THE BOARD: Toledo Football

Mike Jacobs spent two decades building programs nobody expected to win. Lenoir-Rhyne. Mercer. Seven conference championships. A career record of 94-23. An Eddie Robinson Award finalist twice in three years. When Jason Candle left Toledo for UConn in December 2025, the Rockets hired a coach from Maumee, Ohio -- a Toledo suburb -- who played offensive line at Ohio State. Jacobs is building his first MAC class from a program that went 8-5 last season and has not posted a losing record in 16 years. He has 12 commits.

The number

No. 92 nationally, No. 4 in the MAC. Toledo's 12-man class carries a 97.3 class score and a 3.11 average star rating per Profile. That puts the Rockets behind Miami (Ohio), Western Michigan and Bowling Green in the conference. The headliner is a safety from Florida who turned down Power 4 offers to sign with Jacobs' staff.

The headliner

Sergarion Gunsby held offers from Florida State, Boston College, Syracuse and Pittsburgh. He took an official visit to Boston College before committing to Toledo on June 21. Gunsby is listed as a safety by Profile and On3 and as a running back by 247Sports -- he ran 65 carries for 504 yards (7.8 YPC) and seven touchdowns in eight games as a junior at Vanguard HS in Ocala, Fla. At 6-0, 200, with 25 offers and a 70.59 Profile grade, he is the highest-rated prospect in the class and the kind of recruit MAC programs do not typically land with Power 4 options on the table.

The class

Sorted by Profile national rank. All data per Profile unless noted.

Sergarion Gunsby, SAF, 6-0, 200, Vanguard HS, Ocala, Fla. National rank: 1,262. Grade: 70.59. Stars: 3.4. Offers: 25, including Florida State, Boston College, Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Took official visit to Boston College before committing to Toledo June 21. Junior stats: 65 carries, 504 yards (7.8 YPC), 7 TDs in 8 games. Listed as RB by 247Sports, SAF by Profile and On3.

Kyree Wilson, RB, 5-11, 190, Mandarin HS, Jacksonville, Fla. National rank: 1,313. Grade: 69.58. Stars: 3.4. Offers: 15, including Wake Forest. Career rushing: 3,807 yards across three schools. Two-way player -- 32 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 PBU and 1 INT on defense. 2025: 87 carries, 788 yards, 6 TDs.

KeeShun Jackson, IOL, 6-5, 260, North Hardin HS, Radcliff, Ky. National rank: 1,549. Grade: 64.98. Stars: 3.2. Offers: 6.

Yuto Kawamura-Johnson, WR, 5-11, 185, West Orange HS, Fla. National rank: 1,557. Grade: 64.87. Stars: 3.2. Offers: 14.

Jacorrion Tramble, WR, 6-3, 205, Notre Dame HS, Tenn. National rank: 1,584. Grade: 64.30. Stars: 3.2. Offers: 7.

Alex Bolar, IOL, 6-4, 290, Moeller HS, Cincinnati, Ohio. National rank: 1,641. Grade: 63.17. Stars: 3.2. Offers: 5.

Barrett Bray, IOL, 6-3, 280, All Saints Episcopal, Fort Worth, Texas. National rank: 1,760. Grade: 61.30. Stars: 3.1. Offers: 17.

Kaeden Drenning, SAF, 6-0, 180, Salem HS, Salem, Va. National rank: 1,963. Grade: 58.21. Stars: 3.0. Offers: 12.

Jake Sneed, TE, 6-5, 230, John Cooper School, The Woodlands, Texas. National rank: 1,992. Grade: 57.81. Stars: 3.0. Offers: 22, including New Mexico, Air Force, East Carolina, Bowling Green and Mercer. 43 career receptions, 540 yards, 6 TDs. Junior season: 26 receptions, 333 yards, 5 TDs.

Kentsten Staten, SKL, 6-0, 160, Maple Heights HS, Maple Heights, Ohio. National rank: 2,172. Grade: 55.26. Stars: 2.9. Offers: 12.

LJ Funk, QB, 6-1, 180, Pearl-Cohn HS, Nashville, Tenn. National rank: 2,378. Grade: 52.44. Stars: 2.9. Offers: 23, including Memphis, Liberty, East Carolina, Southern Miss and Charlotte. Earliest commit in the class -- June 1. Junior stats: 173-of-257, 2,902 yards, 30 TDs, 8 INTs; 39 rushes, 149 yards, 3 rushing TDs. Led Pearl-Cohn to the Tennessee 4A state championship game.

Alexander Cafer, Edge, 6-4, 240, McLean HS, Va. National rank: 2,782. Grade: 47.04. Stars: 2.8. Offers: 4.

The fit

The geographic range is the first thing that jumps off the board. Jacobs pulled commits from six states -- Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. That is unusual for a MAC program in its first cycle under a new staff. Only two commits -- Bolar (Cincinnati) and Staten (Maple Heights) -- come from Ohio. The other 10 are spread across five states, which reflects Jacobs' coaching network built across stops in North Carolina, Georgia and Ohio.

Positional balance is solid. Three interior offensive linemen (Jackson, Bolar, Bray) anchor the class up front. Two receivers (Kawamura-Johnson, Tramble), two safeties (Gunsby, Drenning), one running back (Wilson), one tight end (Sneed), one quarterback (Funk), one edge rusher (Cafer) and one skills player (Staten). The staff addressed both sides of the ball without overloading any position group.

Gunsby and Wilson at the top of the board give the class two Florida skill players with Power 4 interest. Funk is the lone quarterback -- an early commit who led his team to a state championship game. The three-deep IOL haul suggests the staff prioritized the offensive line, and the 17 offers Barrett Bray held before picking Toledo indicate the Rockets won some contested battles.

Toledo's 16th consecutive non-losing season bought Jacobs a program with established expectations. His first recruiting class -- 12 commits, a 3.11 average star rating and a headliner who turned down four Power 4 offers -- is the first tangible evidence of how he intends to build. The board reflects a staff willing to recruit nationally, compete for contested prospects and bet on the coach's track record. The Rockets are not done.

Data per Profile and 247Sports, accessed June 23, 2026.