects of the Rocket football program, including budget, team travel and team meals.
 
Ringer played four seasons in the NFL as a running back for the Tennessee Titans from 2009-12. He played his college football at Michigan State from 2005-08, ranking first on MSU's all-time list in all-purpose yards (5,426), second in rushing yards (4,398) and fifth in rushing TDs (34). The Dayton, Ohio native had 19 career 100-yard rushing games and 11 career multi-TD games.
 
A first-team All-America running back at Michigan State in 2008, Ringer rushed for 1,637 yards and a school-record 22 touchdowns as a senior. He led the nation in scoring (10.2 points per game) and rushing TDs (22) while ranking fourth in rushing (125.9 yards per game) and 15th in all-purpose yards (157.8 ypg.). He led the Big Ten in all-purpose yards and ranked second in rushing. His 1,637 yards rank as the second-highest single-season rushing total in school history. Ringer became the first Spartan to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since T.J. Duckett in 2000-01.
 
Ringer was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round (No. 173 overall) of the 2009 National Football League Draft. A Doak Walker Award finalist and first-team All-Big Ten selection, Ringer finished 10th in the final balloting for the Heisman Trophy.
 
Ringer began his coaching career as recruiting intern at Michigan State in 2016. He joined the Toledo staff in 2017 as a quality control coach, working with the running backs.