Hazelton Ready to Build Strong Defense at Wake Forest
7/29/2025 7:12:00 AM | Football
“I was excited about building the staff and getting the guys in the room, and we love our room." - Scottie Hazelton
After producing remarkable results at Kansas State and Michigan State as defensive coordinator, it was a bevy of strong relationships with the staff assembled under new head coach Jake Dickert that helped lead Scottie Hazelton to Wake Forest.
"We've been friends for a long time," Hazelton said as the Deacs were wrapping up spring camp earlier this year. "He gave me an opportunity to move back here, and it's always fun. I mean, you've been a coordinator for a long time, you bounce around, you do the things that you do, and taking some time off is as good as calling plays.
"It's fun just to coach a position (linebackers) too. But when you have an opportunity to come back and call plays—I've never had a chance to call plays in the ACC—so it'll be a new and interesting opportunity. I was excited about building the staff and getting the guys in the room, and we love our room."
With their paths crossing at Wyoming during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Dickert served Hazelton as safeties coach and then took over as defensive coordinator when Hazelton took a position at Kansas State.
"Yeah, I mean he takes some things from different guys he's been around, which is always important," Hazelton said about Dickert. "I mean, your journey is really who you are—that's what it is. So, the guys you've been around, the guys you've learned from, you can always steal things from wherever, and it's fun to see how he's built the culture where he's been, and how he's adapted it.
"Everywhere you go, it's a little bit different, so it'll be different here, it'll be unique here, and he's doing a good job. Hopefully the guys see it, they feel it. There's energy at practice, so it's been good."
While tirelessly working to build a staff late in the early NCAA Transfer Portal, Dickert constructed a team of leaders that turned out to have several linking connections.
"Just how good the staff is," Hazelton said about what has most surprised him since being at Wake Forest. "Having the guys on the staff that have been in the system before—it's great working with Pete (Peter Kaligis) again, and really a couple of guys who used to be GAs for me here and there. Just building that defensive staff—our room is really something special.
"Adding Coach (Chevis) Jackson in there and getting his perspective on everything, and you get a bunch of different guys that have run similar systems all working together, and the ideas that come up are really fun."
He also found out quickly that the Demon Deacons on the roster are accomplished both on and off the field. They excel in the classroom and make a difference in the community.
"They love ball, but there's a different kind of guy here — the last staff and the people before us recruited well," Hazelton said. "When you come in, you have a lot fewer off-the-field issues. When we went through the grade report for the first time, I was like, 'Dang, this is amazing.' They're really student-athletes, you know what I mean? And that's good to see.
"I know we're here to compete and win every game, but these guys really take class seriously and they do a great job on and off the field."
The defense had a decided advantage over the offense in spring camp, but the gap began to close as practices came to a climax with the Spring Showcase. The work each side accomplished during the summer in the weight room under the guidance of director of strength and conditioning Ben Iannacchione will likely be the difference early in fall camp as the Demon Deacons begin to prepare for the season opener at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29 against Kennesaw State at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium.
"That's generally how it happens," Hazelton said about the defense being a step ahead in spring camp. "Usually, as the offense puts more in, they need to see the looks we're giving them and correct those. Sometimes it feels like one side is ahead, but the truth is, we can just run around and make tackles early on — even if a guy's in the wrong fit, no one notices. As it goes, they start getting it down and it shifts the other way. The pendulum swings back and forth until you get far enough along to see what the truth really is."
Though there was significant progress in the spring, especially in the secondary with proven leaders like Nick Andersen and Davaughn Patterson; Hazelton is eager to see how his guys continue to learn, develop and produce with the season kickoff right around the corner.
"I'm never too high, never too low, right?" he said. "We're in a good place. The guys are starting to understand it—they're starting to understand how to do things, and how they fit into each piece. When you hear guys like Nando say, 'Hey, I feel like I can play instinctually,' that's the goal. You want to push as hard as you can to get them playing fast.
"When they know what they're doing and how to do it, they can start using those tools and indicators. That makes you feel good as a coach — because you're speeding up the process, and that's what it takes."
