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Co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Mike Hallett is in his 10th season on Toledo’s coaching staff. He has been a driving force in making Toledo’s offense one of the best in the Mid-American Conference over the past nine years.
Toledo’s offense was a potent force in 2024, leading Toledo to an 8-5 record with wins over Power Four schools Mississippi State and Pittsburgh. The Rockets led the MAC in passing offense (254.2) and were second in the league in sacks allowed (1.54). Junior quarterback Tucker Gleason finished second in the MAC in total offense (264.3) and third in passing yards (234.0), while wide receivers Jerjuan Newton and Junior Vandeross both earned first-team All-MAC honors.
The Rocket offense led the league in numerous categories in 2023, a year in which Toledo won 11 straight games and made its second consecutive appearance in the MAC Championship Game. Toledo ranked first in points per game (32.3), total offense (419.3), rushing offense (198.6), passing offense (220.6), rushing touchdowns (31) and passing touchdowns (26). UT was also second in the league in first downs per game (20.5), third-down conversions (44.1) and red zone conversions (89.5%). Running Back Peny Boone was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year and quarterback Dequan Finn was awarded the Vern Smith Leadership Award as the league MVP. Newton led the league with 696 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns, leading to a First-Team All-MAC selection. The offensive line allowed just 11 sacks (0.79/game), the fourth-fewest in the FBS, and included another First-Team All-MAC pick in Nick Rosi.
In 2022, Toledo’s offense ranked second in the MAC in scoring (31.3), third in total offense (401.7) and rushing (177.1), and fourth in passing efficiency (132.97), propelling the Rockets to a MAC Championship title. Sophomore offensive lineman Nick Rosi earned first-team All-MAC honors while Finn and Newton were named to the second team. Finn completed 59.7 percent of his passes for 2,269 yards and 23 TDs in 2022, throwing for a school record-tying six touchdowns and rushing for another against Kent State. His seven TDs against the Golden Flashes set a new program record.
In 2021, the Rockets led the MAC in scoring offense (33.4), paced by junior running back Bryant Koback’s 1,400 rushing yards and 15 rushing TDs. Two Rocket offensive linemen earned All-MAC honors: senior center Bryce Harris (first team) and senior guard Vitaliy Gurmen (third team).
In Hallett’s first season as co-offensive coordinator in 2020, the Rockets ranked third in the MAC in total offense (494.0) and first in passing offense (325.8), averaging 35.0 points per game. Harris earned first-team All-MAC honors and was named a candidate for the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center.
In 2019, Toledo’s running game ranked second in the MAC and 14th in the country, producing 224.5 yards per game. The offense as a whole ranked fourth in the MAC with 434.1 yards per contest. Rosi earned PFF All-America and All-MAC honors in his first season as a starter, while Koback (1,187) and junior Shakif Seymour (741) combined for over 1,900 yards on the ground. Koback earned second-team All-MAC honors.
Hallett helped the Rockets rank first in the MAC in scoring offense (40.4) as well as No. 2 in total offense (443.8) and rushing (215.9) in 2018. Under Hallett’s guidance, Harris earned second-team All-MAC honors, while Koback rushed for 917 yards as a redshirt freshman.
In 2017, Hallett helped guide a Toledo running attack that spearheaded the Rockets’ MAC Championship run. UT averaged 204.0 rushing yards per game, third-best in the MAC. The Rockets also ranked first in the MAC in total offense and passing efficiency, and second in scoring offense and passing offense. Senior Terry Swanson led the MAC with 1,363 yards rushing. Swanson earned first-team All-MAC honors, as did senior offensive linemen Elijah Nkansah and Brant Weiss.
In 2016, Hallett played a major role in guiding Toledo’s offense to the highest single-season yards per game total in program history — 517.8 yards per game. The Rockets also set the passing yardage record with 322.8 yards per contest. Toledo ranked in the top 10 in the nation in five offensive categories: passing efficiency (second), third-down conversions (fifth), total offense (seventh), red-zone offense (ninth) and passing offense (10th). The Rockets also led the MAC in total offense, passing offense, and passing efficiency.
Toledo’s offensive line allowed just 14 sacks in 2016, which was tied for the 11th-fewest in the nation. Two senior offensive linemen, Storm Norton and Mike Ebert, earned first-team All-MAC recognition in 2017. Norton signed as a free agent with the Detroit Lions and is currently on the LA Chargers’ roster. Hallett’s unit helped pave the way to a record-breaking season for senior running back Kareem Hunt. He rushed for 1,475 yards, giving him a school-record 4,945 for his career. Hunt was drafted in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs and went on to lead the NFL in rushing as a rookie.
Prior to becoming a Rocket, Hallett served as head coach at Heidelberg from 2007-15. He ranks third in all-time victories at Heidelberg with a 55-36 record, 46-35 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Hallett turned a program that had lost 36 consecutive games prior to his arrival into a contender in a very competitive NCAA Division III conference. In 2012, Heidelberg went 9-2 record (8-1 OAC) and earned its first-ever berth into the NCAA Playoffs.
Hallett was named the OAC Coach of the Year and D3Football.com North Region Coach of the Year in both 2007 and 2011. During his tenure, 10 of his players earned All-America honors a total of 12 times, and 60 of his players received All-OAC accolades 96 times.
A 1994 graduate of Mount Union, Hallett was a two-time All-American for the Purple Raiders in 1992 and 1993, and was named the Division III Lineman of the Year in 1993. He was part of head coach Larry Kehres’ first national championship team in 1993 when he racked up 111 tackles and 8.5 sacks. A two-time All-OAC first-team selection as well as a three-time Academic all-league pick, Hallett was enshrined in the Mount Union Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
After graduation, Hallett coached high school football in Ohio at Orrville, Akron Coventry and Wooster. He then moved to the college ranks, working at Thomas More as the offensive coordinator and head coach before accepting the head coaching position at Heidelberg in 2007.
Hallett grew up in Orrville, Ohio and graduated from Orrville High School, where he played football and ran track. He originally enrolled at Kent State in 1987 to play football for the Golden Flashes before transferring to Mount Union. He has two sons, T.C. and Ryan. He and his wife Brooke Shannon were married in 2022.
Mike Hallett’s Coaching Experience
2020-25 Toledo – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
2016-19 Toledo – Offensive Line/Running Game Coordinator
2007-15 Heidelberg – Head Coach/Associate Athletic Director
2004-06 Thomas More College – Head Coach
1999-2003 Thomas More College – Offensive Coordinator
