From helmet to headset: Toledo's Peters transitions to new role
Oct. 16—The date was Aug. 22, 2015, the first week of the season in a state that takes its high school football as seriously as its beaches.
Jacksonville Sandalwood, led by quarterback Eli Peters, defeated Carter Bradley and Jacksonville Providence 44-0. All these years later, Peters still reminds Bradley about the whoopin'.
Except the ribbing is now from coach to player.
After a couple of undiagnosed concussions in high school and more during three seasons as Toledo's quarterback, Peters, with input from family, head athletic trainer Adam Barta, and former UT quarterback Mitch Guadagni, decided that he would end his playing career.
"I have my whole life ahead of me, and to risk getting another one was not good," said Peters, who graduated with a degree in communication and is pursuing a master's in recreation and leisure administration. "It was an easy decision to make for my health, but a very hard decision when it came to playing for the Rockets."
His first question to head coach Jason Candle and quarterbacks coach Robert Weiner was how could he still be involved. Soon, Peters became a student assistant with an emphasis on quarterbacks, serving as a right-hand man of sorts for Weiner.
Scan the Toledo sideline during Saturday's game at Central Michigan, and you'll see Peters constantly talking to Bradley and Dequan Finn.
"I explained to him in the beginning that this doesn't work unless it's a two-way street, and I'm not throwing you a bone or giving you any charity because you're my guy," Weiner said. "The anticipation here is that you're going to be an asset and play a real role in helping us be as good as we can possibly be. And he embraced that. He's walked the perfect balance. He connects with them in a way I couldn't. I didn't play the position just a year ago. He's uniquely qualified for that role."
Peters attends practice, sits in the quarterback meeting room, and attends game-planning sessions. He acts as a liaison with the coaches and players, delivering messages to both about what the other is thinking. His age and immediate past allow Peters to discuss the quarterback position as a peer.
"Eli has been one of the greatest things for me through this whole college process, just with how much he knows about the game and him as a person," Bradley said. "He's the guy on the sideline who walks me through things, calms me down, and we bounce ideas off of each other. Where he's at right now is unbelievable."
Ironically, Peters' college career got its start because of season-ending injuries in 2018 and 2019 to Guadagni before suffering season-ending injuries of his own in 2019 and 2020. Still, in 21 total games (14 starts) over three seasons, Peters completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 3,771 yards with 33 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Those numbers place him among the program's top-15 all-time in passing yards and touchdown passes. In his final game, Peters threw for a career-high 363 yards. He was twice named Mid-American Conference West player of the week, both times after wins over rival Bowling Green.
"He's a buffer and a sounding board between the coaches and quarterbacks," Candle said. "He offers a unique perspective because he spent a majority of his career here as a backup. He can see the game from the sidelines and is good at helping those guys throughout the course of a game. In his time as a starter, he benefited from good, hard, intentional work and saw his completion percentage continually rise. He's lived both sides of it."
The transition has been so ordinary that a freshman wide receiver recently referred to Peters as "Coach" because he's only seen Peters as one character, a duty he has completed flawlessly. Weiner has already pondered what next year will be like if Peters isn't around. He has become such a reliable piece of the operation and an extension of the coaching staff that Weiner frets about his absence.
"Every hour in college football is accounted for," Weiner said. "The more effectively that we can do work, the more that I can sit down and grade film. With someone who helps me streamline that process in half, the more possible it is we can focus on things that make us better."
In 2020, Weiner arrived at Toledo as a successful high school football coach from the state of Florida. He took a quick liking to Peters, as the duo leaned on each other. One offered education on the offense and the other provided insight on UT.
The teaching continues as Peters navigates what could be the beginning of a lengthy coaching career.
"Ever since high school, I've always thought I could make an impact on young people's lives [through coaching]," he said. "I've been told that I'm a natural influencer and leader. With that skill set matched with the passion I have for football and the Toledo Rockets, I'm really loving my role."
First Published October 15, 2021, 2:11pm
