TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo opens the 2021 spring practice season today with a roster brimming with veterans. 

In fact, Head Coach Jason Candle's squad returns starters at every position, thanks in part to the NCAA's decision to grant student-athletes an extra year of athletic eligibility in the aftermath of canceled and abbreviated seasons due to the pandemic. In addition to the returning starters, there is depth throughout the lineup, putting Toledo in a solid position to compete for the 2021 Mid-American Conference title.

"We're very excited and looking forward to getting back on the field," said Candle. "Our players are tired of lifting bags and pulling ropes and touching lines. Those things are important in building your team, but I know our guys are ready to get back out there and play the game they love. It's exciting to get out of the winter phase of training and into the phase of spring football."

Toledo, which went 4-2 in 2020, opens spring practice on March 2 and concludes on April 2. The Rockets may have extra motivation this spring knowing that a pair of three-point losses to Western Michigan and Ball State were all that separated them from a trip to the MAC Championship Game last year.

Among the starters returning from last season's squad are six All-MAC players: senior center Bryce Harris (first-team); senior safety Tycen Anderson; sophomore safety Nate Bauer; junior defensive end/outside linebacker Jamal Hines; and junior defensive tackle Desjuan Johnson (second team); and junior wide receiver Isaiah Winstead (third team).    

The Rockets are deep at virtually every position so there will be intense competition for spots in the playing rotation this spring. The Rockets open their 2021 season by hosting Norfolk State on Sept. 4 before heading to Notre Dame to play the Fighting Irish on Sept. 11.

The following is a brief overview of the Rockets heading into the spring practice season:

Offense
Another competitive battle at the quarterback position is likely this spring, with at least three players vying to become the Rockets' main signal-caller. Senior Eli Peters has started 14 games over the past three seasons, including four in 2020. He has thrown for 3,771 yards and 33 touchdowns in his college career while completing 59.3 percent of his passes. He was having a strong campaign in 2020 until he went down in Game 4 with a season-ending injury. Sophomore Carter Bradley started the final two games in 2020, leading the Rockets to victory in both games. He completed 61.8 percent of his passes and had nine TD passes in 2020.  Redshirt freshman Dequan Finn has seen action in seven games in the past two years. 

The Rockets return all five starters and on the offensive line, including two-time All-MAC center Bryce Harris. Harris, who missed the 2019 season due to injury, earned first-team honors in 2020. Joining Harris is sophomore Nick Rosi, a 2019 All-MAC selection who also earned second-team Freshman All-America honors that seasons. The other returning starters are seniors Luke Doerger and Vitaliy Gurman and sophomore Tyler Long. Junior tackle Mitchell Berg, a starter in 2019, is back after missing the 2020 season due to off-season surgery. Junior Kelvin Ateman also returns after seeing significant playing time in 2020. 

At running back, junior Bryant Koback, a two-year starter, returns after another strong campaign in the backfield. Koback, a 2019 All-MAC selection, was fourth in the MAC with 522 yards rushing, and was second on the team with 24 receptions. He has rushed for 2,606 yards and 30 touchdowns in three seasons as a Rocket. Redshirt freshmen Micah Kelly is back after rushing for 208 yards in 2020.

The receiving corps returns six players who caught at least 10 passes last season. Junior Isaiah Winstead, a second-team All-MAC honoree, led the way with 25 catches for 429 yards. Seniors Danzel McKinley-Lewis (20 receptions) and Bryce Mitchell (13 receptions, four touchdowns) bring a combined nine years of experience to the table. Mitchell, a second-team All-MAC selection in 2019, has 55 receptions and nine TDs in his career, while McKinley-Lewis has 87 catches and five scores. Other returners to keep an eye on include senior Ronnie Blackmon, who caught 12 passes in 2020 after transferring from Colorado; redshirt freshman Jerjuan Newton (15 receptions in 2020); and sophomore Devin Maddox (14 receptions). At tight end, the Rockets return senior Drew Rosi, who has 41 career receptions, and junior Jamal Turner, who caught six passes in 2020.

Defense
The Rockets are loaded on defense with a veteran squad that returns four All-MAC honorees and every player from last year's two-deep.

Toledo's defensive line is blessed with 10 returning letterwinners, including two-time All-MAC edge rusher Jamal Hines and 2020 All-MAC defensive tackle Desjuan Johnson. Hines, a junior, had 29 tackles and 4.5 TFL in 2020, and has 130 tackles and 22.0 TFL in his career. Johnson, another junior, had 27 tackles, 8.0 TFL and 3.0 sacks last year.

Joining Hines at defensive end are senior Nate Givhan, junior Terrance Taylor (20 tackles, 4.5 TFL in 2020), sophomore Adrian Woliver and redshirt freshman D'Andre Ragin. Other returning defensive tackles are senior David Hood, junior Devonte Dunn, sophomore Devan Rogers and redshirt freshman Darius Alexander. 

Toledo's secondary is also blessed with abundant talent, with four players who have been starters in their careers. Returners among the safeties include senior captain Tycen Anderson, who earned second-team All-MAC honors in 2020 after finishing with 34 tackles in 2020. Sophomore free safety Nate Bauer (23 tackles, two interceptions) joined Anderson on the All-MAC squad, making third-team. Other returning safeties with experience as starters are junior Saeed Holt (21 tackles in 2020) and sophomore Zachary Ford 14 tackles). Juniors Troy Simon and DeAmonte King, sophomores Michael Lacey and Caleb Sutherland, freshman Maxen Hook also saw action in 2020.

 At cornerback, senior Samuel Womack has led the MAC in pass breakups in each of the past two seasons (15 in 20219, eight in 2020). He is joined by junior Justin Clark (19 tackles, three breakups), who had a fine season after missing most of the 2019 season with an injury.  Sophomore Chris McDonald, who has had 14 breakups in the past two seasons, rotated in at cornerback last year and also saw significant time as a nickel back. Junior Noah Hamlin and sophomore Jaylin Williams also saw some action last year.    

At linebacker, junior Dyontae Johnson led the Rockets with 47 tackles on his way to earning second-team All-MAC honors. He is joined by junior Daniel Bolden (20 tackles) and senior Jonathan Jones (19 tackles), giving Toledo a strong veteran corps up the middle.

Special Teams
All of Toledo's key special teams personnel are back this year.  Senior Bailey Flint, a four-year starter, returns at punter, looking to return to his 2019 form, when he was leading the MAC in punting, averaging 47.3 yards per punt before going down with a season-ending injury. Sophomores Thomas Cluckey and Evan Davis shared the place-kicking duties in 2020 and will battle it out next fall. Senior Sean Mills returns for his fourth season as one of the top long snappers in the country.    

Toledo has numerous speedsters at its disposal at the return positions. Senior Ronnie Blackmon and Danzel McKinley-Lewis are back after handling the punt return duties in 2020 and will be candidates to join redshirt freshman Jacquez Stuart, among others, at kickoff return.


Head Coach Jason Candle first spring practice press conference.


Junior Bryant Koback first spring practice press conference.


Senior Tycen Anderson first spring practice press conference.