Toledo Athletics: A Deep Dive with Bryan Blair

In this episode of Powering UToledo, Interim President Matt Schroeder and host Kristi K. speak with Bryan B. Blair, Vice President and Director of Athletics at the University of Toledo. They explore the dynamic changes and successes within Toledo Athletics over the past three years, highlighting key achievements such as winning the Cartwright Award and the integration of academics with athletics. Blair discusses the strategic vision for the future, including the introduction of a rowing program, utilization of the football stadium of events like a Zac Brown Band concert, the proposed Champions Complex, and the evolving landscape of intercollegiate athletics with the impact of NIL. The conversation underscores the alignment and teamwork within the university, aiming to elevate its athletic programs to new heights while making UToledo a destination campus. 

00:00 Introduction to Powering UToledo
00:33 Meet Bryan Blair: UToledo's Athletic Director
01:13 Building a Culture of Success
02:04 Why UToledo? Bryan's Personal Journey
03:49 Achievements and Highlights
05:15 Community Engagement and Service
06:12 Creating a Destination Campus
10:15 The Impact of Athletics on UToledo
13:31 Navigating Changes in Collegiate Athletics
27:19 Future Endeavors and Vision
33:03 Conclusion and How to Get Involved

Transcript

Kristi K.: Hello, and welcome to another episode of Powering UToledo, a podcast where we explore what's good, what's exciting, and what's to come at the University of Toledo. And Matt Schroeder heads up to our listeners on this episode, because guess what? It's not your ordinary sports conversation today. 

Matt Schroeder: It's going to be fun.

Kristi K.: It is. We always have fun. And in fact, UToledo is not your ordinary athletic department. This is a hype conversation so our Powering UToledo listeners can truly get to hear from the inside track how many big, make that incredible things are happening within UToledo Athletics. Bryan Blair has been Vice President and Director of Athletics at the University of Toledo for three years and is joining Matt and me In the Powering UToledo studio.

Welcome Bryan. 

Bryan Blair: No, thanks for having me. When you say three years, I get a little goosebumps because it didn't seem like that long, but we're having a blast. 

Kristi K.: It went so quickly. 

Bryan Blair: It is. In some ways it's going really quickly. In other ways, it's going really long. So 

Kristi K.: it was like 30. Oh, happy third anniversary.

So I do have to say the energy emulating from the athletic department is palpable at you Toledo. You truly have set the tone for success and establishing a culture of excellence. And energy and academic success with your athletes. So when you started three years ago, what was the most important thing for you as you created a culture of success?

Bryan Blair: Yeah, I think really not talking a whole lot and listening more. I think anytime you're a new leader and you walk into a situation, no matter how much you think you know it, you really have to ask some really intentional questions and get to know what's at place, what's working what's important to people, what do they want to accomplish?

There's no way to get to true teamwork and true alignment. Without understanding people, what motivates him and what they want to personally accomplish. And I think if you spend some time asking questions, really listening and observing, then you can march in the same direction. And I felt really fortunate to walk into a department that wasn't crumbling by any means that was thriving in a lot of ways.

And so how do you maintain and keep going good? What's already going good, but also how do you find those opportunities to increase or ramp up what you think can truly be great? And that's what we've tried to do. 

Matt Schroeder: So why UToledo for you? 

Bryan Blair: Yeah, probably three reasons. One, I married a young lady from Dayton, Ohio.

I'm at one point in my life and luckily she still keeps me around. And then we had two young kids. We were out West by ourselves without any help or family anywhere nearby. So just as our kids got older it just became really a priority to get closer to family. My family's in South Carolina. Hers is in Ohio to and always circled this region of the country as something that made sense.

Not only for her family, but just looking in the footprint, looking at the MAC as a whole. As a league and I had a lot of mentors, including the AD Ohio State tell me, Hey, Toledo is the best job in the MAC. That's the one that you should look for. And I didn't really know why, because I had not experienced this level before.

But he always said, Hey, that's a really good one. And it's got so much more upside. Then maybe you see from the outside looking in and then third, once I got here, I've just fallen in love with the city. I really mean that it's big enough for everything that I need and want but it's not so big, you feel like you get lost, you face some of those big city challenges.