"We've been friends for a long time," Hazelton said as the Deacs were wrapping up spring camp earlier this year. "He gave me an opportunity to move back here, and it's always fun. I mean, you've been a coordinator for a long time, you bounce around, you do the things that you do, and taking some time off is as good as calling plays.
"It's fun just to coach a position (linebackers) too. But when you have an opportunity to come back and call plays—I've never had a chance to call plays in the ACC—so it'll be a new and interesting opportunity. I was excited about building the staff and getting the guys in the room, and we love our room."
With their paths crossing at Wyoming during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Dickert served Hazelton as safeties coach and then took over as defensive coordinator when Hazelton took a position at Kansas State.
"Yeah, I mean he takes some things from different guys he's been around, which is always important," Hazelton said about Dickert. "I mean, your journey is really who you are—that's what it is. So, the guys you've been around, the guys you've learned from, you can always steal things from wherever, and it's fun to see how he's built the culture where he's been, and how he's adapted it.
"Everywhere you go, it's a little bit different, so it'll be different here, it'll be unique here, and he's doing a good job. Hopefully the guys see it, they feel it. There's energy at practice, so it's been good."
While tirelessly working to build a staff late in the early NCAA Transfer Portal, Dickert constructed a team of leaders that turned out to have several linking connections.
"Just how good the staff is," Hazelton said about what has most surprised him since being at Wake Forest. "Having the guys on the staff that have been in the system before—it's great working with Pete (Peter Kaligis) again, and really a couple of guys who used to be GAs for me here and there. Just building that defensive staff—our room is really something special.
"Adding Coach (Chevis) Jackson in there and getting his perspective on everything, and you get a bunch of different guys that have run similar systems all working together, and the ideas that come up are really fun."
He also found out quickly that the Demon Deacons on the roster are accomplished both on and off the field. They excel in the classroom and make a difference in the community.
"They love ball, but there's a different kind of guy here — the last staff and the people before us recruited well," Hazelton said. "When you come in, you have a lot fewer off-the-field issues. When we went through the grade report for the first time, I was like, 'Dang, this is amazing.' They're really student-athletes, you know what I mean? And that's good to see.
"I know we're here to compete and win every game, but these guys really take class seriously and they do a great job on and off the field."
The defense had a decided advantage over the offense in spring camp, but the gap began to close as practices came to a climax with the Spring Showcase. The work each side accomplished during the summer in the weight room under the guidance of director of strength and conditioning Ben Iannacchione will likely be the difference early in fall camp as the Demon Deacons begin to prepare for the season opener at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29 against Kennesaw State at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium.
"That's generally how it happens," Hazelton said about the defense being a step ahead in spring camp. "Usually, as the offense puts more in, they need to see the looks we're giving them and correct those. Sometimes it feels like one side is ahead, but the truth is, we can just run around and make tackles early on — even if a guy's in the wrong fit, no one notices. As it goes, they start getting it down and it shifts the other way. The pendulum swings back and forth until you get far enough along to see what the truth really is."
Though there was significant progress in the spring, especially in the secondary with proven leaders like Nick Andersen and Davaughn Patterson; Hazelton is eager to see how his guys continue to learn, develop and produce with the season kickoff right around the corner.
"I'm never too high, never too low, right?" he said. "We're in a good place. The guys are starting to understand it—they're starting to understand how to do things, and how they fit into each piece. When you hear guys like Nando say, 'Hey, I feel like I can play instinctually,' that's the goal. You want to push as hard as you can to get them playing fast.
"When they know what they're doing and how to do it, they can start using those tools and indicators. That makes you feel good as a coach — because you're speeding up the process, and that's what it takes."
Players Mentioned
DB
/ Football
DB
/ FootballWake Forest Football Coach Jake Dickert Weekly Press Conference
Monday, October 06
Wake Forest Football Highlights vs. Virginia Tech (Oct. 4, 2025)
Sunday, October 05
Eni Falayi TD grab before the end of the half
Saturday, October 04
Demond Claiborne scores the Deacs' first TD of the day
Saturday, October 04