Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech Athletics and head football coach Brent Pry announced Tuesday that Michael Hazel has joined the department as assistant athletic director – chief of staff for Virginia Tech Football.
Hazel comes to Blacksburg after working in operations for Penn State football for the past eight seasons. He was promoted to senior director of football operations following a five-year stint as director of football operations for the Nittany Lions.
At Penn State, Hazel's duties included overseeing the program's external operations, analytics and facilities projects. He also served as the liaison between the Nittany Lions' football program and the athletic department's marketing, creative services, strategic communications and video production offices. Hazel was named the 2020 FootballScoop Operations Director of the Year and was a finalist for the award in 2015 and 2016.
During Hazel's tenure with the Nittany Lions, Penn State has finished in the top 12 of the final College Football Playoff rankings in four of the last six seasons, has earned berths in three New Year's Six bowl games with two wins and won the 2016 Big Ten Championship.
Prior to his time at Penn State, Hazel worked in various roles on the football staff at Vanderbilt for 11 seasons. He served as director of football operations (2011-14), assistant director of football operations (2005-10) and defensive graduate assistant (2004). With the Commodores, Hazel was part of the program's first bowl appearance in 26 years in 2008, as well as back-to-back bowl wins in 2013-14.
Hazel arrived in Nashville following three years as a defensive graduate assistant for his alma mater, Elon. Hazel was a four-year letterman as a linebacker and special teams performer for the Phoenix and helped the program to a 28-16 record during its transition to the FCS level.
The Easley, South Carolina native graduated from Elon in 2001 with a degree in corporate communications. He earned his MBA from Elon in 2004 and later earned his master's degree in organizational leadership from Vanderbilt in 2007.
Hazel and his wife, Molly, have a son, Ezra, and a daughter, Maya.