And so it's really easy for me to talk positively and with the energy about all that we encompass because I don't have to lie. I just have to open my eyes to look around and be able to articulate what I see with and what I've experienced myself. So we've been really fortunate to recruit some amazing staff members here at the University of Toledo.

And I feel like every one of them thought I was putting on a sales pitch when I talked to them. Whether it be coach or administrator ah, this guy, he's really selling me hard on this city. And then they get here, you're right and you weren't selling it. You were just telling it from the heart and articulating why this is such an amazing place to live and work and be a part of.

And so that's really compelling to me and something really special that you don't find in a lot of places. 

Kristi K.: It's true. The people, the city itself, the campus, the beauty of the campus, the academia here, everything is just really welcoming in so many ways and so top notch. So we're glad you're here.

So tell us, Bryan, I know you have had so many exciting successes since you've been here, but list some of those since you've been at the helm in athletics that you're most proud of. 

Bryan Blair: Yeah, I don't think I've had successes. I think we've had successes. I really don't like credit for what's happened because I think it really is a team and we've got amazing coaches, amazing young people that pull in the same direction and achieve something bigger than themselves.

Probably the one that jumps out at me to most is the Cartwright Award. And so we've been fortunate enough to win that three different times, three straight. First MAC institutions ever done that. That's athletic success, academic success, citizenship to win three of those in a row and every league member votes and says what school is doing it the best and all of them say Toledo.

I think that is a really resounding check mark on all the efforts that we're trying to put in play. I think a couple of that with the GPAs. There's a lot of programs around the country that win ball games. And certainly we like to count ourselves in that mix. There's a lot of programs that get good grades and we like to count ourselves in the mix.

There's very few doing it at the same time. Usually you have good grades, but you're not winning or you're winning. You don't have good grades. I think for our young people to do both really well for our coaches to recruit and retain young people that do that really well. It's really easy to cut shortcuts in this business.

And our coaches don't cut shortcuts because they do it the right way, and our young people strive for excellence in everything they do, and that probably makes me more proud than anything else because that means they're gonna leave here really well situated for the rest of their life. 

Matt Schroeder: And what about the service, right?

Our student athletes, you'll see them in the classroom, you'll see them on campus, but you'll also see them out in the community. Talk a little bit about the service. 

Bryan Blair: I think Coach Candle says this all the time, he says, give more than you can take and I think that is so true that. We want to lead with how we can serve others.

A lot of what we talk about is this concept of team Toledo. The university, the athletic department, the city, and the community locking arms and pulling in the same direction. A lot of programs around the country walk over and say, Hey, I've got my handout.

Come help me. Come help me. Come help me. I think it works a lot better if you go to other individuals and say, How can I help you? How can I help the university become the best version of itself? How can I help this community be a better version of themselves? Listen really intently to what they're telling you, and then understand what your strategies are, and try to dovetail those two together.

As we talk about turning campus into a destination. Athletics can certainly play a role in that we won't exposure for the university or engage students. Athletics can play a role in that. We can blend that with our strategies. And I think that teamwork is really palpable. 

Kristi K.: On Powering UToledo.

We have talked about this being a destination campus. A successful athletic program can truly open the door for that. Give us some of the actionable examples that UToledo is initiating to create that vibe. And I'm specifically thinking about an event that might be coming up in May. Tell us more.

Bryan Blair: Absolutely. I think when you hear destination you hear a place that you want to be a part of, that you always want to visit. And then when visitors come on campus, they see a version of maybe this campus they didn't otherwise realize. First time I stepped foot on this campus, my in person interview, it was a day like today where a little bit of snow on the ground, it was cold.

It was actually probably right at three years ago, if I'm being honest, and to walk this campus and university at all, you see the quad, you see the buildings, the architecture, you go, wow. This is amazing place. And I think sometimes communities don't see themselves on university campuses because they're not going to school there.

They didn't get degree or vice versa. So it's our ability to invite the public, invite other members to campus and say, Hey, this is yours to come be a part of this. And so much of what we're trying to do is bring the youth on showing what it's like to be a rocket. But on May 24th, 2025, we've got a really big event going.

