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MAC Championship or No Dancing: Toledo's Tournament Hopes Crushed by Northern Illinois

Toledo has been one of the dominant teams in the
MAC this season, but they fell to Northern Illinois
on Wednesday night in DeKalb.
Photo Courtesy: www.toledoblade.com

The Toledo Rockets entered DeKalb, Illinois on Wednesday night with a 23-4 overall record while averaging 81 points per game. Toledo has been near the top of the MAC all season long while Northern Illinois has been near the bottom. However, that didn't stop the Huskies from stunning the Rockets.

Northern Illinois came in as an inconsistent team but put together a stellar performance on both ends of the floor to defeat Toledo, 74-65. The Huskies shot 46% from the field while playing tremendous defense on the other end of the floor as well. Toledo was held sixteen points under their season average in the surprising loss, a loss that ended the Rockets' chances of landing a NCAA automatic-bid. While playing in the MAC, every game is a must-win if you'd like to be playing in the NCAA tournament. However, with Toledo's record now dropping to 11-4 in MAC play, post-season dreams are fading quickly for Tod Kowalcyzk's Rockets. Prior to the loss to the Huskies, Toledo was right on the border between landing a potential at-large bid or being sent packing. Well, with a weak resume as far as big wins are concerned, this loss has sealed the fate for Toledo, they'll need to win the MAC tournament on March 15 in order to receive a NCAA tournament bid.

Toledo is still much in the race to win the MAC tournament in the middle of March but they will no longer have something to fall back on if they lose. Sure, they might land a bid to the NIT, but it will be a conference championship or nothing if Toledo wants to play with the big boys during March Madness. The Rockets will take on Western Michigan this Saturday in a game that has a substantial impact on the MAC West. Western Michigan beat Toledo back in January so the Rockets will look for revenge. The Broncos will enter Savage Arena with a 12-3 conference record while Toledo enters with a conference record of 11-4. However, if the Rockets defeat Western Michigan on Saturday, they will hold the tiebreaker and take over first in the Mid-American Conference once again. The tiebreaker will go off of common-opponents according to Jeremy Guy, the Mid-American Conference communications director, which means Toledo defeated Buffalo while Western Michigan did not. However, that will all be voided if the Rockets cannot defeat Western on Saturday. With the MAC tournament approaching quickly, Saturday's matchup between Toledo and Western Michigan could decide who receives the number one overall seeding in Cleveland.


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Looking Ahead: Can Toledo Make the NCAA Tournament?

Toledo point guard, Juice Brown has lifted
the Rockets past several opponents
 this season but is Western Michigan
a bad loss on Toledo's resume?
Photo Credit: www.Toledofreepress.com

We're less than three weeks away from the Mid-American Conference tournament in Cleveland. However, Toledo is looking like the early favorite to take home the MAC Championship and a NCAA tournament bid.

The MAC is becoming a mid-major powerhouse in Men's Basketball with teams such as Western Michigan making a climb back to prominence. Aside from the Broncos who have a current overall record 17-8, Akron also has seventeen wins with a 17-9 overall record. Once again, the Ohio Bobcats are a very serious threat to win the MAC this season as well with a 18-8 overall record thus far. However, they're all chasing the men in the Midnight Blue & Gold, the Rockets of Toledo. Currently, Toledo is tied with Western Michigan for the best record in the MAC with a 10-3 conference record. However, Western Michigan's win over Toledo on January 8 has the Broncos with the tie-breaker until they meet again on March 1 in Toledo.

So what if Toledo doesn't live up to expectations and gets taken down in Cleveland without an automatic NCAA bid? Can they receive an at-large bid to the big dance?

As it currently stands, Toledo has only four losses with their 22-4 overall record. Of those four losses, only one is seen as a truly poor loss and that came to the Eastern Michigan Eagles in Ypsilanti. Not only did they lose the game, but they were blown out 65-44, which certainly looks bad on a tournament resume. The Eagles are currently 15-11 overall in the MAC, which isn't seen as a dominant conference by national media.

Aside from the lost to EMU, the Rockets dropped a game in Athens against the Ohio Bobcats, 95-90 in overtime. The loss to the Bobcats isn't seen as too bad of a loss on the Rockets' resume since Ohio is one of the top teams in the conference but with only four losses, it could attract attention from the NCAA tournament committee. Ohio currently has an 18-8 overall record but just an 8-5 record in the MAC, which could turn Toledo's loss to the Bobcats into a poor loss on the resume.

