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Holy Cross transfer Cam Jones was First-Team All-Patriot League in 2025.
Photo by: Bree Bee
Reloading the Legacy: Toledo's Secondary Ready to Continue NFL Tradition
7/8/2026 10:00:00 AM | Football
Rockets' defensive backfield is full of new faces in 2026
Fifth in a series of position-by-position outlooks for the 2026 Toledo Football team.
TOLEDO, Ohio - When NFL scouts make their way to the Glass Bowl, history suggests they'll spend plenty of time watching the defensive backs.
Toledo has quietly become one of the nation's premier producers of NFL talent in the secondary. Cornerback Quinyon Mitchell became a first-round draft pick in 2024 after emerging as one of college football's elite cover men. Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was drafted in the second round in 2026 on the heels of Tycen Anderson's fifth-round selection in 2022. Defensive backs Ka'Dar Hollman, Samuel Womack and Andre Fuller were taken in the past eight drafts, cementing the Rockets' reputation for developing playmakers on the back end of the defense.
Now it's someone else's turn.
The coaches' and players' names have changed completely – but the expectation hasn't.
A new coaching staff inherited one of the youngest defensive back rooms in recent memory, blending transfers, returners and freshmen into a group that had to build its identity from the ground up.
"The past seven months have been challenging and evolving," said Holy Cross transfer cornerback Cam Jones. "Everybody came from different places with different coaches and different ways of doing things. Now we're all learning what this staff demands from us. They're big on discipline, accountability and being a player-led team."
Cornerbacks coach Aaron Foster arrived facing many of the same challenges.
Outside of only a handful of returning players, nearly his entire room had to be rebuilt. Instead of inheriting established veterans, Foster spent the offseason learning personalities, evaluating skill sets and figuring out how the pieces fit together.
"It's been really fun," Foster said. "Everybody's figuring it out together. We're a little green to everything, and because of that, we're willing to push the limits and see what we can do."
The learning process extended across the entire secondary. Defensive coordinator and safeties coach Jahmal Brown installed a new defensive system while asking his players to become the communicators who keep everyone aligned before the snap. Early on, there were growing pains.
By the end of spring, the conversations had become instinctive.
"I tell those guys they're the quarterbacks on the back end," Brown said. "They have to communicate with the corners, communicate with the linebackers and make sure everyone is on the same page."
That growth became obvious during summer player-led workouts, when defensive backs organized practices on their own without coaches directing traffic.
As the defense settled into its new identity, leaders naturally began to emerge. For Foster, Jones quickly became the player he could depend on every day.
"I know Cam's going to be where he needs to be," Foster said. "We know he's going to work hard. We know he's going to do what he needs to do. He's been a guy we wholeheartedly trust."
Leadership isn't reserved for upperclassmen. With so many new faces, everyone has been challenged to invest in teammates and hold one another accountable. That same mentality has been evident at safety, where Kaleb Hutchinson has become an important voice after arriving from Mercer with several coaches and teammates already familiar with Brown's system.
Rather than simply relying on that experience, Hutchinson has used it to help teammates adjust.
"It was really about gaining the trust of the guys here and showing them I'm a leader," said Hutchinson, a first-team all-Southern Conference selection last season with 66 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, along with three interceptions and four pass breakups.
"I've just been trying to help the guys that need help and get everybody on the same page."
His willingness to lead has fueled another healthy development: competition.
Every practice is an opportunity to earn playing time. At corner, Foster has watched transfers and returning players push each other daily. At safety, Brown sees veterans and newcomers creating depth that will be critical over the course of a long season.
"I think competition breeds excellence," Brown said. "You've got guys who have played a lot of football at different levels competing every day. That's a good problem to have."
Other names that have emerged in the secondary include Robert Morris transfer Israel Petite, Mercer transfer Donovan Watkins and redshirt freshman cornerback Tyrell Russell.
The competition isn't about replacing the players who came before them. It's about adding another chapter to Toledo's legacy. Jones appreciates what Mitchell, McNeil-Warren and the Rockets who preceded him accomplished. But he's focused on creating his own story.
"I'm just trying to be me," said Jones, who earned first-team all-Patriot League honors in 2025 after recording 56 tackles, a team-high eight pass breakups and a pick-six. "Those guys made names for themselves here. I want to make a name for myself, but also make a name for our room collectively. We want to uphold the standard that's been set."
Sustaining that standard begins with recruiting and developing the right players, then putting them in positions where their strengths can flourish. For a secondary with so many new faces, the foundation has already been established.
