Weekend Notebook: 3/18

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Toledo Rockets are coming from a magical 2022 season that led them to become the MAC Champs and the Boca Bowl champions. Head coach Jason Candle inked his new contract extension, and the Rockets are fully loaded as they bring back several key members of that championship squad, including star QB Dequan Finn. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the Spring practice on 3/18, the Rockets had a house full of prospects in awe about becoming a Rocket and playing in Toledo's beautiful facilities. Several visitors got offers, while others are just now getting on the radar of the Toledo staff. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's look at some of the student-athletes who attended practice on 3/18. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":721660,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/334310300_760594112416250_6000032770896107648_n-1.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-721660" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='307508' first='Luke' last='Stuewe'] (WR, 2025) - Avon Lake </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stuewe is a natural athlete, standing 6'2 and weighing 190 lbs, and he will turn heads this spring and summer at camps and showcases. Watching Luke last season make strides with Avon Lake only sets up a breakout season for him this fall. At the Toledo practice, we discussed a few of his prior visits and his summer schedule; before he made his way to Toledo, he had only visited Cincinnati. Expectations are high as his older brother [player_tooltip player_id='307500' first='Matthew' last='Stuewe'] will attend Ohio University for football this fall. Luke runs routes very well and knows how to use his size to his advantage; keep an eye on him this summer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ironton Football Players </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='354350' first='Noah' last='Patterson'] (DL/OL, 2024)</strong> is one of the highest-recruited players from Ironton in the 2024 class and has recently racked up a few D1 offers. Patterson's film is solid, but the camp season will be tremendous in determining how big his D1 offers can get. Noah is athletic and aggressive, a combo that he is continually developing too—one of the top 2-way trench players in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='647052' first='Bowen' last='Gossett'] (OL, 2025) </strong>Bowen has recently grabbed a Miami of Ohio offer and holds an offer from Kentucky. Bowen is a 6'2, 250lbs interior lineman who has played varsity for the tigers since his first year. His coaches speak highly of his potential even after only playing half of the 2022 season due to injury. Gossett told me he is working hard on gaining weight and getting more robust in the weight room. He also believes that his team is working harder than he has ever seen before. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='287573' first='Bailey' last='Thacker'] (QB, 2024)</strong> Thacker is an experienced QB who will get a chance to lead the Tigers in 2023. Bailey was a great teammate in 2022, playing multiple positions to help his team win. Thacker displayed his ability to run routes and block all season long vs. various skill levels, along with his ability to throw the football on the rope. This camp season will be necessary for Bailey as he continues to develop his craft at QB to get noticed by some of the top college football programs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1147956' first='Braden' last='Schreck'] (ATH, 2025)</strong> Schreck is a crafty football player who knows how to make plays. After watching his 2022 tape, you can tell he studies the game and has the potential to become a gamebreaker this fall. Schreck is a player to keep on your watchlist because he will perform at a high level on both sides of the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='977995' first='Shaun' last='Terry'] (ATH, 2025)</strong> Terry is extremely shifty when he reaches top speeds. Speaking of speed, he has plenty of it too. Ironton will have a lot of weapons to play with on offense, and Shaun brings a different dynamic with his ability to help in passing attacks along with the ground game. Terry will also cause special teams coordinators headaches as he has the potential to take KR and PR back for 6. Big year ahead for this 2025 prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aris Pittman (WR, 2024) </strong>Pittman only has four films to watch from last season with Ironton, but if you look at his sophomore season tape, you will see how high his ceiling can be. Route running and quick deceleration are a couple of skills that give the 6'2, 195lb wideout that D1 nod. Pittman is one of the premier WRs in Ohio's 2024 class, and folks are just starting to discover what a gem he is. Aris didn't earn an offer at Toledo on 3/18 but picked up one from their Rivals the same day, Bowling Green State University. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->