University of Toledo Football

Aaron Foster is in his first season as cornerbacks at Toledo after spending the past two seasons at UTEP as the Miners’ cornerbacks coach and passing game coordinator. UTEP’s pass defense came up with solid performances under Foster’s leadership, totaling 16 interceptions and 77 pass breakups over the past two seasons. In 2024, the Miners allowed a season-low 115 passing yards against Southern Utah and yielded just 132 passing yards at Colorado State. The “Orange Swarm” defense picked off four FIU passes, helping to lead the Miners to their first win of the season. It was the most interceptions by a UTEP defense since 2011 and the most picked off in the Sun Bowl since 2008. UTEP allowed only 183 passing yards in its double overtime win over Kennesaw State. Prior to his stint at UTEP, Foster was the cornerbacks coach/pass game coordinator at Austin Peay in 2023. The Governors finished 9-3 overall and 6-0 in United Athletic Conference action, while claiming a UAC Championship and a FCS playoff bid. Redshirt sophomore CB Jevon Mclver Jr. ranked 12th in FCS and led the UAC with 13 total passes defended (12 breakups) during the 2023 season. Redshirt senior CB Cedarius Doss was also named to the all-conference second team after leading APU and ranking second in the UAC with three interceptions. Doss rated fifth in the UAC with 10 total passes defended. Overall, the Governors’ defense amassed 63 pass breakups. Before his season in Clarksville, Tenn., Foster spent two campaigns at Le

Sport Responsibilities: Football, Women's Rowing, Baseball Bri Sowatskey joined University of Toledo Student-Athlete Support Services Staff as an athletic co...

Brian Folkerts joined the Toledo football coaching staff as the offensive line coach in December of 2025. Folkerts coached alongside Head Coach Mike Jacobs a...

Cris Reisert was named Toledo's Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach in December of 2025. Reisert brings a proven offensive pedigree and a deep connection to the state of Ohio to the Rockets' program. Reisert arrives in Toledo following a successful two-year stint at Gardner-Webb, where he guided his squad to a 7–5 overall mark in 2025, a win total no Runnin’ Rebel team had bettered in the past 22 years. He also has 11 years of coaching experience in the state of Ohio, including five highly successful seasons as the head coach at Tiffin where his teams won three conference titles from 2019-23. Reisert, a Cincinnati native, starred at quarterback at Ohio Dominican University, earning two consecutive NAIA All-America honors and the prestigious NAIA National Player of the Year award in 2007. He was inducted into the Ohio Dominican Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. Reisert’s coaching journey features significant success across the state of Ohio. At Tiffin, he compiled an impressive record of 40–11 (.784 winning percentage), 32-4 (.889) in conference play, secured three Great Midwest Athletic Conference championships (2019, 2020 and 2023)., and three GMAC Coach of the Year honors in each of those seasons. His Tiffin squads set school records in scoring offense (43.7 PPG) and total offense (482.9 YPG) in 2023. In 2023, Reisert’s Tiffin squad posted an 11-1 record, completing the regular season unbeaten and reaching the second round of the Division II national playoffs. With R

Devin Figaro joined the Toledo Football staff as the wide receivers coach in 2026. The upcoming season will be his ninth working alongside Head Coach Mike Ja...

Duane Welch was hired as the Assistant Director for Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) at the University of Toledo in July of 2024. Welch currently serves as the advisor for the offense of the football program, and oversees the women's softball and men's tennis programs. He coordinates the learning assistance program for all UT student-athletes, and also manages the SASS office's Rocket Tutorial program, providing content tutors and academic coaching for extra resources for student-athletes. Prior to joining the Rockets' SASS office, Welch worked for Lucas County Juvenile Court as a probation officer, and as a success coach (2021-22) and an advisor for TRIO Student Support Services at the University of Toledo where he specialized in assisting students to graduation while providing opportunities to develop leadership skills. Welch is a two-time graduate of the University of Toledo and has been a finalist for the Outstanding Advisor Award. When not working, Welch spends most of his time with his family, traveling the world, and watching Cleveland Browns, Cavs, and Guardian games. Welch is a native of Barberton, Ohio. He and his wife, Sarah, have a son, Kristopher (KJ), and a daughter, Kenni.

Fred Jones joined the Toledo football coaching staff as the running backs coach in December of 2025. Jones will coach alongside head coach Mike Jacobs for th...