Toledo also dropped a game in Kalamazoo which could prove huge on their resume. Not that it is seen as a bad loss by any means, but Toledo could have sole possession of the MAC lead if they beat the Broncos back on January 8th to begin MAC play. The Rockets lost that game 87-76 but they will meet at Savage Arena on March 1 in Toledo where the Rockets will look for revenge.

In non-conference, Toledo went 13-1 overall with a loss to the nationally-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse. This was only a ten-point loss to one of the top programs in the country which is something the tournament committee can look past. Toledo really proved that they can hang with anybody in the country on any given night with their performance against the Jayhawks on December 30th.

There is a side-effect of Toledo's 22-4 record, however. The Rockets' strength of schedule is a poor. Aside from playing at Kansas, Toledo's toughest non-conference opponent was Boston College, who is playing poorly this season. However, the game was at Boston College and the Rockets did pull out the 95-92 win early in the season. The next difficult non-conference games would most likely be Detroit and Cleveland State, two decent teams in a dismal Horizon League conference. It will come down to Toledo's strength of schedule if they fail to receive an automatic bid this March.

Another downfall on the resume is Toledo is lacking big time resume building wins. Big wins don't come in the MAC conference no-matter who you beat during conference play, so it is important that MAC teams get important wins during the non-conference schedule. Toledo's win over Boston College will need to get them into the big dance, but it may not be enough, especially if the Rockets get another loss before the end of the season. A 28-4 regular season record will be hard to ignore but of course this whole conversation is invalid if the Rockets win the MAC Championship in Cleveland on March 15 and receive the automatic bid to the big dance.


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Breaking Down Toledo's 2014 Recruiting Class

Lima, Ohio athlete, Mykale Rogers is the highest
rated recruit in Toledo's 2014 recruiting class.
Photo Courtesy: www.berecruited.com

Twenty-three signed letter of intents for the Toledo Rockets 2014 recruiting class. Fourteen of those twenty-three letter of intents come on the defensive side of the ball, where the biggest improvement is for this season's Rockets. After allowing over 28 points per game last season, Toledo will look to lower that number under first year defensive coordinator, Jon Heacock. Last season's 7-5 overall record without a bowl invitation can be seen as a bit of a disappointment. This year's recruiting class is rated as the second-best recruiting class in the MAC by Scout.com and 247sports.com and the third-best in the conference by Rivals.com. Since 2010, Toledo's recruiting classes have been ranked top-two in the conference by all three major recruiting sites. However, Matt Campbell is extremely high on this particular class.

“I think this may be the best and deepest class we’ve signed since I’ve been here,” said Campbell. Campbell is now 17-9 as head coach of the Rockets after serving for three seasons as UT’s offensive coordinator. “We specifically tried to bolster the depth on both sides of the ball. We’ve recruited young men with great character who are committed to academics. We have players who will play a big role for us in the future, as well as some guys who could see action for us next fall.”

As for the specific areas that Campbell and his staff try to recruit, Campbell says they are building a nice hotbed in Florida as well as the Baltimore area. “We will always get the bulk of our players from within a four-hour radius of Toledo, but we’ve created a good niche in the Tampa Bay area ever since we signed Bernard Reedy out of St. Petersburg four years ago,” said Campbell. “The Baltimore/DC area has been good for us lately, as well, and we are starting to recruit the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We’re always going to defend our home turf, but we’re in a situation now where we can go out and bring in players into our program from areas that have great football traditions and coaching.”

The highest rated Toledo commits by the recruiting sites are Tampa Bay, FL linebacker, Anthony Davis who is a three-star by all three of the major sites. Aside from Davis, athlete Mykale Rogers of Lima Catholic Central in Ohio is also listed as a three-star and may be an underrated three-star at that. The last three star is a commit who signed on National Signing Day, tight end Davion Riley of Lake Wales, FL. Riley and his high school teammate, defensive back Dedric Brinson committed to Toledo in a package deal. Brinson is a three-star on Scout and 247 Sports, but Rivals has the cornerback listed as an underrated two-star. Jamal Woodland rounds out Toledo's top five as far as top commitments. Woodland is a 6'2, 185 lb. defensive back from Lanham, Maryland.

