With a full spring practice behind them and summer workouts beginning next week, the Toledo Rockets are poised for a very promising 2021 season. The Rockets return all 22 starters and have excellent depth at every position. Toledo Head Coach Jason Candle, now entering his sixth season as the Rockets' leader, recently sat down with Associate Athletic Director Paul Helgren to discuss the upcoming season.

Q: You're coming off a season like no other, but also in a way aren't you also headed into a season like no other, one in which you have almost your entire senior class coming back for another year?

Candle: 2020 threw us a few curve balls from an operational and scheduling standpoint, going all the way back to last year's spring practice. We only got three practices in, and then dealing with last season was a unique experience. Being able to go into this spring with the extra players and an extra year of eligibility created some new challenges. It forced us to rethink things from a weightlifting standpoint, speed-training standpoint and certainly from a football standpoint.

Not all the ways we were forced to adapt were negative things. I think a lot of positives came out of this. Having extra players for spring practice created more opportunities for 11-on-11 situations. It created more time for development of younger players and being able to be patient with their development when it comes to scheme installation. We really got a good 15 practices of learning offensive and defensive schematics and what we are trying to accomplish in the kicking game.

With veteran players, we looked at a couple of things that might be deficient in their games and tried to chip away at that, maybe fix some of the mistakes we've seen on tape over the last couple of years. I'll give our players a lot of credit. They've done wonders for themselves as they have had to adapt and overcome adversity, going back to last March and all the way through spring practice. To not having had any pauses for COVID, to continuing to do a good job academically and being accountable off the field. So I'm very excited about our team and happy with our leadership in the locker room. I'm very optimistic heading into the summer.
 
Q: What was the decision-making process like for determining which seniors would return for an extra season?

Candle: We didn't treat the seniors any different than we treated the freshman, sophomores or juniors. Every student-athlete is looking for a clear picture of where they are at right now in their current situation. You have to be honest with them and tell them the truth of where they sit within the program. We try to set the pathway for where we want to go, both as a program and where the players want to go in their individual careers. I didn't infringe upon each player's decision to come back or not come back, but it's easy to see the benefits of having an extra couple semesters of education, as well as the benefits of coming back and playing on a really good football team. These guys believe they can accomplish some special things this year. Obviously, there is a lot of work still to be done but I felt like when we left the field after the Central Michigan game last year, our guys felt confident in what we have coming back. Some of these guys wanted to be a part of that and go out and have a senior season the way it should be. Being able to walk in front of your family and fans on Senior Day, I think that's a big deal. There are a lot of positives to be able to come back for another year.
 
Q: You could argue that you were just a couple plays away from having a championship season last year. Knowing that, was there anything you focused on in terms of team improvement this past spring?
 
Candle: What we did a good job of as players and coaches was telling ourselves the truth in what our deficiencies were. We tried to get the best plan we could for individual improvement. We take the approach of addressing weaknesses and having the humility to tell ourselves the truth, address our weaknesses internally and then go work really hard to fix them. There has to be a burning desire to get better. Our players have always had that. We've played a lot of young players the past few years, especially on defense, and now these guys are veteran players. It's more inviting to have authentic football conversations rather than trying to mold life skills. This is a mature group of guys who come in with a great attitude, who accept coaching and who play with great effort when they go out on the field. It makes for a fun team to coach.
 
Q: Let's go over the key returning players, starting with the quarterbacks. Can you break down the three leading candidates for the job – Carter Bradley, Dequan Finn and Tucker Gleason -- and how they have been progressing?

Candle: As a whole, the quarterback room has made strides from a defensive recognition standpoint. We have been proactive in having our quarterbacks try to gain as much knowledge about the defense before the ball is snapped so they can make great decisions after it's snapped. Quarterback play always comes down to decision-making and accuracy. Those are the things we are constantly trying to improve upon. The more experience you have, the more reps you have in practice, the more game-like situations you encounter in your career, the easier it is to improve on those things. For Carter (Bradley) and DQ (Dequan Finn), those things are happening at a very positive rate.  In Tucker's situation, hats off to him for doing a really good job in the short amount of time he has been here. He has made some plays in practice that were natural; there have been some others I'm sure he wishes he had back. That's part of the maturation process. But as far as handling a new offense and coming into a new situation, I'm very pleased with what he was able to do. All three of these players should be optimistic as they head into the summer.
 
Q: When will name your starting quarterback?

Candle: No one wants to rob a player of the opportunity to compete. There are different phases of the competition. Spring ball is a phase of it. We have player-led activities in the summer. Leadership is a key component of playing quarterback. The summer months allow the guys to organize throwing groups that help promote the connection between them and their receivers, tight ends and running backs. Then obviously preseason camp is ultimately the final piece of it. We'll do a great of job of creating as many game-day situations as we can for preseason practice to allow them to go out and succeed or fail. Whenever that picture clears up and somebody clearly wins the job we will go ahead and make that decision.
 
Q: At running back, you've got Bryant Koback returning. Who else are you looking at to play a role at that position?

Candle: If you look at last year, Bryant had some games where he played at a really high level, and other games he probably feels he missed a couple runs or a couple of pass protections. Those were things he wanted to work on in the off-season. One thing about that young man is he always tells himself the truth. When you do that, you have the opportunity to fix your mistakes. Bryant is a super kid, a great student, a tremendous ambassador for our program and a great player. We have seen constant growth from him, from being new to the program, to being good, to going from good to great, and now trying to take the next step to be an elite player. He's got individual dreams and goals that he wants to accomplish on the football field. I really have an appreciation for his wont to tell himself the truth and get mistakes corrected. He's been a model of consistency here and led our running backs room in a positive direction.

