Tim Beckman took over this program just over a year ago and rushed to put together his first recruiting class. He took a very aggressive and energized approach to changing the course of the Rockets, and reminded fans and players that they were building a championship entity.

The former assistant at Ohio State and Oklahoma State was relentless. He set the bar high, and challenged his team to vault over it.

Toledo's 5-7 record in Beckman's first season showed him that the Rockets might not have the foot soldiers to hit those targets, so his second recruiting class became critical.

It was no highly guarded secret that this team needed help on the defensive side. That news leaked out early and often last season as the Rockets gave up more than 50 points three ...More