Complete list of Toledo commits in the 2014 Class:

Name                          Pos.        Ht.       Wt.       Cl.       Hometown-High School / Transfer or Prep

Adeniyi, Olasunkanmi DE/OLB  6-2       225        Fr.        Richmond, TX-Fort Bend Bush
Alexander, Devin        DB          6-0       205        Fr.        St. Louis, MO-Ritenour
Atariwa, Yazeed          DL          6-4       257        Fr.        Sterling, VA-Dominion
Berry, Mike                 OLB        6-3       205        Fr.        Beavercreek, OH-Beavercreek
Brinson, Dedric           CB          6-2       180        Fr.        Lake Wales, FL-Lake Wales
Davis, Andrew             WR         6-4       185        Fr.        St. Petersburg, FL-Lakewood
Davis, Anthony           LB          6-0       210        Fr.        Tampa, FL-Chamberlain
James, Tré                   LB/DE    6-0       250        Jr.        Baltimore, MD-Baltimore City College / Snow College
Johnson, Jon’Vea        WR         5-11     183        Fr.        Gary, IN-West Side
Mathis, Trevon            CB          5-11     163        Fr.        Pittsburgh, PA-Woodland Hills
Mattison, Cameron      DB          6-1       185        Fr.        Charlotte, NC-Mallard Creek
Olekanma, Richard      LB          6-1       217        Fr.        Downers Grove, IL-North
Pfeiffer, Alex              OL          6-5       281        Fr.        Cincinnati, OH-Anderson
Reynolds, Brandon      DE/LB    6-2       207        Fr.        Solon, OH-Solon
Riley, Davi’on             TE           6-3       207        Fr.        Lake Wales, FL-Lake Wales                                               
Rogers, Bernard           CB          5-11     170        Fr.        Tampa, FL-Plant
Rogers, Mykale            WR         6-1       180        Fr.        Lima, OH-Central Catholic
Spielman, Noah           DL          6-0       278        Fr.        Upper Arlington, OH-Upper Arlington
Swanson, Terry            RB          5-9       183        Fr.        Aliquippa, PA- Aliquippa
Thompson, Cody         WR         6-1       187        Fr.        Huron, OH-Huron
Weber, Bill                  OL          6-4       325        Fr.        Coppell, TX-Coppell
Whitfield, Marcus        WR         5-11     165        Fr.        Massillon, OH-Washington
Woodland, Jamaal       CB          6-2       190        Fr.        Lanham, MD-Duval

Follow @PrideOfUT on Twitter for more updates on recruiting.

Question & Answer with Toledo Commit, Dedric Brinson

Lake Wales, Fla. defensive back Dedric Brinson has officially committed to The University of Toledo. Brinson was once committed to Iowa State but had his commitment to the Cyclones dropped due to taking other visits. The underrated defensive back is rated as a two-star by Rivals.com but is a three-star on several other recruiting sites. We caught up with the newest Toledo commit.

Dedric Brinson (Lake Wales, Fla.) officially
committed to Toledo on Sunday.
Photo Credit: www.TheRocketNation.com

Pride of UT: What made you choose Toledo?

Brinson: "I chose Toledo because they recruited me professionally. Toledo is a family, it's a team, and I love that atmosphere, the coaches and players were so close and they actually had a relationship."

Pride of UT: What schools were in your top three prior to committing to Toledo?

Brinson: "Well I was committed to Iowa State until I took a visit to Indiana which led them to start recruiting a JUCO cornerback. Toledo then hopped on the train and I took my visit and loved it."

Pride of UT: What did you like most during your visit to Toledo?

Brinson: "I loved spending time with the players and the coaches. I got to see academic buildings, and the new football facility (Larimer Athletic Complex) which will be done in July. It'll be cool to have new lockers and to be the first incoming class to be a part of the new facilities. The coaches were another thing that I liked, they really showed me how much they cared, a lot of schools would have girls around trying to get us to commit, but this visit wasn't like that, it was real."

Pride of UT: What do you like most about the Toledo coaching staff?

Brinson: "I liked how real the coaches were and how upfront with me they were. I also like how close the coaches are to the players and how they're like a father-figure and a coach at the same time. The coaches know that there's a time to have fun and a time to get down to business, and I really liked that."

Pride of UT: What other schools did you visit?

Brinson: "Aside from Toledo, I visited Iowa State and Indiana, and Indiana was sure showing a lot of interest."

