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day on what happens class-wise, paper-wise, who's late, who's missing. I text them right away and make them feel the heat. Because if you don't and they get away with it the first time, then they think, 'Hey, maybe I can get away with it (again).' You've got to correct the issue every single time." Gold and Black: John Shoop said there's pressure here in this program to do the right thing, not the wrong thing, and that comes from the top down. Hazell: "I guess I never looked at it that way, I can see that. It's something that we ask them. I don't want to sound cliché, but I am a big believer in you get what you ask for. What you demand, most of the times you're going to get." Gold and Black: Much of the time since you've been hired has been spent out in the community, around campus, hitting different areas in the state trying to sell the program. Season ticket sales are up. How important is it for the success of this program to get fans to Ross-Ade Stadium? Hazell: "I think it's vitally important. If people don't think they can affect the football game, they're grossly mistaken. We always talk about communication on the field. How are you going to communicate in loud stadiums? How are we going to do it this week? How are you going to huddle this week? How are you going to hear in the huddle? How are you going to hear the snap count? We spend minutes and minutes and minutes as a staff trying to figure out what's the best way to communicate because you're going into venues where the stadium is loud. So if we don't get people in our stadium and make it hard on other teams, give them something else to think about, it's third-and-five, third-and-seven, make them alter what they're doing because our crowd is so loud." Gold and Black: You won't get to see the fruits of your labor, so to speak, until that first home game against Indiana State. But are you heartened by the reception and that people seem to be getting excited? Hazell: "I think there's a genuine energy and a genuine excitement that is going on right now. I think it's our duty as a staff and as a team to make sure that continues once we get started." Gold and Black: It'd seem obvious you are goGBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com Head Coach Darrell Hazell Darrell Hazell built up plenty of experience tutoring young men and developing talent during stops as an assistant coach at schools ranging from tiny Oberlin College to Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State. He was an intent listener and extensive note-taker, evaluating each failure, each success, each conversation, each relationship. So when he got the chance to run his own program — Kent State was his first head coaching job in 2011 — Hazell was ready. And it took him only two seasons to turn one of the nation's worst programs into a conference-championship contender and a bowl participant. But it wasn't just football knowledge or intense focus or drive that sparked that shocking turnaround. It was, simply, who Hazell is and what he values, coaches say. And it's why many think he's the right fit to transform the Boilermakers. "As soon as you meet him, it takes about one minute to realize this guy has 'it,' " said director of high school relations Casey Nuss, who is a holdover from the old staff. After working with Hazell for only weeks, offensive coordinator John Shoop couldn't believe the situation he had gotten into. Hazell, 49, was unlike any coach he'd worked with. He was "uncommon." "I feel really lucky. Our kids should feel really lucky," Shoop said. "We have a head coach who, yeah, he wants to teach these guys the craft of playing their position and learning the game and all those things, but we have a head coach who wants to teach these guys how to be the men that their parents hope for them to be, the citizens that our country and our state needs them to be, the representatives that this school wants them to be. "It's a real blessing to me personally and I'd think it is to some of our players as well to be around a man that models such a strong and ethical demeanor. It makes a difference." — Stacy Clardie Gold and Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 6 • 11