Virginia Tech football: Brent Pry hires Michael Hazel as assistant AD — chief of staff

Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry made another key addition to his support staff Tuesday when the hiring of Michael Hazel became official.

Hazel will serve as assistant athletic director — chief of staff for Pry and the Hokies.

Hazel spent the past eight seasons at Penn State, working first as the director of football operations for five seasons, before becoming the senior director of football operations for the past three seasons.

In case you are wondering what Hazel’s role will be, in his role at Penn State, he “oversaw external operations, analytics and facilities projects. He also served as the liaison between the Nittany Lions’ football program and the athletic department’s marketing, creative services, strategic communications and video production offices,” according to hokiesports.com.

Along with Mike Villagrana, who was officially hired over a week ago, Hazel will oversee the support staff. Villagrana will handle the recruiting/transfer portal side, while Hazel will manage day-to-day operations for Pry.

This is another big-time get for Pry. So what if you haven’t heard of Hazel’s name before. Go look at the big-time football schools. They have roles on their staff for talented individuals such as Villagrana and Hazel. They are huge additions. And, more hires will come.

This is another sign the Hokies understand the big picture, and athletic director Whit Babcock wasn’t lying when he said money would not be an issue for Virginia Tech’s new staff. The Hokies have had a string of impressive hires, both on and off the field.

Before coming to Penn State in 2014, Hazel spent 11 years at Vanderbilt, beginning as a graduate assistant. He played his college football at Elon, graduating in 2001, and immediately went into coaching.