TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo Head Football Coach Jason Candle announced two promotions and one new hire to his program. Bryan Gasser was promoted to General Manager of Player Personnel and AJ Harrison was promoted to Director of Recruiting. In addition, former University of Michigan recruiting assistant AJ Pearson was named Director of Player Personnel.

Gasser previously served as the team's director of player personnel/recruiting coordinator from 2023-24. In each of the past two seasons, Gasser led the effort that earned Toledo the No. 1 recruiting class in the Mid-American Conference, according to 247 Sports. The Rockets' 2024 recruiting class had a rating of 180.43, which ranked 62nd in the nation and was the highest ever in the MAC since 247Sports began ranking classes in 1999.

"Bryan Gasser has been an invaluable part of our program, and his promotion to general manager of player personnel is well-deserved," said Candle. "His leadership and eye for talent will continue to elevate our team."

Gasser, who spent the 2022 season as an offensive analyst at Northwestern, previously served at Toledo in a number of roles from 2010-15. He was a graduate assistant in 2010 and again in 2012. He was director of high school relations in 2013, and tight ends coach/special teams coordinator in 2014-15. In Gasser's five-year tenure at Toledo, the Rockets played in four bowl games and had four nine-win seasons.

A native of Northwood, Ohio, Gasser served as the wide receivers coach at Iowa State from 2016-18. He also coached the Cyclones' special teams in his first two years in Ames.

Gasser earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Ohio Northern in 2009 and his master's degree in sports administration from Bowling Green in 2010. He played football at Ohio Northern from 2003-05, earning All-OAC and Academic All-OAC honors at tight end in 2005. He then served as an assistant coach at his alma mater from 2006-08, working with tight ends and running backs.

Harrison previously served for one year as a recruiting assistant for the Rockets, contributing to the effort that earned Toledo the No. 1 recruiting class in the Mid-American Conference in 2024 and 2025. He played for Toledo from 2019-21, appearing in 22 games as a tight end. A Toledo native, Harrison attended Springfield High School, where he was a two-time All-NLL and all-district selection at safety. He earned his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Toledo.

"AJ Harrison's dedication and relentless work ethic make him the perfect fit as our new director of recruiting," said Candle. "I'm excited to see the impact he'll have in attracting top-tier talent to Toledo. Bryan and AJ are committed to building a championship culture, and I'm confident they will continue to help lead us to even greater success."

Pearson comes to Toledo after serving the past two seasons as a recruiting assistant at Michigan. He was a part of the Wolverine squad that won a national title in the 2023 season. He played safety for the Wolverines from 2014-16, earning letters in his junior and senior seasons. A native of Johns Creek, Ga., Pearson earned his bachelor's degree in movement science from Michigan in 2016, and went on to earn master's degrees in kinesiology from Michigan in 2019 and basic medical science from Michigan State in 2024.

"We are very excited to welcome AJ Pearson to our staff as director of player personnel," said Candle. "His experience at Michigan, both as a player and in recruiting, brings a championship-level perspective to our program. AJ's knowledge of talent evaluation and his passion for player development will be tremendous assets as we continue to build on our success."