Pride of UT: What made you choose Toledo over Indiana?

Brinson: "I didn't feel that bond like I did with Toledo, the family atmosphere wasn't as strong as it was in Toledo."

Pride of UT: What are you expecting from Toledo's football program over the next four seasons?

Brinson: "We're going to be a winning program, win MAC championships, and I'll be built into a leader in a lot of ways, on and off the field."

Pride of UT: How is your high school teammate Davion Riley's recruitment coming along?

Brinson: "I know where Davion is going to end up, we just need to keep it a secret until Wednesday when he is going to publicly announce." (All signs point to Riley also signing with Toledo)

Pride of UT: What do the Toledo coaches like most about you?

Brinson: "They like my aggressiveness, I'm a great fit for their defense because I play a lot of man coverage. They also like how my teachers talk about me in the classroom, and how I carry myself on and off of the field."

Pride of UT: Any final comments?

Brinson: "All the glory goes to God. I have to thank my family and friends, it's a blessing to have this opportunity. I just need to stay humble and continue to work, all the credit goes to my family and friends. Also, I love the Toledo atmosphere and the fans, it'll be a nice next four years."

@PrideOfUT and the Pride of UT website will have all signing day news regarding the Toledo Rockets.

Toledo Lands 3-star Cornerback, Dedric Brinson; Is Davion Riley Next?

Lake Wales, Fla. cornerback, Dedric Brinson was once
committed to Iowa State, but decided to commit to
Toledo on Sunday.
Photo Courtesy: polkcountyfootball.com

Dedric Brinson has officially ended his recruitment and has committed to the University of Toledo. Brinson is a three-star cornerback as rated by 247sports.com. The 6'2, 175 lb. cornerback from Lake Wales, Florida is part of a package deal that could bring Brinson's high school teammate, tight end Davion Riley with him. Riley is a three-star tight end with good size and great hands. The athletic 6'3, 210 lb. tight end has offers from twenty schools, including Florida State, Oregon, and Tennessee.

Brinson and Riley made their visit to Toledo together on January 24th. If schools offer Brinson, they'll offer Riley, and vice versa, because this duo is going to college together. Brinson has committed to Toledo, but Riley has said he will wait until signing day to publicly announce his commitment. With Brinson's size, he will surely fit in well with new Toledo defensive coordinator, Jon Heacock's defense.

Toledo is extraordinarily excited about Brinson's commitment, but they want Riley as well. We'll have to wait until signing day to see where the three-star tight end will land, but all signs are pointing towards Riley joining Brinson in the Midnight Blue and Gold next fall.

Follow @PrideOfUT on Twitter for the latest recruiting news.

One Week Before Signing Day: Toledo Recruiting Update

Lake Wales, Florida three-star tight end,
Dav'ion Riley is a big name that is still
uncommitted.
Picture Courtesy: 247sports.com

It has been a tough week for Toledo's 2014 recruiting class after losing top recruit, Travis Smith to Wake Forest. However, not all is lost with a week left before signing day. There are two extremely big uncommitted names left that are very high on the Rockets' recruiting board.

The first big time uncommitted recruit is Lake Wales, Florida tight end, Dav'ion Riley. Riley is a three-star recruit as listed by Rivals.com and is has a nice 6'3, 210 lb. frame. A freakish athlete, Riley has offers from nearly twenty division-one schools including Florida State, Oregon, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. However, Toledo is one of the front runners to land Riley's services. The only official visits Riley has taken were to Indiana and Toledo. Riley visited the University of Toledo campus on January 24th with high school teammate Cedric Brinson. Brinson is the less sought after of the two recruits, but the two are projected to sign with the same school as a package. Riley is a freakish athlete who will be a weapon to any recruiting class that he chooses to sign with.

The second big time uncommitted recruit that Toledo is really targeting is Tampa, Florida outside linebacker, Josh Black. Black is a three-star prospect as rated by Rivals.com and has been offered by ten schools including Arizona, Bowling Green, and Minnesota. However, none of those three schools are in Black's future. According to several recruiting sites, Black's commitment is between Marshall, South Florida, and the Toledo Rockets. Black visited Toledo on December 6th, South Florida on January 17th and Marshall on January 24th. A decision is coming very soon for the three-star linebacker. According to Black, his visit to Toledo in December went very well but he wanted to take other visits prior to committing. The 6'2, 225 lb. outside linebacker is a future stud at whatever school he chooses to attend.