We're going to host Zac Brown Band in the Glass Bowl. We're hoping for 25, 000 fans, got a full lineup, a massive stage will be on the field and just an opportunity to bring some individuals from outside this region that have never stepped foot on this campus and come here, watch a big time concert, A list act in a football stadium and taking that experience.

We'll do a Memorial Day weekend. We're going to honor our veterans and celebrate. Our hometown heroes with our title sponsor Jobs Ohio. And that's just one example of how we can bring individuals to this campus and certainly bolster our broader vision of turning a destination, but also help the local economy.

We're talking about heads in beds and opportunities for individuals to see Toledo as a community, as a destination. You don't have to go to Columbus. You don't have to go to Detroit. You don't have to go to Cleveland to experience big time acts. We can do that in Northwest Ohio. We can do that in Toledo.

Matt Schroeder: When was the last time we did something in the Glass Bowl like that? 

Bryan Blair: So I think it's been over 30 years. Um, I'm told it was the Beach Boys was the last concert that we had in the Glass Bowl. So it's about time we restart that, that mechanism. And hopefully this is the first, what turns into an annual event.

And possibly we're already talking about what would it look like to be a two day event on an annual basis where we bring big time acts to the Glass Bowl. 

Matt Schroeder: Kristi, do you like Zac Brown? 

Kristi K.: I sure do. And I this is a goosebump moment for me. Actually, this is so exciting because being a part of the community and the University of Toledo for as long as I have, I haven't felt this vibe and this enthusiasm for a long time to this degree.

So I'm so excited. Okay, I already have it on my calendar. So this is great. Yeah, 

Bryan Blair: I would just love to say, I think it's easy to do these type of things and pursue these type of things, but you can't do it without support. You can't do it without vision. And I give kudos to Matt for his vision of laying out clearly what it is that we're trying to accomplish and allowing individuals that work in the university, like myself, to find their place in that vision.

Right there. There's certain things that I don't touch, right? The hospital, you don't need me anywhere near that infrastructure, what's happening there, but the destination piece and being a place to play, I think I can help move that vision along. And so certainly. It makes me understand why my actions affect the greater good 

Kristi K.: For sure.

Matt Schroeder: And I was just going to say to Bryan, I think we compliment one another. We share a similar vision, but we also recognize that, and we talk about R1, nine years in the making, but what Bryan and I are working off of is 20 years in the making, and to be able to take it to the next level. Obviously athletics is our front porch. But whatever it takes to bring people to campus. Athletics wins. The University of Toledo wins and the entire city wins, 

Kristi K.: And just to tag team a little bit on that whole conversation. Athletics really does tie so nicely to academia.

And I think sometimes people don't make that connection. But it's times like this where you think about the athletics. The athletes themselves and their GPA, some of the events that are bringing people on campus. What other initiatives involving athletics help to build the UToledo brand and support the university like that?

I mean, Obviously it's a tradition of winning through athletics. What other kinds of things, Bryan? 

Bryan Blair: Yeah, I'd argue you picture athletics as just a big megaphone for everything that's amazing happening on our campus and in our community. Athletics is by far not the most important thing on a college campus, and I'll never make that mistake.

But it does invite people in that maybe otherwise wouldn't pay attention. So when we play Pitt and go to six overtimes and we're on Good Morning America, that invites a national audience to say, who? I want to know more about the University of Toledo. I wonder what's happening in Toledo, Ohio, where they're able to experience this.

I think when we have R1 status, how does athletics bolster that and say, Hey, we want to hold that up on every mantle, every audience that we have to showcase how great our university is and being in the top 5 percent of American research institutions. Like these are amazing accomplishments that are happening on our own campus.

We can be the megaphone and the platform to showcase those opportunities. 

Kristi K.: Okay, and I'm going to jump back to that Pitt game for just a second. You have to tell our listeners what it was like behind the scenes. I know you were right there at that moment. Both of you were. So tell us what it was like when you Toledo beat Pitt, Ford Field longest game in collegiate football history, if I'm not mistaken.

