Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
2/21Inside-5 share
2 of the team's 21 inside-the-5 carries (9.5%).
Willie Shaw III
Willie Shaw III is a running back at Toledo who has not played in Toledo's 8 games this season; the last season with a stat line was 2025.
Where Shaw comes from
- Chicago, IL
- Brother Rice
- Brother Rice is about 200 miles from Glass Bowl
- Three-star, No. 861 in the 2021 class.
- On the Toledo roster since 2021
Where Shaw fits
Toledo lists 11 running backs this season.
Toledo running backs with a game this season
Toledo is 6-2.
Similar players
Same class and position
From Brother Rice
Also from Chicago, IL
Shaw does a little of everything without one standout trait. Played for two head coaches in five seasons at Toledo. A game that shows it: 49 rushing yards against Morgan State — Week 3, 2025.
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Where to follow
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 4 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 3 | W 60-0vs Morgan State | 8 | 49 | 6.1 | 0 | 20 | Season-high 49 yds |
| Wk 5 | W 45-3vs Akron | 5 | 28 | 5.6 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 11 | W 42-3vs Northern Illinois | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | |
 Bowl | L 22-27vs Louisville | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Total | 15 | 85 | 5.7 | 0 | 20 |
Signature game
Week 3 · 2025
W 60-0
vs Morgan State
49 rush yds (8 car)
Dominant 60-point win at home against Morgan State.
With T. Gleason — 174 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 75.3 · E. Duran — 46.7 yards per punt · 3 punts · 2 inside the 20
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 3 · Morgan State · 2nd and 10 · Q3 · EPA +1.98Willie Shaw III run for 16 yds to the MORG 1 for a
- Week 3 · Morgan State · 3rd and 1 · Q3 · EPA +0.99Willie Shaw III run for 20 yds to the MORG 17 for a
- Week 3 · Morgan State · 1st and 1 · Q3 · EPA −0.96Willie Shaw III run for no gain to the MORG 1
- Week 5 · Akron · 1st and 10 · Q4 · EPA +0.77Willie Shaw III run for 13 yds to the TOL 28 for a
- Week 3 · Morgan State · 2nd and 1 · Q3 · EPA −0.64Willie Shaw III run for a loss of 1 yard to the MORG 2
- Week 3 · Morgan State · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +0.50Willie Shaw III run for 8 yds to the MORG 21
4 more plays
- Week 3 · Morgan State · 1st and 8 · Q4 · EPA −0.42Willie Shaw III run for a loss of 1 yard to the MORG 9
- Week 5 · Akron · 2nd and 4 · Q4 · EPA +0.37Willie Shaw III run for 5 yds to the TOL 26 for a
- Week 5 · Akron · 1st and 10 · Q4 · EPA −0.31Willie Shaw III run for 3 yds to the TOL 29
- Week 5 · Akron · 1st and 10 · Q4 · EPA −0.22Willie Shaw III run for 3 yds to the AKR 32
Teams and coaches
5 seasons under Jason Candle — 43-24 over that span.
2021Toledo7-6HC: Jason Candle · Run-leaning
2022Toledo9-5HC: Jason Candle · Run-leaning
2023Toledo11-3HC: Jason Candle · Run-leaning
2024Toledo8-5HC: Jason Candle · Balanced
2025Toledo8-5HC: Jason Candle · Run-leaning
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 4 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 28.3 | 5.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 25.7 | 5.8 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 8.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Robert Weiner
Pass share
45.9%
397 pass / 467 run
Plays / game
66.5
13 games
Team sack rate
3.3%
393 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
15 carries in 4 games
Fewer touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Six seasons at Toledo
- 2026 Toledo JacobsYear 6 · on the roster, no stat line
- 2025 Toledo CandleYear 5 · 4 games
- 2024 Toledo CandleYear 4 · 6 games
- 2023 Toledo CandleYear 3 · 5 games
- 2022 Toledo CandleYear 2 · 4 games
- 2021 Toledo CandleYear 1 · 1 game
- High school Brother RiceOak Lawn, IL · Class of 2021Three-star, No. 861 in the 2021 class. Signed with Toledo.Also from Brother Rice: Trey Pierce (Michigan), Denver Warren (UAB), King Liggins (Illinois) and 2 more.
A stat line in 20 games over five seasons.
2021
- Signed with ToledoThree-star, out of Brother Rice
Coaching lineage · 2021–2026
2 coaches2021–2025
Toledo
Coaching transition mid-career: Jason Candle → Mike Jacobs. Worth noting in scheme + development context.