More recruiting news to pass along for Toledo is at the quarterback situation. Toledo has pulled back from recruiting Petaluma, Florida three-star quarterback, JaJuan Lawson. Lawson is visiting Cal this weekend which caused Toledo to back off of his services. Instead, the Rockets may look elsewhere at the quarterback position. The quarterback void left by Travis Smith's decommitment is fully expected to be filled in the 2014 recruiting class, but may not be filled until after February 5th's signing day. @PrideOfUT on Twitter will keep you posted with more on that situation and much, much more.

Toledo Drops DT Ikeem Allen from 2014 Recruiting Class

Mallard Creek, NC defensive tackle Ikeem
Allen has been dropped by Toledo.
Picture Courtesy: The Rocket Nation

On January 18th, Toledo received word from Mallard Creek, North Carolina defensive tackle, Ikeem Allen. He was flipping his commitment from Ball State to Toledo. The 6'1, 295 lb. defensive lineman was high school teammates of fellow 2014 Toledo commit, safety Cam Mattison.

However, not even two weeks following his commitment, Allen has been dropped by the Rockets. According to reports, Allen was dropped for being, "Unloyal and not honoring his commitment." Allen was supposedly dropped for taking others visits while committed to Toledo. Toledo was Allen's only real division-one offer, despite his offer from Ball State which he decommitted from in the middle of January. Allen's others offers include Citadel, Georgia State, Northern Illinois, South Carolina State and Western Carolina.

Allen is rated as a two-star defensive tackle by Rivals.com and runs a quick 4.82 40-yard dash for a big 295 pound frame.  Pride of UT will keep you posted with any Toledo recruiting news in the next week.

Wide Receiver Corey Jones to Switch to Running Back in 2014?

Toledo wide receiver, Corey Jones was a four-star wide
receiver last year coming out of Penn Hills, PA high school.
Photo Courtesy: www.247sports.com

Toledo raised some eye brows last January by signing four-star (according to scout.com) wide receiver, Corey Jones away from big programs like Cincinnati, Maryland, Miami, and West Virginia. Jones totaled 2,135 receiving yards and 39 touchdowns in his high school career at Penn Hills (Penn.) high school.

During the 2013 season, Matt Campbell and his staff used Jones sparingly in the slot at wide receiver. Despite being a highly sought after recruit, Jones didn't have many opportunities during his freshman campaign. Look for that to change in 2014. With the loss of senior wide out, Bernard Reedy, Jones will be used a lot more during the 2014 season.

Aside from the loss of Bernard Reedy, Toledo is also losing top running back, David Fluellen. According to Jones on his twitter account, the Rockets will be using him at running back and in the slot in 2014.

The Rockets found a freshman phenom in the backfield last season in Kareem Hunt, who filled in for Fluellen at times through the 2013 while Fluellen nursed injuries. In 2014, Hunt and Jones may create a two-headed monster of power and speed. Jones only carried the ball twice for a total gain of four yards during his freshman campaign. Former Toledo running backs coach, Lou Ayeni left the Rockets last month to accept the same job at Iowa State, but new running backs coach, Anthony Johnson may look to use Jones in the backfield. Johnson comes to Toledo from Sam Houston State but has had past experience as an assistant coach at Texas where he spent time working with NFL running backs Jamaal Charles and Cedric Benson. Johnson may look to use Jones more in the backfield than at wide receiver. The 5'9, 165 lb. wide-receiver is one of the fastest players on the Rockets offense and could be a weapon in the Toledo backfield.

Jones has stated on his Twitter feed that Toledo is still using him in the slot but is also using him at running back as well. He also stated he has yet to meet new running backs coach, Anthony Johnson quite yet. We'll just have to see how much he gets used in the backfield during the 2014 season.

Follow @PrideOfUT on Twitter for the latest on this situation and much more.

Toledo Visits 2015 Quarterback Alex Malzone

Birmingham Brother Rice (Mich.) 2015
quarterback, Alex Malzone already holds
a Toledo offer.
Picture Credit: michigan.scout.com

Toledo started looking at 2015 quarterbacks way back in September. Birmingham Brother Rice quarterback, Alex Malzone was one of the first to receive a Toledo offer in the Class of 2015. The Rockets offered Malzone on September 1st, the same day the Western Michigan Broncos offered the 6'2, 185 lb. junior quarterback.