Okay. I want to say four hours and 38 minutes might've done some research on that. What was that like? 

Bryan Blair: It was incredible. It was exhilarating. It was maddening. It was all of the above. As you mentioned, President Schroeder and I were standing side by side along the end zone. And so you felt every score, right?

When one of our young men scores, you're exhilarated and you're celebrating. And then when Pitt scored, you just like your heart got torn out. And then you rushed the field. And then we get pulled back off the field and then we rushed the field again and then we get pulled back off the field. So by the third one, I just stood there and I said, I'm gonna let everybody clear the field.

I can't do this again. And then finally it became real, but you just 

Kristi K.: by the sixth one. Yeah. 

Bryan Blair: But it was an incredible example. Set by our young men, our coaching staff, on hopefully the qualities that all of this university in this region exhibit, right? We talk a lot about blue collar gold standard, that blue collar work ethic, that ability to get knocked down.

But it's not about how you get knocked down, it's how you get back up. Our team showed that time and time again. I think those are the examples, those are the core qualities that you want to see out of this university and out of this region. And hopefully we've made all Toledoans and all Rockets proud in that moment.

Matt Schroeder: No, I think we did. And it also gets to, who we are as an institution, taking that as a prime example of showing that resolve and that grit. Which is what we're trying to accomplish with the Power to Do and the rebranding of the university. Because you're absolutely right, it's that resilience.

That time and time again, whether it's on the football field, on a Saturday, or in the classroom, or competing for a federal grant or award, Rockets show resolve. Rockets show determination, and that was a fantastic example of what Rocket Nation looks like. 

Kristi K.: So true. And Matt, you alluded to this earlier. The two of you clearly have to be in lockstep with each other.

The president of the university, the director of athletics in terms of making hard decisions not only being afraid to push for winning national championships, but everything like you said earlier to Bryan with our one and really integrating that research into the athletic program as well. Matt, are there other things that you see really the need for common ground to really propel the athletic department to the next level.

Matt Schroeder: Yeah, and this is, it's an interesting time in collegiate athletics right now with the N. I. L. The house settlement NCAA versus house settlement next year and going forward is going to be extremely different. And how you strike that balance because obviously, we are here to educate students.

We are here, as you said, to engage not only with the community, but to give a fun factor. But what we know of college athletics is changing. dramatically overnight and how Bryan and I and our board of trustees and this entire university, make sure that we're able to continue to win not only in the classroom, but on the fields or the courts is critically important.

It's a conversation Bryan and I have been having now for at least 6 to 8 months, and I don't know what your thoughts are and where it's heading, But I think our listeners would be interested to hear your thoughts. 

Bryan Blair: Yeah, I think transformational just begins to describe the moment. And I think there's a lot of nervous athletic directors, presidents, others around the country just with the unknown and the fearful change.

I think the thing that gives me comfort is knowing how lockstep we are in an alignment and whether it be Matt, our board of trustees, myself, our head coaches, I think we all see and share the same vision. And that's not common. Especially now with the rate of change. But I think we've had a ton of communication.

We've talked a lot about the pros, the cons, everything in between. And we also understand how incredibly close we are to a whole nother level within Toledo athletics. When you talk about last year, we won 11 straight football games. We're a fourth down away from playing in a Fiesta Bowl. And what that would have meant for this entire campus.

You talk about a men's basketball program, four straight regular season championships, how critically close we are to punching through on a March Madness stage and all that national exposure that comes with that elite level success. And so I tell all our coaches right now, it's not the time to blink.

Right now is not the time to doubt if we're doing the right things. We are doing the right things. They're playing out. I think we've got alignment on this campus, certainly in terms of what a little nudge could do to move us in an entirely new beneficial direction. 

Matt Schroeder: This is what I love about not only Bryan, but the University of Toledo.

Whether it's athletics, academics, healthcare, disruption is on our doorstep, right? How we know, or what we think we know about higher education. Is changing dramatically, and there are absolutely, to the point made a lot of university presidents and just leaders out there, freaking out, stressing out, doomsday here, doomsday there.

