Report: Penn State football set to lose key staffer to Virginia Tech
Penn State football is reportedly set to lose one of its most important off-field staffers. Senior director of football operations Michael Hazel will leave to become chief of staff at Virginia Tech, according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.
Hazel would be joining former Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry, who left the Nittany Lions to become Virginia Tech’s head coach in December.
Penn State head coach James Franklin, Pry and and Hazel all worked together from 2011-2021 at both Vanderbilt and Penn State.
Hazel worked the past three seasons as senior director of football operations and was the director of football operations in the five prior seasons he worked at Penn State. Before he made the move to State College, he worked for 11 years at Vanderbilt. His last four seasons were spent as the Commodores’ director of football operations, including the last three with Franklin.
His other seven seasons at Vandy were spent as the assistant director of football operations for six years and as a defensive graduate assistant for one.
Hazel’s departure would be the second key loss on the staff, joining Pry, with the potential departure of special teams coordinator of Joe Lorig looming after Feldman and ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported he was being targeted by Oregon.
