Rocket Athletics is entering the fall 2026 season with some new leading faces. On the field, the new head football coach, Mike Jacobs, is preparing to lead the team into a record-winning year. Off the field, a new athletic director is settling into the job of shaping where the program goes next.
Tom Moreland was named the University of Toledo’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and Director of Athletics this past spring and officially started his position on May 11. With a new head football coach, a historic home game schedule and Moreland’s own vision for the department all landing in the same season, this coming fall marks a turning point for Rocket Athletics.
“Our students can expect to have an athletics director that engages with the entire student body, and that’s something I’m really, really excited about,” Moreland said.
Moreland’s path to Toledo wound through some of the biggest programs in college athletics, including Arizona State, the University of Iowa, Purdue University and the University of Illinois, before arriving at the University of Toledo. In his various roles, he was instrumental in increasing ticket sales, revenue and fan engagement.
A college athlete raised in Milwaukee by two lifelong educators, Moreland’s upbringing and experiences shaped his view on the importance of higher education and his present plans for advancing UToledo’s athletics.
Moreland summarized his goals into three focus areas: winning games, student education and community engagement.
According to Moreland, UToledo is well-positioned to compete for conference championships across the board.
“I think our athletics program is very unique across the country, because in every sport, every year, we can win a conference championship. And so we can have broad-based excellence here, but also do it consistently,” Moreland said.
Regarding education, Moreland points back to what he calls the “experience business.”
“What I tell people a lot is when you look at the college athletics enterprise, we’re really in the … student athlete experience business,” he said. “We have remarkable student athletes here that are very dedicated. They have a relentless work ethic, they have a focus, but we also have tremendous coaches to support our student athletes, and we just have tremendous leadership across our campus that supports our student athletes, but also supports all of our students and cares deeply about the experience that they have on this campus.”
In terms of engagement, Moreland described his goal of focusing on “the way that we engage Northwest Ohio, the Toledo community, but then also how intercollegiate athletics is a tremendous platform for this entire institution, and to engage the entire country so that they can see what the University of Toledo is.”
For fans, that means feeling like more than just a ticket sale.
“I want our fans to be engaged. I want our fans to be passionate. But most importantly, I want them to be valued,” he said.
Students won’t have to wait long to see Moreland’s vision take shape. Toledo opens the season at Michigan State on September 4 before returning home for a run of games. September 12 will be an opener against Central Connecticut State, Homecoming against Buffalo will be on October 10 and the Battle of I-75 against Bowling Green State University will be held on November 20.
For Moreland, what happens in the stands matters just as much as what happens on the field.
“Attending football games is one of those areas on a college campus where you can meet new friends, build new relationships, and those friendships — they last a lifetime.”