But with disruption, I think comes great opportunity and to have a partner in Bryan, in our board of trustees, I think the University of Toledo is well positioned to pivot thoughtfully and to pivot quickly. 

Kristi K.: That's really interesting. With name, image and likeness, really recalibrating the landscape of athletics, there has to be a new model to develop, cultural, financial, institutional support to really leverage your successes within the athletic department.

No longer is it a guarantee that the player that you recruited as a freshman is going to be there as a senior, let alone as a sophomore. How does that change your career? Your role, Bryan, in terms of recruiting new coaches, as an example, but also I want to ask the question is how does NIL, Name, Image, and Likeness, really create a competitive advantage for a school at the top of the Mid American Conference like we are?

Bryan Blair: I think a lot of programs around the country have taken this approach that the sky has fallen and we just need to throw up our arms and we can never be competitive. And I never want that mindset to permeate our department at all. Change represents an opportunity.

We're gonna run towards that opportunity as much as we can. If you look over the last three years, college athletics never undergo more change than they have right now. I think we've got coaches. We've got administrators. We've got supporters that are built for this and are willing to run towards that opportunity.

I think what you've seen is we're department that we offer an elite student athlete experience. Our young people love being rockets right to the point to when we want somebody to maybe move on to another opportunity, we have a hard time because they love being a rocket so much. They want to be a part of our athlete programs.

Also think we've got supporters that support us. At the top of its class in the MAC in terms of our financial support, our donations, our revenue those type of things. And so all that positions us really well in this landscape to take a critical other step. And so when I see the changes happening, when you see the recalibration happening, we are better situated than others to make some of these decisions and move forward.

And I think when you've got alignment, when you've got some of the intangibles that the university offers, and you've got the current level of success, that builds a foundation to really launch ourselves to a whole nother level. And that's what we're really excited about. 

Matt Schroeder: Yeah, I think from my perspective, and you can disagree, sir, but my crystal ball says the caliber of our student athlete is only going to increase.

And what do I mean by that is with obviously some of the limitations on roster sizes, there's going to be a waterfall or trickle down effect, but then also the standard that we've set in the classroom, in the community and beyond. I don't see us compromising on those standards, and it's really going to come down to the value proposition because, when we look at the group of five, Yes, name, image, likeness, and the associated dollar signs with that are a factor, but for many of these students, it's about getting that degree and moving on.

And you know, in my view, again, with disruption and potentially some student athletes leaving the University of Toledo, my request to them, and I'd like your thoughts on this, is wherever you end up, whatever that journey looks like. Please get a degree. 

Bryan Blair: Absolutely. I think we talk a lot about graduating champions.

And certainly those two things want to go hand in hand, but graduation is a critical piece of this equation because I tell him no matter how good you are, you're going to need to have a career after sport. You could have a 10 year career in the NBA or NFL by 30. You got to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life.

And I think sometimes that startles them when you really put it into those numbers. It makes a lot of sense. And I think to the transfer portal, I pull up the example of Quinyon Mitchell. You got a young man that was drafted at the highest round draft pick we've had in over three decades goes top 22, the Eagles.

He's the finalist for NFL rookie of the year, and now he's a super bowl champion. Quinyon stays despite a lot of offers from other institutions to come their way and play in the SEC or some of these quote unquote bigger institutions. So you fast forward to this year, Darius Alexander, our defensive lineman catches the interception in the bowl game and returns it for a touchdown.

There is no Darius Alexander at the University of Toledo. Without Quinyon staying the year prior. But Darius sees that example and says, I wanna go to NFL. I see a guy the year before me stay, play it out and watching what he's doing. I wanna be a part of that. Fast forward again, coach Candle on our football staff.

Signed the highest rank recruiting class in MAC football history. Not just the highest in Toledo history, the highest ever for medium MAC program. Those three things are not unrelated. All three of those lean on one another. So to President Schroeder's point, the ability for us to have even better student athlete quality from academic and athletic standpoint certainly was within our sights.

Kristi K.: And as we look at the program itself, there are 425 student athletes, correct? How many sports programs? 