Jacob Bonacci joined the Rockets as the director of advance scouting in 2026. A 2025 graduate of Ohio State, Bonacci served as a student recruiting and scouting assistant at Ohio State from 2023-25 and at Cincinnati in 2022-23. He was part of an OSU staff that had the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation in 2024 and No. 5 in 2025. He most recently held the title of player personnel assistant at Ohio University since last July.

Jahmal Brown joined the Toledo football coaching staff as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach in December of 2025. The upcoming season will be his e...

Jamahl Johnson was named a defensive graduate assistant at the University of Toledo in 2024. Johnson had previous coaching stops at Ohio Dominican (2022-23) and Wittenberg (2020-21). He was a defensive lineman at Iowa State from 2016-20, totaling 49 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in 42 games played. In his senior season, Johnson was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection. Johnson played professionally in the XFL for the San Antonio Brahmas in 2023 and in the IFL for the NAZ Wranglers in 2022. A native of Savage, Minn., Johnson graduated from Iowa State with a bachelors degree in criminal justice in 2020.

James Daniels joined the Rockets as the nickelbacks coach in 2026. Daniels came to Toledo with 12 years of college coaching experience, most recently coaching at Tiffin as defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach for the past two seasons. Prior to that, he coached cornerbacks at Lehigh in 2023; served as defensive backs coach and pass defense coordinator at East Stroudsburg from 2020-22; and coached nickelbacks and linebackers at Dayton in 2019. He also had coaching stops at Buffalo, Marietta, Notre Dame College, Ohio Northern, Becker College and Towson. Daniels played running back at Division III powerhouse Mount Union, winning a national championship as a freshman in 2008 and adding national runner-up finishes in each of the next three seasons. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Mount Union in 2011 and his master’s degree in 2014.

Jimmy Long joined the Rockets as the program's defensive line coach in December of 2025. The 2026 season will mark Long’s third season on Head Coach Mike Jacobs’ staff following two seasons at Mercer in 2024 and 2025. Mercer ranked among the nation’s top 25 teams in total defense for three of the last five years, while also boasting one of the best rushing defenses in the FCS. During the 2025 season, the Bears ranked third in sacks (3.5), fifth in tackles for loss (8.0) and 11th in rushing defense (110.2 yards/game). Prior to his time at Mercer, Long oversaw the defensive line at Lenoir-Rhyne and held opponents to just 104.8 yards/game on the ground across the 2018 and 2019 seasons, while also totaling more than seven tackles for loss an outing. In 2019, Lenoir-Rhyne had the nation’s 18th-best total defense while also ranking eighth in rushing yards allowed per game (81.9) and fourth in sacks (3.6/game). Long began his coaching career with three separate graduate assistant coaching assignments, including his first as a special teams assistant at The Citadel for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He also spent one season at the University of the South (2016) and was a defensive line assistant at NC State in 2017. A native of Haymarket, Va., Long served as a team captain for Lenior-Rhyne as a senior in 2013 and helped guide the Bears to a berth into the national championship game. He also won three-straight South Atlantic Conference Championships (2011-13) and picked up all-conference

Kory Allen joined the Toledo coaching staff as Associate Head Coach and Tight Ends Coach in December of 2025. Allen comes to Toledo after two decades at the ...

Kyle Ohradzansky joined the Toledo staff as the assistant quarterbacks coach in2026. Previously, he served as an offensive coordinator at Findlay and Shippensburg. Ohradzansky began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Findlay in 2016, eventually moving into roles coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers. Ohradzansky then went to Shippensburg where he was the offensive coordinator from 2021-22. He returned to Findlay as the offensive coordinator in 2023. He was part of NCAA Playoff teams at Findlay in 2017 and 2025. Ohradzansky has coached 16 all-conference players in his career, including three who made it to the NFL: Jason Moore (LA Chargers), Drew Ogletree (Indianapolis Colts) and Redd Douglas (New York Giants). A native of Avon, Ohio, Ohradzansky played quarterback at Lafayette and Baldwin Wallace, graduating from BWU in 2014. He and his wife Michaela were married in 2020

