Daniel Bolden has always wanted to be a coach. He just thought his first sniff at the job would come under different circumstances. The University of Toledo starting linebacker suffered a season-ending torn ACL in July, delivering a blow to the Rockets' rebuilt defense and giving the 6-foot-1, 245-pound Bolden a different perspective in 2021. "It's an opportunity to get into coaching a little bit earlier," he said. "I'll be back on the field next year, but this is going to help me tremendously when I come back to play, getting to see it from coach [Vince] Kehres' point of view and pick his brain on why he's calling things and why we're running coverages in certain situations. It's helped me out a lot with my understanding of football. I love helping the young guys out. They're still learning the defense."Bolden, a fourth-year junior from Cincinnati, has played in each of Toledo's 31 games since he arrived on campus. He had a career-high seven tackles against Central Michigan in his first career start as a sophomore. In each of the past two seasons, Bolden has been among the top 10 UT defensive players in tackles. Last season, he recorded 20 tackles, including one tackle for loss, and one quarterback hurry. Bolden was the recipient of the Wayne Lumber "Bringing the Lumber" trophy for the best tackle of the 2020 season. - Toledo Blade