Bryan Blair: So now we have 17 with the addition of rowing. 

Kristi K.: Let's talk about rowing. Yes, 

Bryan Blair: it's fascinating because I probably get more questions about rowing than I do any other sport that we offer. I'm amazed by how many people I bump into at a dinner and speaking event and say how's the rowing going on?

What does it look like? When can I see the boats? When can I get on the river? So I think there's a novelty to it, but also the great thing about rowing is a great example of teamwork. Because it taps into so much that's unique about the city of Toledo with the river running through downtown. But not everybody has a metro park system as great as ours.

Not everybody has a Toledo Rowing Foundation as progressive as ours and the local rowing program. We've got four young ladies already signed up for rowing next year. I believe all of them are from the local area and all of them were not going to the University of Toledo, but four are now being recruited to go to our rowing program.

So you talk about the impact that has even beyond the athletic program, I think it comes full circle. 

Matt Schroeder: I love the Olympic sports. I was texting with Bryan on Saturday, was traveling for work, sent a little photo of some boats down on a river. And then there was a rowing facility off the expressway.

I did not realize how big of a deal it is to have not only a rowing team, but the growth on the women's side is just remarkable. And I think In general, and that's the beauty that we have within those 17 sports in the portfolio of those sports. Women's sports, I think, are some of the fastest growing areas within athletics.

I don't know what your thoughts are there, but I think there's definitely You know, a little bit of a jumpstart going right now. 

Bryan Blair: I think there's this national inclination to only talk about football and basketball because those are quote unquote the revenue generating sports and certainly those have a place and certainly we have to be strategic about what we do with those.

There's a broader value proposition for all of our sports. We were just emailing back and forth this morning about our soccer program and bringing over 600 players and families to our indoor facility this weekend, inviting them on the campus again as a destination. Every one of our sports has a unique value proposition.

They're all not all the same. Some are selling tickets. Some are giving great experiences to our young people. Some are teaching leadership lessons to our future women leaders of America. I think over 94 percent of corporate C suite executives that are women. played sports growing up, right? It's not again by accident.

I think we need to be intentional about making sure there's a place for all our student athletes to be successful and for their sport to have value on our campus. And I think that's one of the things the university does really well. 

Kristi K.: And as you look at the top revenue sports and the programs here at UToledo, what are the top five?

Bryan Blair: Yeah, so the we've got football certainly is a behemoth that cares a lot of brand recognition and revenue. Men's and women's basketball are right there together. Here women's basketball is probably nipping on the coattails of men's basketball probably more so than most places because of our passionate supporters.

And I think fourth is that volleyball and volleyball is a sport that we want to lean into going forward because I think it's got much more potential than we've seen today. 

Kristi K.: You know, when we're talking about national exposure and TV contracts, let's say with ESPN, where does you Toledo rate in terms of getting that call to play in the big game on TV?

Bryan Blair: So we're number one in the conference. We have more games on football, more games in basketball, more games than others for the other conference. We also air nearly double the amount of ESPN plus broadcasts that our competitors. That's a commitment that was made long before I got here. John Eidemiller, our school for arts, letters what they do to really have student run productions, put our games on national tv or at least streaming platforms.

And so we've got a lot to be proud of in terms of the exposure that we get and certainly want to get lean into more of it. And sometimes national TV gets a bad rap because it shifts game times around or has this plan on nights we wouldn't prefer. But the value is we get commercials for the university of Toledo and the broader Northwest Ohio community that quite frankly, otherwise we couldn't pay for.

On the Tuesday night MACtion game, when we have a four hour window, we have a four hour window to tell the world what we want them to hear about the university in Northwest Ohio. It's on us to use it appropriately. So we started leaning into that more and giving them facts, figures, and footage to showcase all the great things happening here.

Matt Schroeder: Yeah. It's all about content, right? And I think, with our current contract with, the conference and ESPN, that was cut in the early days where MACtion was essentially our niche. I think going forward, it'll be the streaming platforms is where the future is and what I love, whether it's men's basketball and women's basketball right now, volleyball or others.

