Since being chosen to take over the Rockets program following the departure of Matt Campbell to Iowa State, Toledo head coach Jason Candle has been on a tear. The program recently announced that Candle has signed a contract extension taking him through the 2023 season.
From the release:
"We are very pleased to extend Jason Candle's contract through the 2023 season," said [AD Mike] O'Brien. "Jason is unquestionably one of the finest football coaches in the country. He is a tremendous leader and teacher of young men. His focus on leading us to a MAC Championship never wavered, and he has a strong determination to elevate our football program to even greater heights. We look forward to his leadership for many years to come."
Candle won the Boca Raton bowl shortly after taking over for Campbell in his only head coaching appearance of 2015. He built on that with a 9-4 season and 2nd place finish in the MAC in his first full season leading the program. This past year, Candle led the team to an impressive 11-2 finish and MAC title. They will take on Appalachian State in the Dollar General Bowl December 23rd, in Mobile, AL.
In just over two seasons leading the Rockets, Campbell is 21-6 overall, and 13-3 in MAC play.
While the financial figures haven't been disclosed yet, Pete Thamel provided some interesting insight on what may be included in Candle's deal.
Previously, the highest paid coach in MAC history was PJ Fleck at Western Michigan when the Broncos upped his pay to $800,000, and then hired Tim Lester at the same figure when Fleck left for Minnesota. With that said, $1.2 million in the MAC is clearly a big deal, and Toledo is taking the necessary steps to not only keep Candle around and show their appreciation for him, but also investing in the future of the program with what's being reported as the richest salary pool in conference history as well.
Toledo is clearly one of the premier jobs in the MAC, and has led to the promotions of coaches like Nick Saban, Gary Pinkel, Tim Beckman, and Matt Campbell, who all got their head coaching starts at the school.
If Candle continues to win nine and ten games a year, it becomes more and more likely his name gets added to that list.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest developments.