Scottie Hazelton
Wyoming head football coach Craig Bohl announced that Scottie Hazelton would become the team’s new defensive coordinator on Tuesday. Hazelton will be replacing Steve Stanard, who was released after the season.
Bohl released Stanard after another poor defensive season from the Cowboys. The Cowboys were statistically worse this past season than they were the previous season. Bohl decided to part ways with his longtime friend and a coach who followed him from North Dakota State to Laramie.
In hiring Scottie Hazelton the Cowboys hired a name who Bohl is familiar with. Hazelton coached with Craig Bohl at North Dakota State as a defensive line coach, as well as defensive coordinator when the Bison won the 2011 national championship.
Scottie Hazelton left North Dakota State he moved on to USC as a linebackers coach. After a year in Los Angeles he moved on to Nevada to join Brian Polian as the Wolf Pack’s defensive coordinator. After one year at Nevada Hazelton left for the Jacksonville Jaguars to be an assistant linebackers coach for the Jaguars.
Hazelton was born December 19, 1973. He played his high school football at Horizon High School in Brighton, Colorado. From there Hazelton was a linebacker at Fort Lewis College. After his playing career wrapped up he joined the Fort Lewis staff as a defensive backs coach, then a defensive coordinator. After a stint at North Dakota State as a graduate assistant, he moved on to division 3 St. Olaf College as a defensive backs coach. After two years at St. Olaf’s he moved on to Missouri Southern State, then on to Michigan Tech.
Hazelton found a more permanent residence in Fargo for three years before leaving for USC.
With the hire of Hazelton the Cowboys are getting a coach who has been coveted for his skill in coaching over the course of his career. He has a solid track record with coaching linebackers, and how has some NFL experience behind him. He has also coached a championship defense. Hazelton is also familiar with the upper-Midwest having coached in Michigan and North Dakota. This should provide some help in recruiting those areas. He may also be another point of entry in Colorado where he went to high school and college.
Hazelton will make the move to Laramie with his wife Brooke and his four children.
Coaching Career
1996–1998 – Fort Lewis College (Defensive Backs)
1999 – Fort Lewis College (Defensive Coordinator)
2000–2001 – North Dakota State (Graduate Assistant)
2002–2003 – St. Olaf College (Defensive Backs)
2004–2005 – Missouri Southern State (Defensive Coordinator)
2006 – Michigan Tech (Linebackers)
2007–2009 – North Dakota State (Defensive Line)
2010–2011 – North Dakota State (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)
2012 – USC (Linebackers)
2013 – Nevada (Defensive Coordinator)
2014-2016 – Jacksonville Jaguars (Assistant Linebackers)
2017 – Wyoming (Defensive Coordinator)