Bryan, to your point is to be able to fire up the ESPN app. And watch it. It's just it's amazing. Doesn't matter where you are in the world, but to be able to watch our teams compete always keeps a little bit of Toledo in your heart. 

Kristi K.: Amen to that. There's certainly a lot of conference juggling right now.

Bryan, UToledo can obviously pack an arena. We carry a strong brand in the conference as you alluded to and we all love our MACtion as Matt just said and certainly UToledo has a significant amout of MAC titles, are we in the right conference?

Bryan Blair: I think MAC has a lot to offer University of Toledo. I think the regional ties are similar between institutions, the ESPN visibility is all great. I also think, and I think all of my MAC colleagues would say, As this thing changes, and the atmosphere changes, the landscape changes, there's lots of shifts, all of us have to keep our eyes wide open.

I'm of the belief in the next three to five years, maybe a little bit longer, there will be a massive reshuffling of institutions. All the TV contracts come up around the same time. I think everybody's going to be looking to say, Okay, who's in what category of institution and where do you sit? Our job is to be the best version of ourselves over these next three to five years.

Now would be the time, the wrong time to take your foot off the gas. We've got to be peaking over the next three to five years, and then that ensures we'll be in the best spot we need to be, should whatever shake out. And that could be being in the Mid American Conference for the next 25 years. Guess what?

If we win the Mid American Conference, we get postseason opportunity. That's a win all around, no matter what sport you're talking about. If we were in another conference, it'd be the same scenario. We're trying to be the best version of ourselves. We choose to try to focus on what we can control, and what we can control as being the best version of University of Toledo athletics that we can be.

I think the rest takes care of itself. 

Matt Schroeder: 100 percent agree. And it's, for many of those same points, it's an opportunity for the Mid American conference to keep their foot on the gas, obviously, with northern Illinois leaving to really, look at what the future of the MAC looks like. And all of the items that you outlined with not only the pedigree of those institutions, the geographical footprint the MAC did it with MACtion, whatever that next opportunity looks like.

I know the ADs. And the presidents are talking about that. 

Kristi K.: We've had the number one recruiting class in the MAC for how many years now? 

Bryan Blair: Seven or eight if I'm keeping count. 

Kristi K.: There's some good hype there, that's for sure. Bryan, as you look ahead to exciting endeavors in the athletic program here at UToledo, what's on your radar?

Bryan Blair: I think to balance the, this tension as we make sure our sports like football, both basketballs and volleyball have the revenue and the resources that take that next step, right? Because those do have the outsized impact on our community, on our exposure, on our resources at the same time, not losing sight of our Olympic sports and those opportunities for other sports.

And I think There's a lot of schools around the country that choose either war. I don't think we choose here at the university of Toledo. It's no different. I tell our student athletes, you don't choose to be a good student athlete or be a good athlete. You choose to be a university of Toledo rocket. You choose both of them at the same time.

I think the same thing regarding our future. We've got to make sure we keep those in a healthy place. Each has their unique value proposition. How do we balance those? We want all of our sports to compete for MAAC championships. But we certainly want to reach the mountaintop in a handful of our sports.

Specifically, just calling them out. In volleyball, both basketball and football. I want to see football compete for that CFP spot, and we're not ashamed to say that, and we talk about that publicly in our department of what does it take to get there, knowing that two years ago, again, we were in that conversation.

We were one of the last three teams in that conversation before things didn't go our way in the MAC championship game, but we've shown how close we are. We've shown how close we are in the basketball. So take that opportunity to punch through what that cathartic feeling is going to be around this community.

I think that's a dream worth pursuing. 

Matt Schroeder: Here's what I think also needs to be on our radar. Agree a hundred percent. Enrollment is our number one priority right now. And Bryan dipped his toe in the water with women's rowing. We're looking at some other things, but athletics yeah.

But athletics has to be an enrollment tool. And by being an enrollment tool, not in a way that is going to cannibalize future enrollment, but to really drive students to consider the University of Toledo. And then, oh, by the way, our band is not only a long, rich tradition at the University of Toledo, I know Bryan and I are working together to double the size of the band.