Matt Ulrich joined Toledo’s coaching staff as the special teams coordinator in December of 2025. The 2026 season will be Ulrich’s fifth campaign working alongside Head Coach Mike Jacobs. Ulrich’s special teams were key to Mercer’s run to the quarterfinals of the NCAA FCS Playoffs in 2024 as the Bears were 20th in the nation in punt returns (12.22 yards/return), while also allowing just 5.72 yards/return (25th in the NCAA). Return specialist Brayden Smith earned a pair of All-American awards, totaling 861 total yards. Prior to his stint at Mercer, Ulrich spent two seasons at Eastern Washington (2022-23) as the defensive line coach. EWU limited five opponents to 156 rushing yards or fewer during the 2023 season, including holding Idaho State to just 49 yards on the ground. Ulrich served three seasons as the co-defensive coordinator at NCAA Division II powerhouse Winona State, helping lead one of the nation’s top rush defenses. In 2021, the Warriors gave up just 97.4 yards per game to opponents, a mark that ranked 17th in the NCAA. Winona State held opponents to 100 rushing yards or less 16 times from 2018-21, including six times across Ulrich’s final season on the WSU sidelines. Ulrich began his coaching career as the defensive line coach for Winona State in 2012 before joining the Notre Dame (Ohio) staff as a graduate assistant defensive line coach for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Following one season as a defensive quality control assistant at UC Davis, he returned to Notre Dam

Mike Jacobs was named Head Football Coach at the University of Toledo in December of 2025. He is the 28th head coach in the 109-year history of the Rocket fo...

Nick Rosi joined the Rockets as an offensive graduate assistant in 2025. Rosi played on the offensive line for the Rockets from 2018-23, earning first-team All-MAC honors in 2022 and 2023. In 2019 he made third-team All-MAC and was named to the FWAA Freshman All-America Team. Rosi was a four-time Academic All-MAC selection and earned a bachelor's degree in healthcare administration in 2022.

Shawn Chaffee was named the Toledo linebackers coach in December of 2025, and will join Head Coach Mike Jacobs for their ninth season on the sidelines together in 2026. Chaffee oversaw the linebackers throughout his two seasons at Mercer, helping the defense to rank 11th in the country among all FBS institutions, allowing 110.2 yards/game. The Bears also ranked third in the country in team sacks (3.50) and fifth nationally in team tackles for loss (8.0). During the 2024 campaign. Chaffee’s linebackers helped the Mercer defense lead the FCS in five statistical categories: forced turnovers (34), passes intercepted (25), rushing defense (70.8 rushing yards/game), defensive touchdowns (eight) and sacks (3.29 sacks/game). Prior to his tenure at Mercer, Chaffee was the defensive coordinator at Lenoir-Rhyne from 2020-23. The Bears ranked among the NCAA Division II’s top total defenses, including a 2023 campaign where Lenoir-Rhyne held opponents to 258.5 yards (ninth in the NCAA) and 14.7 points (seventh) per game. Chaffee was the defensive line coach at Notre Dame (Ohio) from 2018-19 and helped lead the Falcons to a 25-3 record, two Mountain East Conference Championships and two NCAA postseason appearances, including the 2018 NCAA Semifinals. Chaffee served graduate assistant roles at three different schools, including a two-year stint as a defensive line and linebackers coach at Ball State throughout the 2016 and 2017 seasons. A three-year mainstay on the offensive and defensive li

Tim Hoover joined the Rockets as a special teams analyst in 2026. Hoover previously was a linebackers coach/special teams coordinator at Wisconsin Eau-Claire (2024-25), a defensive analyst at Eastern Washington (2022-23), a linebackers coach at Wisconsin-Platteville (2020-21) and a graduate assistant at Wisconsin-Whitewater (2019). Hoover graduated from Illinois State in 2019 and received his master’s degree from UW-Whitewater in 2021.

Tyler Miller was named director of player personnel at Toledo in 2026. Miller previously served in a variety of roles at Purdue from 2022-25, including assistant director of player personnel, director of offensive scouting and camp director. Previous to that, Miller served as director of football operations/offensive analyst at Indiana Wesleyan in 2021, and worked in operations and recruiting roles at Missouri (2018-20), Purdue (2016-18) and Akron (2012-16). In his 13-year career, Miller has worked with 128 award-winners and 51 NFL players. A native of Dover, Ohio, Miller earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Akron in 2012 and 2015, respectively.