Purdue confirms Hazell's hire as coach
Purdue has gone from Hope to Hazell.
The Boilermakers named Darrell Hazell their new coach on Wednesday. The school is planning a news conference later in the day to introduce Hazell.
Hazell leaves Kent State after two seasons at the Mid-American Conference school. He led the Golden Flashes to an 11-2 record this season, losing last Friday to Orange Bowl-bound Northern Illinois in double overtime in the Mid-American Conference championship game. The 2012 MAC coach of the year's overall record was 16-9.
Hazell takes over at Purdue for Danny Hope, who was fired after the season. Hope posted a 23-27 record in four years on the job. The Boilermakers rallied at the end of the season to finish 6-6 and land a berth in the Heart of Texas Bowl on New Year's Day against Oklahoma State.
"I'm extremely excited to work with the players at Purdue and I look forward to experiencing a lot of success in the future," Hazell said. "It's a wonderful opportunity. Purdue University has a great football tradition, and I can't wait to get started."
Hazell knows what he's getting into at Purdue. He served as Ohio State's wide receivers coach from 2005 to 2010 under Jim Tressel before leaving for Kent State.
"Darrell is a great fit to build on our existing foundation," Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke said. "His leadership at Kent State, combined with his prior experience at Ohio State and other stops along the way, has prepared him to help us continue to move toward developing a championship-caliber program."
Purdue reportedly interviewed Cincinnati's Butch Jones for the job. Jones also is being courted by Colorado.
Hazell leaves Kent State after leading the program to its first winning season since 2001 and as high as No. 17 in the BCS standings. The Golden Flashes will play in the GoDaddy.com Bowl on Jan. 6 in Mobile, Ala., against Arkansas State.
