Toledo Football Preview 2025: Another Year, Another Great Rocket Team
Toledo and head coach Jason Candle have made success seem so routine.
The ball got rolling under Matt Campbell, and that came after the end of the Tim Beckman era. Now, Toledo has gone the last 15 years without a losing season.
Georgia can't make that claim. Neither can Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, Texas, Oregon, LSU, and just about every other team you can think of.
And that's what makes Toledo so maddening at times.
It blew out Mississippi State 41-17 in Starkville last season, and lost to Akron. It didn't play for the MAC title, and it beat Pitt in the wackiest bowl game of the postseason.
There are losses on both sides of the ball, and the offensive front has to be far better, but the schedule isn't bad, and no Power Four school has snatched up Candle yet,
Ho hum, it'll be another great season of Toledo football.
Toledo Rockets College Football Preview 2025
Sep 14, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Toledo Rockets quarterback Tucker Gleason (4) looks to pass against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.© Matt Bush-Imagn Images
Toledo Rockets Preview 2025: Offense
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN
- The offense had its worst full season since 2019, and it showed in the five losses. The Rockets were 8-0 when scoring more than 21 points, and 0-5 when scoring that many or fewer, including in a total clunker against Akron to close the regular season.
- The quarterback situation is settled with Tucker Gleason back after throwing for over 4,000 yards with 36 touchdowns in the four years since coming over from Georgia Tech. He can run, too, ripping off 364 yards and seven scores last season.
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- The Rockets hit the jackpot in the transfer portal, getting receiver Trayvon Rudolph (Northern Illinois) to take over as the No. 1 man. Junior Vandeross III is back in the slot after leading the team with 85 grabs, and Eric Holley is a decent outside threat who got his feet wet last year.
The Rockets needed a new tight end with Anthony Torres done, and in comes Jacob Petersen (Holy Cross) after a 34-catch, six-touchdown 2024.
- It's Toledo. The offensive line is supposed to be a plus. It was good last year in pass protection, but it didn't do much of anything against the run. All-MAC guard Ethan Spoth is back at one spot, veteran Carter Fouty is back at another guard job, along with sophomore tackle Cole Rhett.
The O needs transfers Jonathan Harder (Cincinnati) and center Terrence Moore (Pitt) to be great right away and do more for ...
- The running game - it wasn't good. It averaged just 3.45 yards per carry, but coming in to change that is former Arizona State-turned-Ohio State-turned-Kentucky back Chip Trayanum to handle the workload.
Also coming in is Kenji Christian, a big back who started at Virginia Tech and ripped it up for North Carolina A&T before getting hurt last year.
Toledo Rockets Preview 2025: Defense
- For the most part, the defense was fine. It allowed fewer than 28 points nine times, had a good pass rush, and forced plenty of takeaways. If the offense can be a little better, and do a stronger job of controlling the clock, the D will be better, but ...
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- The line has to replace Darius Alexander and Cavon Butler, and now the bulk is missing. There are veterans ready to step up, though, with Martez Ponyter and Esean Carter the key backups last season.
Malachi Davis did a decent job in a rotation on the end, and Anthony Dunn was second on the team with four sacks.
- The transfer portal is helping the linebacking corps. Langston Long (USF) is a quick option who should make plenty of tackles in the middle if he can stay healthy, and Louce Julien (UMass) made five sacks with 43 tackles last year in Amherst.
- The secondary is the team's biggest strength. The corner combination of Avery Smith and Nasir Bowers might be the best in the MAC.
Smith made 58 tackles, broke up 14 passes, and picked off two passes. Bowers was a dynamic producer on the other side with 44 tackles and two interceptions, including a pick six.
Brandon Awls should be an All-MAC safety after making 72 tackles with four picks, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was all over the place with 61 stops, and the transfer portal is bringing the depth.
Toledo Rockets Key to the Season
Get running again.
In the first eight seasons of the Jason Candle era, the Rockets weren't even close to averaging fewer than four yards per carry for a full season. Last year's offense averaged 3.45 yards per carry.
Toledo Rockets Key Player
Jonathan Harder, OT Jr.
Toledo should always be good for a few All-MAC performers on the line, but last year there was a problem for the ground game.
Overall, the front five wasn't strong enough. Enter the 6-4, 330-pound transfer from Cincinnati, who has to lock down and shine on the left side.
Toledo Rockets Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: Trayvon Rudolph, WR Sr.
The fifth-year senior should explode with a little more work his way. An All-MAC performer at times in his four seasons with Northern Illinois, he caught 153 passes for 2,047 yards and ten touchdowns. There's far more explosion than he was able to show over the last two years.
Top Transfer Out: Jay'Quan Bostic, S RFr.
Toledo miraculously got out of the transfer portal run - for now - without losing any massive parts. Bostic is a good-looking young safety who didn't see any time last season, but will work now in Eddie George's secondary at Bowling Green.
Toledo Rockets Key Game
at Miami University, Nov. 12
As long as Toledo plays up to its ability, talent level, and potential, this should be it. This should be the most dangerous game in a workable MAC schedule, and it comes on the road.
Toledo can win everything else, lose this, and probably be fine, if it can pull this off, be shocked if it's not in the MAC title game.
- 2025 Toledo Schedule Breakdown
Toledo Rockets Top 10 Players
1. Junior Vandeross III, WR Sr.
2. Brandon Awls, S Jr.
3. Tucker Gleason, QB Sr.
4. Chip Trayanum, RB Sr.
5. Avery Smith, CB Sr.
6. Trayvon Rudolph, WR Sr.
7. Ethan Spoth, OG Jr.
8. Nasir Bowers, CB Sr.
9. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S Sr.
10. Jacob Petersen, TE Sr.
Toledo Rockets 2024 Fun Stats
- Time of Possession: Opponents 33:04, Toledo 26:56
- Two-Point Conversions: Toledo 6-of-7, Opponents. 4-of-8
- 2nd. Quarter Scoring: Toledo 126, Opponents 59
Toledo Rockets 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
Even when Toledo isn't at its best, it's still good enough to be the best team in the MAC, or close to it.
It'll fight the good fight in road games against Kentucky and Washington State, but it'll be the underdog in both games. If the offense is a little sharper, it should have the talent to win everything else.
It won't, and it'll slip somewhere along the way - sort of like the Akron game last year - but it misses Buffalo and Ohio. That's huge, but not getting UMass and Eastern Michigan hurts.
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Even so, it'll be another good year, another winning record, and a decent bowl game after playing for the MAC Championship.
Set The Toledo Win Total At … 8
Likely Wins: Akron, Kent State, Morgan State
50/50 Games: Ball State, at Bowling Green, at Central Michigan, at Miami University, Northern Illinois, at Western Michigan, WKU
Likely Losses: at Kentucky, at Washington State
This story was originally reported by College Football News on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
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