We've also got Micah Kelly and Jacquez Stuart behind Bryant. They have played in some significant moments in games, and they want a little bit more of the action. They'll help in the kicking game in a lot of ways. They've tried to really make the statement that they deserve some touches, deserve more carries and some more game action. I think that's always an ongoing process for a young player, but I'm encouraged by their growth and I'm excited to watch them as they progress here.
 
Q: You've got a lot of veteran receivers returning next fall. What's the competition looking like there?

Candle: The receiver room has a ton of competition in it. We've got bigger guys, we've got smaller, quick guys. We have a lot of players who bring a unique skill set to the group. It's a group that Coach (Kevin) Beard has done a really good job with. They've worked really hard to go out there and compete. There are six or seven guys who will be competing for playing time on offense, and then all those guys will be expected to help us in the kicking game. They are an unselfish group that appreciates the little things that have to happen when you don't have the ball in your hands. That's encouraging to see, for sure.
 
Q: And at tight end?

Candle: At tight end we have a lot of veterans returning and we have some younger guys who are making steady improvement. Coach (Mark) Staten's done a great job with that group of harping on constant improvement and attacking the things they need to work on. Our footwork and hand placement have improved dramatically. Our tight ends have really bought into being a physical presence in the run game and that's encouraging to see.
 
Q: You have a veteran offensive line led by two-time All-MAC center Bryce Harris. How do you assess the line coming out of spring ball?

Candle: It's a solid group and probably the group that needed to take the biggest jump from a consistency standpoint. We got crushed last year and the year before that with injuries that forced some guys into action and forced us to move guys around on the line. Our two starting guards at the start of last year were playing tackle at the end of the year. We had more consistency this spring. Obviously, Bryce Harris is the leader of that crew. He tries to take the message that Coach (Mike) Hallett is putting down to that group. It's a high-effort group and a group that's willing to get better. We had some guys out this spring but I think the offensive line is steadily improving and will need to continue that improvement through the summer months.
 
Q: Your defense made very big strides last fall, moving up to among the leaders in the MAC in most statistical categories. How do you account for the improvement?

Candle: First of all, Coach (Vince) Kerhres and (Coach) Kuligowski and all our defensive coaches created a belief in our players that we could be really good on defense. They did a good job of matching our personnel to the personnel of the offenses that we were seeing week-in and week-out. We allowed ourselves to have the flexibility to be multiple in different situations. Not every player is a cookie-cutter. We have a lot of unique skillsets. We just need to put them in a place where they have the best chance to be successful. I think our defensive staff did a good job of that last year. The challenge will be to replicate that and continue to improve. We won't surprise anybody this year. But our players are getting very comfortable in what we are asking them to do. Their belief that they can be really good on defense is at a high level right now. It's been fun to watch those guys fly around at practice and do what they love to do.
 
Q: You have lots of veterans at every position on defense. On the defensive line, it looks like you can go two deep at every position.

Candle: We have a lot of guys with playing experience. On the inside we have Desjuan Johnson, who is back after playing at a very high level last year. David Hood, Judge Culpepper, Devan Rogers, Cavon Butler and Darius Alexander are other guys on the inside who should play a big role for us next year. On the edge we have Jamal Hines, who is a two-time All-MAC player and one of our most consistent pass rushers. We're also counting on Terrance Taylor, Nate Givhan, D'Andre Ragin and Adrian Woliver to help us put pressure on the quarterback and contain the edge. Coach (Larry) Black has done a great job with those guys on the inside and Coach (Craig) Kuligowski has done a great job with the guys on the perimeter, working on pass-rush skills. The D-line as a whole has probably seen the most improvement on our team over the last 12-14 months. I'm really encouraged in the direction we are going. A lot of those guys played as freshmen and sophomores and took their lumps. Now they're bigger, they're stronger, they're faster, they're more mature. They have a better approach to how they practice. I'm really excited about the potential of that group.
 
Q: It's a similar story at linebacker, correct?

Candle: Dyontae Johnson made big strides last fall as our leading tackler. We are expecting him to continue to improve as a leader in the linebacker room. Dan Bolden and Jonathan Jones were key contributors last year. They both showed tremendous improvement, as did AJ Crider, who saw some significant action. (Redshirt freshman) Jackson Barrow is another guy who may be ready to step in and play at linebacker.
 
Q: Your secondary is another deep group loaded with veterans.

Candle: Our secondary definitely should be a point of strength on our defense. At safety we have Tycen Anderson who is an All-MAC player and four-year starter as well as a great leader. We also have Nate Bauer, who made great strides last year and made the All-MAC team. Saeed Holt has been one of our leading tacklers and made some big plays for us over the past three seasons. Zach Ford, Maxen Hook and Troy Simon are others who have seen a lot of action for us and will be in the thick of competition for playing time. At cornerback, Sam Womack has been among the leaders in the nation in breakups over the past two years. Justin Clark and Chris McDonald are the returning starters who we have high expectations for. Quinyon Mitchell, Noah Hamlin and Ronald Delancy are also in the mix for playing time.

Q: The kicking game also returns a veteran group.

Candle: Bailey Flint is a four-year starter. He has shown that he can be very good punter and we need him to perform at that level. Sean Mills is back at long snapper. I think he is one of the very best long snappers in the country. Evan Davis and Thomas Cluckey will be competing for the placekicking job; Cluckey will be the kickoff man. We have a lot of candidates at kick return and punt return. Jacquez Stuart, Devin Maddox, Danzel McKinley-Lewis, Ronnie Blackmon, Micah Kelly and Jalynn Williams are all in the mix. The competition will work itself out and we will have the best returners possible out there.