Malzone currently holds offers from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Old Dominion, Toledo, and Western Michigan but is expecting several more offers by next February. Aside from those offers, Malzone has consistently been hearing from programs such as Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin. According to Yahoo! Rivals, Malzone is currently rated as the seventeenth best quarterback in the class of 2015 and is currently rated as a three-star prospect which may be boosted to a four-star coming up.

Malzone was visited at his high school in Birmingham, Michigan by the Rockets and Michigan State Spartans on Tuesday, January 28th. Several schools have told Malzone they would like to see him throw in person prior to them offering. Toledo and Western Michigan were the first schools to offer Malzone, but programs like Michigan and Michigan State may be the last, which is what really matters. In the end, Malzone may be a top tier Big Ten quarterback prospect.

2014 Toledo Commits Not Bothered By Travis Smith's Decommitment

Toledo head coach, Matt Campbell is doing his best to keep his
2014 recruiting class together.
Photo Credit: www.blog.preps.com

Following the big news of Travis Smith's decommitment, many would say Toledo's 2014 recruiting class got extremely weaker. However, the class wouldn't say that about themselves.

A player we won't name in the 2014 recruiting class for the Toledo Rockets had quite a bit to say about Travis Smith and his recruitment.

"Why is everybody making a big deal about him? He's going to do what's best for him and not what everyone else wants him to do," said the unnamed future Rocket.

It didn't stop there. "Smith wouldn't be a factor until our senior year, we have three quarterbacks better than him on our current roster and he's a bit undersized, the only thing about him is that he's never lost a high school game," said the 2014 recruit. And that's true. Smith went 41-0 as a starter at Ithaca high school in Ithaca, Michigan and helped lead the Yellow Jackets to four straight state championships.

"He has no college experience, who knows what he'll be at the next level. All I know is, I definitely don't want a "leader" to be iffy about is if he's going to take other visits." These quotes all came out the night before Smith's decommitment from Toledo.

As Smith prepared to make a decision between Wake Forest and Toledo, several 2014 Toledo commits took time to tweet to Smith, saying "Your fam is UT #RocketNation". The shocking thing is that just two days prior to decommiting from Toledo, Smith sent out a tweet to newly-committed wide receiver JonVea Johnson of Gary, Indiana saying, "Can't wait to play with you!" But that obviously isn't happening anymore as Smith leaves for Wake Forest.

Ultimately, who can blame Smith? Nobody. It was his decision and not ours to judge but only one thing is for certain: Wake Forest is getting a very underrated dual-threat quarterback. Best of luck to Smith with the Demon Deacons.

Toledo Visits 2014 Quarterback JaJuan Lawson

Petaluma, California quarterback JaJuan Lawson is the next
target on Toledo's recruiting board.
Photo credit: www.pdpreps.com

Matt Campbell and his staff aren't oblivious; they likely knew their top quarterback commit, Travis Smith was leaving for a bigger program. Campbell and his staff have been looking for someone to fill Smith's void if he did leave the Rockets. He did. Now, the Rockets staff has traveled all the way to California to visit Petaluma, California quarterback, JaJuan Lawson. Lawson is a three-star recruit as listed by Yahoo! Rivals and is receiving offers from a lot of programs, but not a lot of attention. Lawson has an impressive offer sheet which includes schools such as Arizona, Arizona State, Boston College, and Nevada. However, Toledo is absolutely in the hunt.

Lawson runs a swift 4.55 40-yard dash but is a bit undersized with a 6'1, 195 lb. frame. It's easy to compare Lawson to current Toledo wide receiver, Dwight Macon who was recruited to the Rockets as a quarterback but was moved to a wide out. Macon also has a 6'0, 200 lb. frame which may have led to the switch to wide out. Nonetheless, Lawson is a tremendous quarterback who is confident with the ball in his hands and is someone who can make plays. Toledo has quietly been getting into Lawson's recruiting hunt and it may be too little, too late for the Rockets, but we'll have to keep an eye on Lawson and his commitment within the next week.

Travis Smith Decommits from Toledo; What's next for the Rockets?

