5 years ago

Meet new Kansas State defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton. Hazelton joins Chris Klieman for his first Wildcat coaching staff.

BIO:
A 23-year coaching veteran with stints at all levels of collegiate football and the NFL, Scottie Hazelton was hired as Kansas State’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in January 2019.

Hazelton comes to Manhattan after a successful two-year run as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Wyoming. Both seasons the Cowboys ranked in the top 25 nationally in total defense and top 30 nationally in scoring defense. Additionally, Hazelton saw 13 Wyoming defenders earn All-Mountain West honors, including four by linebackers.

His first season coordinating the Cowboy defense was an extremely productive one. Wyoming’s 2017 defense was No. 1 in the nation in takeaways, forcing 38 opponent turnovers thanks to a nation-leading 18 fumbles recovered and a No. 2 ranking with 20 interceptions. The Cowboys ranked ninth in the country in scoring defense (17.5 points per game), 13th in pass defense (174.9 yards per game) and 23rd in total defense (335.2 yards per game). Additionally, the Wyoming defense turned four of their turnovers into defensive scores to rank eighth nationally, while the Cowboys finished the year 14th in pass efficiency defense (112.67) and 21st in red zone defense (.765).

Hazelton’s defensive unit featured three First Team All-Mountain West honorees and nine all-conference players overall, including linebackers Jahmari Moore, Adam Pilapil and Logan Wilson.

The next season, Wyoming ranked 19th in total defense (326.2 yards per game), 25th in rushing defense (129.5 yards per game) and 29th in scoring defense (22.0 points per game). Four Cowboys earned all-conference honors, while safety Andrew Wingard left Wyoming with a Mountain West-record tying 454 career tackles.

Hazelton got back into the college game at Wyoming after spending the 2014 through 2016 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars as the assistant linebackers coach. While in Jacksonville, he was reunited with head coach Gus Bradley, who was Hazelton’s position coach at Fort Lewis College.

In 2016, Hazelton was part of a Jacksonville defensive staff that saw the Jaguars rank sixth in the NFL in total defense (321.7 yards per game) and fifth in passing defense (215.2 yards per game). Two linebackers in which Hazelton worked with, Paul Posluszny and Telvin Smith, each ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in tackles in 2015.

Hazelton and head coach Chris Klieman worked together at North Dakota State in 2011, which ended a five-year stint in Fargo for Hazelton. He was the defensive line coach from 2007 to 2009 before taking over as defensive coordinator and coaching the linebackers in 2010 and 2011.

During his first season as defensive coordinator in 2010, NDSU’s defense ranked seventh nationally in both scoring defense (18.21 points per game) and turnover margin (+1.07 per game), was 15th in pass efficiency defense (105.7) and ranked 19th in sacks (2.57 per game). That season, the Bison made their first appearance in the FCS playoffs, advancing to the quarterfinals.

In 2011, the Bison defense led the nation in scoring defense (12.73 points per game), while they were eighth in turnover margin (+1.20 per game), 17th in rushing defense (118.73 yards per game), 19th in sacks (2.67 per game) and 20th in total defense (315.93 yards per game). Hazelton’s defensive unit was a big part of North Dakota State’s first ever FCS title, which began a current streak of seven championships over an eight-year span.

While coaching the defensive line, Hazelton helped the 2008 Bison lead the FCS in pass defense (116.82 yards per game), rank second in sacks (3.36 per game), fifth in total defense (254.0 yards per game), fifth in tackles for loss (8.55 per game) and 19th in scoring defense (19.18 points per game).

Hazelton moved from North Dakota State to his first Power 5 job as he was the linebackers coach at USC in 2012, a year that ended with a Sun Bowl berth. The next year, he served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Nevada.

Hazelton’s coaching career began in 1996 at his alma mater, Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. He was the defensive backs coach for the Skyhawks from 1996 to 1999, while he was the interim defensive coordinator in 1998. Hazelton served his first stint at North Dakota State from 2000 to 2001 as a defensive graduate assistant before moving into a full-time coaching position at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, in 2002 and 2003 where he served as recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach.

Hazelton was hired next at Missouri Southern for the 2004 and 2005 seasons as defensive coordinator and safeties coach. The next year, he coached the linebackers and special teams at Michigan Tech before returning to North Dakota State in 2007.

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