Communication has improved. Competition has intensified. And leadership has emerged. Now comes the part everyone has been building toward.
If the Rockets reach that goal, the next NFL defensive back from Toledo may already be wearing midnight blue and gold.
TOLEDO, Ohio - When NFL scouts make their way to the Glass Bowl, history suggests they'll spend plenty of time watching the defensive backs.
Toledo has quietly become one of the nation's premier producers of NFL talent in the secondary. Cornerback Quinyon Mitchell became a first-round draft pick in 2024 after emerging as one of college football's elite cover men. Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was drafted in the second round in 2026 on the heels of Tycen Anderson's fifth-round selection in 2022. Defensive backs Ka'Dar Hollman, Samuel Womack and Andre Fuller were taken in the past eight drafts, cementing the Rockets' reputation for developing playmakers on the back end of the defense.
Now it's someone else's turn.
The coaches' and players' names have changed completely – but the expectation hasn't.
A new coaching staff inherited one of the youngest defensive back rooms in recent memory, blending transfers, returners and freshmen into a group that had to build its identity from the ground up.
"The past seven months have been challenging and evolving," said Holy Cross transfer cornerback Cam Jones. "Everybody came from different places with different coaches and different ways of doing things. Now we're all learning what this staff demands from us. They're big on discipline, accountability and being a player-led team."
Cornerbacks coach Aaron Foster arrived facing many of the same challenges.
Outside of only a handful of returning players, nearly his entire room had to be rebuilt. Instead of inheriting established veterans, Foster spent the offseason learning personalities, evaluating skill sets and figuring out how the pieces fit together.
"It's been really fun," Foster said. "Everybody's figuring it out together. We're a little green to everything, and because of that, we're willing to push the limits and see what we can do."
The learning process extended across the entire secondary. Defensive coordinator and safeties coach Jahmal Brown installed a new defensive system while asking his players to become the communicators who keep everyone aligned before the snap. Early on, there were growing pains.
By the end of spring, the conversations had become instinctive.
"I tell those guys they're the quarterbacks on the back end," Brown said. "They have to communicate with the corners, communicate with the linebackers and make sure everyone is on the same page."
That growth became obvious during summer player-led workouts, when defensive backs organized practices on their own without coaches directing traffic.
As the defense settled into its new identity, leaders naturally began to emerge. For Foster, Jones quickly became the player he could depend on every day.
"I know Cam's going to be where he needs to be," Foster said. "We know he's going to work hard. We know he's going to do what he needs to do. He's been a guy we wholeheartedly trust."
Leadership isn't reserved for upperclassmen. With so many new faces, everyone has been challenged to invest in teammates and hold one another accountable. That same mentality has been evident at safety, where Kaleb Hutchinson has become an important voice after arriving from Mercer with several coaches and teammates already familiar with Brown's system.
Rather than simply relying on that experience, Hutchinson has used it to help teammates adjust.
"It was really about gaining the trust of the guys here and showing them I'm a leader," said Hutchinson, a first-team all-Southern Conference selection last season with 66 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, along with three interceptions and four pass breakups.
"I've just been trying to help the guys that need help and get everybody on the same page."
His willingness to lead has fueled another healthy development: competition.
Every practice is an opportunity to earn playing time. At corner, Foster has watched transfers and returning players push each other daily. At safety, Brown sees veterans and newcomers creating depth that will be critical over the course of a long season.
"I think competition breeds excellence," Brown said. "You've got guys who have played a lot of football at different levels competing every day. That's a good problem to have."
Other names that have emerged in the secondary include Robert Morris transfer Israel Petite, Mercer transfer Donovan Watkins and redshirt freshman cornerback Tyrell Russell.
The competition isn't about replacing the players who came before them. It's about adding another chapter to Toledo's legacy. Jones appreciates what Mitchell, McNeil-Warren and the Rockets who preceded him accomplished. But he's focused on creating his own story.
"I'm just trying to be me," said Jones, who earned first-team all-Patriot League honors in 2025 after recording 56 tackles, a team-high eight pass breakups and a pick-six. "Those guys made names for themselves here. I want to make a name for myself, but also make a name for our room collectively. We want to uphold the standard that's been set."
Sustaining that standard begins with recruiting and developing the right players, then putting them in positions where their strengths can flourish. For a secondary with so many new faces, the foundation has already been established.
Communication has improved. Competition has intensified. And leadership has emerged. Now comes the part everyone has been building toward.
If the Rockets reach that goal, the next NFL defensive back from Toledo may already be wearing midnight blue and gold.
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