Scottie Hazelton Talks Position Changes for His Defense
East Lansing, MI— Michigan State defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton was behind the proverbial eight-ball when he got hired because of Mark Dantonio’s ridiculous waiting to retire when he did. But with the COVID-19 restrictions that came down, it has placed him even deeper behind. He talked about with what little he has been able to evaluate, is he foreseeing any position changes?
“Sure, I mean, we talked about a little bit where the pegs are going to fit in, we kind of talked about…but right now it’s all theory, as we get the guys on the field I mean that’s going to be hopefully we, whatever happens with spring and fall we can get back with spring and fall but we, I mean that’s going to be somewhat of a feel thing. As you might be able to think, Hey, this guy might be a defensive end, and he’s a defensive tackle, or maybe there’s a corner that can play nickel or, a safety might be a free or strong (safety), or whatever the case is. Some of those things are going to have to happen, as we get onto the field because, with some guys, you might think, Hey, he’d really fit this slot and then as you watch him play you might say wow, he might be good at this one instead. So, right now as we’re starting to teach, we’re trying to do it in a way that, Hey listen, all these guys can do these different skills, and let’s teach the skills and terminology and get everybody to understand what they’re doing and then how those skill sets fit into each defense so that if that does happen once we hit fall camp, guys have the ability to switch a little bit and change. It’s not too much of a shock to them if they end up playing something else.”
The Spartans kick off the season on September 5, 2020. They will be hosting in the Northwestern Wildcats with a rare, season-opening Big Ten game.
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