familiar
The twinkle is still in Stan Parrish's eye four years after quarterback Aaron Opelt chose the University of Toledo over Ball State University.
There's no reason to feel sorry for Parrish and the Cardinals though; Opelt chose the Rockets only after Nate Davis decided to come to Muncie.
"He liked us a lot," Parrish said. "We were heavily, heavily involved in the recruiting process."
Opelt leads Toledo into Scheumann Stadium on Saturday with a 2-2 record, including a win against the University of Colorado.
The rest of the nation is finally getting a chance to see the talents Parrish saw four years ago. Opelt is ranked fifth in the nation in passing yards and ninth in completions.
"He's always, I think, had good tools," Parrish said. "He's a good player."
In 2005 with Davis playing in Bellaire, Ohio, and Opelt in Freemont, Ohio, Parrish made plenty of recruiting trips to the state. His prime target was Davis, but he didn't have Opelt graded too far behind the future Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
"I thought [Opelt] could do everything we were going to do," Parrish said. "I really did. He can run, he has arm strength, he didn't have quite Nate's quickness. But as high school players, you can't recruit much better in our league."
Entering MAC play, Opelt is among the favorites for this year's MAC Offensive Player of the Year. He's thrown for 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns. Opelt also is Toledo's second leading rusher with 126 yards and three touchdowns.
Opelt has benefited from new coach Tim Beckman, who installed the spread offense this year. The change has paid dividends for the Rockets, who are averaging 31.5 points per game despite being shut out by Ohio State University.
Parrish said he can see the improvement in Opelt's game.
"The ball's out of his hand quicker," he said. "He's more assertive with reading and runs when he has to."
Opelt and the rest of the Toledo seniors have never beaten Ball State. Beckman said that was on the Rockets' mind this week.
"That's one of the things we need to do as a senior class," Beckman said. "We have to be able to defeat some of these teams we haven't defeated."
Parrish and the rest of the Cardinals hope that streak continues, but Parrish still has a special place for his former recruit.
"I know [Opelt] like a son," Parrish said. "I watched him do everything in high school. I remember in our off week going to Freemont-Ross and seeing his folks. They were tailgating before the game. I liked him a lot."
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