New Wake Forest commit, quarterback Travis Smith (left)
poses with another member of Wake Forest's 2014
recruiting class during his visit over the weekend.
Photo Credit: @CupofT5 on Twitter

Ithaca, Mich. quarterback Travis Smith has officially decommitted from Toledo and has committed to Wake Forest. Smith has been a Rocket commit since June 8 but has since heard from programs such as Indiana and Minnesota, though neither offered. Prior to committing to Toledo, Smith held offers from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, and Western Michigan. Note: Bowling Green. After a MAC Championship season at Bowling Green, head coach Dave Clawson left to accept the head coaching job at Wake Forest. What was one of the first things that Clawson did following his arrival in Winston-Salem? Offer Travis Smith, and Smith bit on the offer. Smith took his official visit to Wake on January 24th and it sealed the deal. Just two days following his visit, Smith flipped from the Rockets to the Demon Deacons.

Now what's next for the Rockets? Smith was the highest rated recruit in Toledo's 2014 class and was highly-ranked nationally. Now what? Well, the Rockets may look elsewhere. Signing day is just over a week away, but Toledo has a backup plan. There are a few whispers leaking out about who the Rockets may look at to fill the need at quarterback. However, with Alabama quarterback transfer, Philip Ely ready to play this season, the need at quarterback won't be evident until next season's class. Anyhow, here are a few names to watch out for when it comes to Toledo's quarterback need in the 2014 class:

Joey Duckworth
Louisville, Ohio
Verbally Committed to Ohio
Duckworth was high on Toledo's list until Smith committed, which led Toledo to back off of all quarterbacks they were once recruiting. With Smith committing to Wake, does Duckworth think about decommitting from Ohio? Maybe not, but there's a chance. Duckworth is the 28th ranked quarterback nationally by Yahoo! Rivals and is 6'3, 209 lbs. we'll just see if Matt Campbell and his staff want to go after the Ohio commit and try to sway him back to the Rockets. Duckworth also holds offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Kent State, and Western Michigan.

Adam Bertke
Maria Stein, Ohio
Verbally Committed to Pittsburgh
Bertke has been committed to Pittsburgh since June, so maybe it's a foregone conclusion that he'll end up with the Panthers. BUT, we thought Smith was coming to Toledo, and that turned against us. Bertke is a pro-style quarterback that is 6'5, 210 lbs. which intrigues college scouts. Bertke holds several offers including Akron, Bowling Green, Illinois, and Kent State.

There are still under the table prospects that the Rockets are keeping quiet about and who can blame them? It takes one schools offer to turn a recruit's commitment upside down. We'll just have to wait it out and see. One prospect that Matt Campbell and his staff could look at in the 2015 class is Ann Arbor Skyline (Mich.) quarterback, Askaree Crawford. Crawford had a break-out junior season and received an Ann-Arbor Dream Team selection. Aside from Toledo, Louisville and Central Michigan have already been in contact with the junior quarterback. Toledo has requested for test scores on the soon-to-be big time recruit.

We'll keep you posted leading up to February 5th. Follow @PrideOfUT on Twitter for the latest.

Current Toledo Commit Travis Smith Leaving for Wake Forest?

Ithaca, Mich. quarterback, Travis Smith is the top prospect
in Toledo's 2014 recruiting class, but they're in danger
of losing the three-star prospect.
Photo Credit: www.freep.com

With the graduation of starting quarterback, Terrance Owens, Matt Campbell and his coaching staff were looking to fill the void at quarterback. And they did just that. Ithaca, Michigan quarterback, Travis Smith committed to the Rockets way back in June. However, Smith's verbal commitment to Toledo may now be in jeopardy.

There's no denying that Smith is a division-one quarterback. There's also no denying what Smith has accomplished as a high school quarterback. As a three year starter at Ithaca (Mich.), Smith went 41-0 and led the Yellow Jackets to three straight state titles, despite being on varsity for a state championship his freshman year as a backup. With four state championships, 56 straight wins, and nearly every Michigan high school passing record, Smith's stock has been on the rise. In the past few months, Smith has heard from schools such as Minnesota and Indiana, though neither of the schools offered the 6'2, 195 lb. signal-caller. However, one school did offer Smith, and they caught his eye.

Wake Forest has come calling. Smith took his visit to Winston-Salem, North Carolina on January 24th and really enjoyed it, making his commitment to Toledo questionable with just over a week before signing day.

