CANTON — Culture, according to Toledo head coach Jason Candle, is what you tolerate and what you celebrate.
For the Rockets, that means avoiding off-field transgressions, building a passionate locker room environment, and winning frequently. Talent and coaching get most of the credit after victories, but the truth is that UT’s wins are manufactured in the months before August.
“It starts with the guys up top, and they have to invest in the younger guys,” senior safety Maxen Hook said. “And when you have people that learn that at a young age, they usually try to carry it on and pass it along.”
Quinyon Mitchell lived, breathed, and espoused the Toledo culture. A constant theme in conversations with recruits is relationships. Staff continuity has allowed the program ethos that Candle preaches to flourish.
It begs the question of whether Toledo’s sustainable culture has it positioned to avoid a letdown after winning 11 games, going 8-0 in the Mid-American Conference, and saying goodbye to a first-round draft pick, the MAC MVP, a 1,600-yard rusher, and its entire starting offensive line.
“It’s an ongoing process,” Candle said. “There are a lot of variables and a lot of differences each and every year. You got new people coming in. You got people leaving. You’re counting on the legacy and the impact that the guys that have come before these players have left, and you’re counting on new players to uphold that tradition and try to take it one step further to make it better.”
On Friday, the MAC’s coaches voted Toledo second, behind defending champion Miami. The Rockets return six All-MAC honorees, but they also must replace seven first-team all-conference selections. The coaches’ picks aren’t perceived as a slight, and restocking the two-deep isn’t an impediment, thanks to UT’s recruiting and ability to successfully navigate the transfer portal.
“You’ve got to give credit where it’s due. They are the defending champs,” senior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton said of Miami. “At the end of the day, we go game-by-game with everything. We’re not really worried about that. We know who we are as a team and what we’re going to do when the time comes.”
There’s a quiet confidence in Toledo’s locker room with the start of fall camp on the horizon. The confidence comes from everything UT has built in recent years and the repeatability of talented players making winning plays. They’re hungry and self-assured in their process.
September road games against Mississippi State and Western Kentucky are potential momentum builders that could change the definition of the season from good to great. Toledo did not shy away from significant expectations last year, declaring that 12-0 was the goal. It would have come to fruition if not for one miraculous fourth-down pass at Illinois. Negotiating the 2024 schedule without a loss is not impossible.
“We have a group of guys that I think have really earned the right to be confident with their past successes,” Candle said. “But one of the biggest misconceptions in sports is what you’ve done in the past should automatically feel like you should be successful in the now, which is not true. You have to do the intentional work necessary to be great, and to this point in time, this team has proven that they’re willing to do that. We have a long way to go, but we’re off to a great start.”
The beginning wasn’t winter workouts or spring practice. It was in its infancy when Candle took over the program in 2015 and construction has continued ever since. Everything begins with culture. A defining characteristic of last season’s team was Mitchell turning down massive paydays from Alabama and other SEC programs to remain planted firmly in the Glass City.
Hook and Newton could have left during the current offseason but chose to stay. Their selflessness and actions are deafening, lifting the entire program and serving as a message for the rest of the conference: The more things change at Toledo, the more they stay the same.
“All those schools had the opportunity to recruit me,” Hook said. “They all passed on me. I’ve had the same coaches for all of college, which is pretty rare. And I have a great relationship with them. The grass is always not greener on the other side. Maybe I could have gone somewhere and gotten a few extra dollars, but Toledo has taken care of me. Money is not everything. I love this team. I love the city. I love the people here. A few extra dollars to go play in the Big Ten just wasn’t even on my mind.”
Instead, he was thinking about another MAC title.
“Just get better. That’s our team motto,” Newton said. “And it hasn’t changed because we’ve been a winning program since I got here. We’re still a winning program. We’re going to be a winning program forever.”
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