Toledo loses a First Team All-MAC defensive back to Iowa State, as the Rockets’ portal departures pile up.
The Toledo Rockets fielded as strong of a secondary as anybody in the FBS in 2025, and the stats back it up.
Toledo ranked fifth in passing defense (158 yards per game) and second in opponent completion percentage (50.1), while the entire unit limited opponents to the fifth-fewest points and third-fewest yards in the FBS.
Several Rockets from that vaunted defensive backfield, such as Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Avery Smith, and Andre Fuller are testing the waters of the NFL. But the one starter remaining in college is transferring elsewhere in the midwest.
First Team All-MAC strong safety Braden Awls committed to Iowa State on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Awls led the entire MAC with five interceptions as the prevailing ballhawk on Toledo’s dominant defense.
Awls also produced 52 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss (both checking in at fourth on Toledo’s roster), in addition to four pass breakups and a forced fumble in a stellar 2025 campaign. The 6’0”, 196 pound Sylvania, OH native also generated similar stats in 2024, picking off four passes, breaking up six, and logging 72 tackles. Of his nine interceptions at Toledo, his most notable was a 42-yard runback against Pitt in a thrilling 6-overtime 2024 GameAbove Sports Bowl victory.
Awls spent his first three years of his college career at Toledo, where he initially shared a defensive back room with Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl cornerback and former first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell, as well as potential 2026 NFL Draft selections. He now moves to Iowa State, a program that similarly to Toledo, is undergoing its first head coaching change in exactly a decade.
As expected with the departure of 10-year head coach Jason Candle, retaining players won’t be easy for Toledo. The Rockets already lost a horde of players to Candle’s new home in UConn, including All-MAC selections defensive tackle Esean Carter and outside linebacker K’Von Sherman. All-MAC inside linebacker Chris D’Appolonia is also in the portal but has yet to announce a destination. Meanwhile All-MAC defensive end Malachi Davis committed to Rutgers, meaning the Rockets will lose five all-conference defenders to the portal and four to the draft.
New head coach Mike Jacobs will have his hands full restocking a defense which loses essentially every start, plus coordinator Vince Kehres. Expect the Rockets to be major players in the portal this cycle as they aim to restock for Jacobs’ debut season in 2026.
Category: General Sports