"It (the Wake Forest visit) was great. The school is first class in everythign and the new coaches are going to make Wake into a winning program. The biggest thing that sold me was the education," said Smith about his visit to Wake.

As far as decommitting to Toledo, Smith says he's going to talk about it and try to have a decision by January 27th. "I'm going to sit down and talk with my parents about everything and make a decision by tomorrow night," said Smith.

Toledo needs Smith. Former Bowling Green head coach, Dave Clawson took over as Wake Forest head coach nearly a month ago and is now haunting Matt Campbell and the Rockets in Smith's recruitment.

Follow us (@PrideOfUT) on Twitter for the latest on Smith's commitment.

Mailbag: How will Jon Heacock Hiring Effect 2014 Recruiting Class?

Cornerback Trevon Mathis of Woodland Hills,
Pennsylvania has committed to Toledo.
Photo Credit: www.247sports.com

Following the loss of defensive coordinator Tom Matukewicz to Southeast Missouri State, Toledo had a large void to fill. Lacking a defensive coordinator on the recruiting trail can prove costly for a recruiting class.

However, the Rockets finally filled that void with the hiring of Purdue defensive backs coach Jon Heacock. Credit Matt Campbell and his staff for keeping a majority of the recruiting class together while still searching for a defensive coordinator. Most of the time after losing an offensive or defensive coordinator, recruits tend to decommit and look elsewhere, but not with the Rockets.

The question is, now that Toledo has found their defensive coordinator, how will he effect the 2014 recruiting class?

That question is already answered for the most part. Heacock has already had a large and positive impact on the 2014 class for the Rockets. It is not uncommon for a team to announce to recruits who the new coach is before announcing it to the public, which is what appears to have happened in Toledo's case.

Toledo went out and received two big pieces in their 2014 recruiting class from Millard Creek, NC defensive tackle Ikeem Allen and Woodland Hills, PA cornerback, Trevon Mathis. Mathis is the higher-rated of the two prospects and is a three-star recruit according to several recruiting websites. Aside from the three-star rating, the 5'11, 175 lb. Mathis also had offers from programs such as Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh. For Allen, he flipped his commitment from Ball State to Toledo after being committed to the Cardinals since the summer. The 6'1, 295 lb. defensive tackle has the ability to move around on the defensive line and possibly play some defensive end or even some outside linebacker, making him quite an asset to the 2014 class. The 295-pounder also runs a swift 4.82 40-yard dash.

These two commits have added a lot of talent and depth to this 2014 class for the Rockets. Heacock appears to have already made an impact on this recruiting class, though he hasn't been known as a big-time recruiting guru as of yet. The 53-year old Heacock may bring a lot of discipline and different schemes to the Rockets defense which may help on the recruiting trail. There are still a few big prospects that are still uncommitted which are high on UT's radar, so let's see what Matt Campbell and his staff can get done prior to February 5.

Toledo Hires New Defensive Coordinator

Jon Heacock will take over a Toledo defense that ranked
74th in the nation last season.
Photo Credit: www.purduesports.com

After over a month of anxious anticipation, Toledo has finally found their next defensive coordinator. Matt Campbell and the Rockets announced on Saturday that Purdue defensive backs coach, Jon Heacock will become Toledo's new defensive coordinator. The 53-year old Heacock comes to Toledo to replace former defensive coordinator, Tom Matukewicz who left in December after accepting the head coaching job at FCS Southeast Missouri State.

Toledo head coach Matt Campbell was reportedly drawn to Heacock after his success as Kent State defensive coordinator from 2010-2012 under head coach Darrell Hazell. After a 2012 campaign in which Kent State won eleven games and made their first bowl game in forty years, Hazell accepted the head coaching job at Purdue and took Heacock with him as a defensive backs coach. In 2013, Purdue had a brutal year only going 1-11 overall and putting the Purdue coaching staff on the hot seat after just one season.

Heacock will take over a Toledo defensive which allowed 28.6 points per game last season which ranked 74th in the nation under defensive coordinator Tom Matukewicz. Prior to becoming the defensive coordinator at Kent State, Heacock placed nine years of head coaching experience on his resume as the head coach of Youngstown State at the FCS level. In 2006, Heacock led the Penguins to the FCS Semifinals after posting an 11-3 overall record. Heacock led Youngstown State to a 60-44 overall record in his nine seasons with the Penguins.

Heacock first entered coaching as a Toledo graduate assistant in 1983.