Toledo adds 10 new signees to MAC’s No. 1 football recruiting class

February 8, 2018 | Athletics, News
By Paul Helgren



UT Head Football Coach Jason Candle announced yesterday the Rockets have added 10 student-athletes to their 2018 football recruiting class.

The signees join 18 players who inked with UT in December during the early signing-period for a total of 28 newcomers.

Toledo’s class is ranked No. 1 in the Mid-American Conference by 247 Sports and Scout.com, the second consecutive year the Rockets have nabbed the top class in the MAC according to those scouting services.

Candle said he feels this class will be a great addition to the Toledo football program, which won 11 games and a MAC Championship in 2017.

“We’re always going to address the needs of our program,” said Candle, who was named the 2017 MAC Coach of the Year. “But we also are looking for young men with good character who are committed to the excellence that is necessary to be successful in the classroom. We want guys who love football and all the preparation that goes into being a great team. I feel like all the young men in this class will fit into the culture of our program.

“Coming off a championship season, there are a lot of positive things happening in our program. Our job is to make sure we protect the culture of our locker room and bring in good people who are only going to enhance it.”

Candle added the 2018 recruiting class will help to address the future needs of his team.

“Our first priority was to address the line of scrimmage. It’s a heavy class on the offensive and defensive line. That’s an area that always gets addressed after every season. That’s where the game is won, in the trenches. If you can’t control the line of scrimmage, you’re probably not going to control the outcome of the game.

“After that, it comes down to quarterback play. I think we signed two really good quarterbacks, two players who will have really bright futures at Toledo. Beyond that, you need really good athletes at linebacker, in the secondary, at receiver and in the backfield. Those are all areas where we solidified ourselves.

“At the end of the day, all of these guys will have a chance to make an impact in our program.”

This is the third recruiting class for Candle as head coach. His 2017 class was ranked No. 1 in the MAC by all major recruiting services, and his 2016 class was ranked No. 2 in the MAC by 247 Sports.

Before taking over as UT’s head coach in December 2015, Candle had been an assistant on the Rockets’ staff since 2009. In 2010, Candle was named one of the top recruiters in the nation by Rivals, the only coach from the MAC to make the list that season. He was named Mid-American Conference Recruiter of the Year in both 2011 and 2012 by Scout.com.

Candle and his staff signed players from 12 different states, and 12 of the future Rockets are from Ohio and Michigan. The Rockets once again tapped Florida, hauling in four signees from the talent-rich Sunshine State. The remaining recruits hail from all over the map: California, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Read more about the recruits here and watch video here.

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