Jason Candle signs three-year extension to stay at Toledo

The University of Toledo announced on Wednesday evening they had agreed to a new extension with Jason Candle, ensuring the Rockets head football coach remains in the Glass City through the 2026 season.

“We are very pleased to extend Coach Candle’s contract,” athletic director Bryan B. Blair said via statement. “Building on that foundation, he and I are committed to elevating our football program to even greater heights in the years ahead. Continuity is increasingly advantageous in today’s college football landscape, and we are fortunate to have Coach Candle guiding our program for many years to come.”

Candle led the Toledo Rockets to a division title and the MAC championship this past season, winning it over the Ohio Bobcats in December. The title was the second such trophy won in the tenure of Candle after a long drought, with 2017 being the first.

Candle has been part of the Rockets staff in some form since 2009.

“I’m very appreciative of the support and confidence that President [Gregory] Postel and Bryan Blair have shown in me and in my staff,” Candle said via press release. “... I’m proud to be a Rocket and proud to represent this great university.”

Candle has a career record of 54-32 (35-19 MAC) since taking the helm for the 2015 Boca Raton Bowl, and is currently primed to overtake Tom Amstutz (58) for second place on the all-time wins list at Toledo next season.

Per Kyle Rowland of the Toledo Blade, Candle will make $1.1 million per season as base salary, with win-based performance incentives. The raw dollar amount is a slight decrease from a $1.2 million base salary agreed upon during an extension signed in 2017.

A buyout of Candle’s contract would cost a prospective school $750,000, with a $100,000 decrease ever subsequent year, per Rowland.

Toledo is set to kick off the 2023 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 2, against Illinois on the road.