So when you look at adding women's rowing, when you look at growing the size of the band, there are things that Bryan and his team can do, quote unquote, overnight. To have a positive impact on enrollment. 

Kristi K.: That's outstanding. And Matt, regarding the recent R1 research designation announced on Powering UToledo and beyond.

Perhaps some of our listeners may not know the correlation between R1 designation and athletics in terms of recruitment for coaches and players. So I know, Bryan, you alluded to that a little bit before, but Matt, I was interested in your perspective on how that really ties in to the athletic department.

Matt Schroeder: Yeah, I think it ties in a big way. And we're blessed to have had Quinyon and Darius in the last couple of years, but, Quinyon and Darius don't come, down the road often, right? For us, when we're out recruiting student athletes, It's, it is about the degree, right? It's about the opportunity they're going to get to play at the next level, but it's also to graduate.

And what I enjoy about, not only Bryan, but just the overall athletic program is their commitment to make sure that not only students put learning first. But to do it in a way where nothing is off limits. Bryan will tell stories about football players graduating in engineering, or B school, etc.

And so when you're recruiting to get them to play in whatever particular sport, equally as important is their pathway to a degree. And R1 and the prestige that comes along with that is critically important, and I think is a final talking point to really get that deal done with a prospective student athlete.

Kristi K.: And Bryan, for you, so many exciting things as we have been alluding to throughout the podcast that are happening. Tell us a little more about the new champions complex and what that excitement brings to our athletes. 

Bryan Blair: I think it's our job to keep our foot on the gas pedal and continue to move forward.

As I look around at what our department has, but also maybe some of the things that we're missing. We don't have a central place for our student athletes to get high level nutrition right now. And it's something that I've had every other stop in my career we don't have here is something that other MAC institutions have that we don't have here.

We can't say that about a lot of things. We're top of the hill in facilities almost across the board. But there's, this is one thing that we don't really have. And the thing that gets me excited is this opportunity that we've had the amount of success we've talked about on this podcast. without properly giving nutrition to our student athletes.

So goshly, if we give them that, where else can we go from athletic ability standpoint? Our number one part of our strategic plan is recruit, retain, develop absolute best teammates, coach, staff, and student athlete. If we can recruit the high level young people that we are recruiting, we can retain them, which we will, then how do we develop them to be the best version of themselves?

The Champions Complex will take over the former health education building. Going to be a brand new dining facility and academics facility for our student athletes. It'll centralize both those operations side by side. So if you come on a visit and you're with mom, dad or whoever it may be, I can show you where you can get high level nutrition.

I can show you where you can get academic advising at a really high level, all in a central footprint, and it'll free up some space in our football facility now that our football staffs outgrowing their current footprint. Um it's just it's a transformational opportunity. I think We'll unlock a whole new level of potential because our student athletes have really tight schedules.

They have very little time in their day, so we've got to be incredibly efficient. Right now, we've got a lot of young people skipping meals and not getting the proper nutrition and still winning championships. Golly, if we add that piece in, where can we go? I'm excited about that. 

Kristi K.: I love that. And elevating our athletes to the next level.

That's great. Bryan Blair, we thank you for all that you've done as a leader for this university, for its athletes, their successes. while at UToledo and well beyond. So we're looking forward to many more success stories from you. We want to have you back on Powering UToledo. How can people get involved with UToledo athletics?

Bryan Blair: Yeah, you go to utrockets. com. You hit us up. I, we need you in person. We need you buying tickets. We need you wearing t shirts. I tell anybody you buy a t shirt, you turn into a walking billboard. So smile big and go Rockets everywhere you go. 

Kristi K.: Thank you for that. And Matt, that. That is a wrap once again on this episode of Powering UToledo.

I'm Kristi K., along with Matt Schroeder, Interim President, wishing you powerful opportunities and unlimited potential. Don't forget to check us out online at utoledo. edu and on social, Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts. It's Matt Schroeder and Kristi K. Reminding you that we need you to Power UToledo.

We invite you in and we love to meet you on campus. Until we meet again, T O L. 

Matt Schroeder: E D O. 

Kristi K.: Let's go.