TOLEDO, Ohio — High school football begins a week from Thursday, and one player who will not be patrolling the fields across West Michigan this fall is South Christian alum Jake DeHaan.
The Sailors former multi-sport star will play college football at the University of Toledo as a preferred walk-on.
Rockets head coach Jason Candle was pumped to add a player of DeHaan's caliber to his roster.
"When you play that position, you want to have the intangible things," Candle said. "Obviously, the physical stuff jumps off the tape. But how you navigate the team, intermix with your teammates, how you interact around the locker room, that's what we felt like in that position that is a critical thing to come into that spot. He has been a great addition to us so far."
Despite leading the Sailors to a state championship win, and having his name all over the box score every single week, the scholarship opportunities were not there as much for DeHaan. He did not commit to the Rockets until May 2.
However, Candle is glad to have landed a potential star in the MAC.
"I am really not surprised by anything in the recruiting world these days but you always end up where you are supposed to end up," Candle said. "He has a tremendous opportunity in front of him at Toledo. We are looking forward to coaching him and seeing where he can take it."
Candle also says he is not surprised that DeHaan is a talented player because he comes from an area that is known for having top high school talent.
"First and foremost, it is the level of coaching," Candle said. "It's a great area. High school coaches do a really great job. People put a high emphasis on the importance of it. Everybody we have had from that area, and the state of Michigan period, has embraced what our culture is and has been a good fit."
He put up 2,593 total yards of offense in 2022 for the state champion Sailors to go along with 32 touchdowns in the regular season. He threw for 22 touchdowns and rushed in 10 more scores.
DeHaan and Toledo will open up the 2023 season on the road at Illinois on September 2.
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