Toledo Boasts One of the Best Secondaries in the Group of Five

Toledo cornerback Avery Smith picked off a pass at Mississippi State, via Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Quinyon Mitchell was a two-time All-MAC selection for Toledo. When the cornerback was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Nick Saban gave a glowing review.

“He was our No. 1 guy in the portal last year to try to get him to come out of the portal, and he would never get in the portal,” Saban said on the ABC broadcast.

There were plenty of people who wanted to throw the Alabama football program in jail for tampering. That, of course, did not happen. Mitchell started in 16 games for the Eagles as a rookie, en route to a Super Bowl victory.

When I asked Bush Hamdan about the Toledo secondary, he echoed Saban’s statement.

“The corner, he’s impressive. Hats off to that staff. That corner’s a guy that probably could have left and played at a lot of different places,” said the Kentucky offensive coordinator.

The corner he’s referring to is Avery Smith, a Second Team All-MAC selection who finished second in the league last fall in passes defended with 14 PBUs and a pair of picks. Toledo led the conference in interceptions (13) and was second in passes defended (63), while boasting the league’s fifth-best pass defense (207 yards per game). Smith is just one of six talented players returning for this experienced Toledo secondary.

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“The safety, No. 7 (Emmanuel McNeil-Warren), is an extremely gifted player as well. They’re very experienced at the back-end, and although they’ve lost a lot up front, I think they’ve added some value players who’ve played a lot of football,” said Hamdan.

“Again, the secondary is certainly an experienced group who’s played a lot of football, but these guys play well as a team. The staff’s been together for a long time. It matters. We know what they can do in games like this.”

The talented Toledo secondary will face a group of Kentucky wide receivers who are being challenged by their coaches. On the opening week depth chart, an “OR” was next to every wide receiver’s name. They have to prove it in a game setting.

“I think there has been some inconsistency where we’re holding guys to that standard. To be the No. 1, it’s gotta be every single day… You think you have one thing. Then, when the bright lights go on, certain guys hide in games, and certain guys really show up in games,” said Hamdan. “We’re excited to see how fast they can go play.”