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Senior Langston Long is Toledo's most experienced linebacker.
New Faces, Familiar Standard: Toledo Linebackers Building One of Defense's Deepest Units
6/30/2026 10:00:00 AM | Football
UT linebackers are fueled by trust, accountability and competition
Third in a series of position-by-position outlooks for the 2026 Toledo Football team.
TOLEDO, Ohio - "Jovial" isn't a word most people would use to describe a linebacker room.
Physical. Aggressive. Competitive. Those fit the stereotype.
But ask senior linebacker Langston Long about Toledo's group, and one word comes to mind immediately.
"Our room is dang near jovial," he said.
Just a few months ago, that kind of chemistry wasn't guaranteed.
A new defensive coaching staff arrived in January. Transfers followed from Mercer. Returning players were learning a new scheme alongside new teammates. On paper, it looked like a room that would need time.
Instead, it quickly became one of the closest groups on the roster. Now, as preseason camp approaches, the linebackers believe that chemistry has become their greatest strength – and the reason they could be one of the deepest position groups on Toledo's defense.
Long, the Rockets' most experienced returning linebacker, admits he entered the offseason with more questions than answers.
"When Coach Candle and Coach [Vince Kehres] all left, I was definitely a little nervous because I didn't know how it would go," said Long. "But the coaches came in and made it known instantly, 'This is a different group. We're going to let you have fun playing football, but we're also going to get on you.'"
Those concerns disappeared quickly.
"I can't wait to get into our meetings," said Long, who had 35 tackles, including 4.5 TFLs, one forced fumble and a sack for the Rockets in 2025. "We have fun, but we also get stuff done. It's a great balance between work and pleasure, which is what you need to continue to want to come and be your best every day."
That balance stood out immediately to linebackers coach Shawn Chaffee.
He inherited veterans like Long and Damon Ollison II, while bringing Julian Fox and Isaac Prince with him from Mercer. Rather than separating into old and new groups, the room quickly blended into one. That trust accelerated the transition into a defense that shares some concepts with Toledo's previous scheme but asks linebackers to see the game differently.
"To be honest, what I've been the most impressed with is you can't tell they've only been teammates for six months," said Chaffee. "The attitude and the friendships in that room are really good. They all try to help each other. The guys that had been at Toledo were able to help the new guys, and the guys that came with us were able to help the Toledo guys with what we were bringing in defensively. It has been great."
Fox arrived after earning one of the nation's highest Pro Football Focus grades among linebackers last season at Mercer, but he says the room's collective approach stands out more than any individual accomplishment.
"The room is pretty fast, physical and aggressive," said Fox, who totaled 85 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, three quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries at Mercer last season.
"We've got taller guys that can run. We've got shorter guys that can hit. Pretty much everybody in the room knows how to get to the football, but we all know that first we have to do our job."
That chemistry has quickly translated into one of Toledo's deepest position groups.
Chaffee points to Fox's instincts, Long's range and Prince's physicality, while also praising Isaac Zay's offseason development and Ollison's progress after returning from injury. With a variety of skill sets and multiple players capable of contributing, the competition has elevated everyone in the room.
"We feel really good about the linebackers," said Chaffee. "We've got a really good mix right now."
That competition has fostered accountability as much as depth. Long and Fox often set the tone, but leadership shifts naturally throughout the room. Players challenge one another before coaches ever need to.
"We're fortunate in that room," said Chaffee. "There's really not a whole lot of times I have to hold them accountable because they do what they're supposed to do. A lot of times it gets handled before I need to."
By the time preseason camp opens, the introductions will be over. What remains is a linebacker room that expects to be one of the engines of Toledo's defense, a group that spent the offseason building trust, embracing competition and preparing to play fast.
"We all had a blast getting better," said Long. "We're excited to show what we've accomplished and prepared ourselves to do come fall camp."
Six months ago, the room was learning new teammates, a new coaching staff and a new defense. Today, it's jovial – and confident that chemistry will translate into production this fall.
TOLEDO, Ohio - "Jovial" isn't a word most people would use to describe a linebacker room.
Physical. Aggressive. Competitive. Those fit the stereotype.
But ask senior linebacker Langston Long about Toledo's group, and one word comes to mind immediately.
"Our room is dang near jovial," he said.
Just a few months ago, that kind of chemistry wasn't guaranteed.
A new defensive coaching staff arrived in January. Transfers followed from Mercer. Returning players were learning a new scheme alongside new teammates. On paper, it looked like a room that would need time.
Instead, it quickly became one of the closest groups on the roster. Now, as preseason camp approaches, the linebackers believe that chemistry has become their greatest strength – and the reason they could be one of the deepest position groups on Toledo's defense.
Long, the Rockets' most experienced returning linebacker, admits he entered the offseason with more questions than answers.
"When Coach Candle and Coach [Vince Kehres] all left, I was definitely a little nervous because I didn't know how it would go," said Long. "But the coaches came in and made it known instantly, 'This is a different group. We're going to let you have fun playing football, but we're also going to get on you.'"
Those concerns disappeared quickly.
"I can't wait to get into our meetings," said Long, who had 35 tackles, including 4.5 TFLs, one forced fumble and a sack for the Rockets in 2025. "We have fun, but we also get stuff done. It's a great balance between work and pleasure, which is what you need to continue to want to come and be your best every day."
That balance stood out immediately to linebackers coach Shawn Chaffee.
He inherited veterans like Long and Damon Ollison II, while bringing Julian Fox and Isaac Prince with him from Mercer. Rather than separating into old and new groups, the room quickly blended into one. That trust accelerated the transition into a defense that shares some concepts with Toledo's previous scheme but asks linebackers to see the game differently.
"To be honest, what I've been the most impressed with is you can't tell they've only been teammates for six months," said Chaffee. "The attitude and the friendships in that room are really good. They all try to help each other. The guys that had been at Toledo were able to help the new guys, and the guys that came with us were able to help the Toledo guys with what we were bringing in defensively. It has been great."
Fox arrived after earning one of the nation's highest Pro Football Focus grades among linebackers last season at Mercer, but he says the room's collective approach stands out more than any individual accomplishment.
"The room is pretty fast, physical and aggressive," said Fox, who totaled 85 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, three quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries at Mercer last season.
"We've got taller guys that can run. We've got shorter guys that can hit. Pretty much everybody in the room knows how to get to the football, but we all know that first we have to do our job."
That chemistry has quickly translated into one of Toledo's deepest position groups.
Chaffee points to Fox's instincts, Long's range and Prince's physicality, while also praising Isaac Zay's offseason development and Ollison's progress after returning from injury. With a variety of skill sets and multiple players capable of contributing, the competition has elevated everyone in the room.
"We feel really good about the linebackers," said Chaffee. "We've got a really good mix right now."
That competition has fostered accountability as much as depth. Long and Fox often set the tone, but leadership shifts naturally throughout the room. Players challenge one another before coaches ever need to.
"We're fortunate in that room," said Chaffee. "There's really not a whole lot of times I have to hold them accountable because they do what they're supposed to do. A lot of times it gets handled before I need to."
By the time preseason camp opens, the introductions will be over. What remains is a linebacker room that expects to be one of the engines of Toledo's defense, a group that spent the offseason building trust, embracing competition and preparing to play fast.
"We all had a blast getting better," said Long. "We're excited to show what we've accomplished and prepared ourselves to do come fall camp."
Six months ago, the room was learning new teammates, a new coaching staff and a new defense. Today, it's jovial – and confident that chemistry will translate into production this fall.
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