Michigan State football's Scottie Hazelton relishes spring practices after 'blur' of 2020

Scottie Hazleton liked what he saw from Michigan State football’s work-in-progress defense in Tuesday’s second spring scrimmage, particularly in forcing turnovers from the offense.

He also made a frank assessment about the Spartans’ coaching staff: They, too, have a lot of room for improvement.

“We had a couple times where we had substitution errors,” Hazelton recalled Wednesday. “We were running one group on the field because we're trying to play more guys up front, and we're not getting the guys off in time. And the offense is going fast, and we have to be ready for that. We do a better job with that as coaches.”

New Michigan State defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton during workouts in March.
New Michigan State defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton during workouts in March.

The willingness to admit that coaches are continuing to learn goes a long way to building trust with the players, something Hazelton and the rest off coach Mel Tucker’s staff had minimal chances to do going into their debut season last fall. Without a spring practice and with so much being implemented virtually over video calls, Hazelton reflected on the Spartans’ 2-5 season and how he and his position coaches dialed back their full installation with the stop-and-start nature of finally getting on the field.

“It's still a little bit of a blur to us all, I think,” Hazelton said. “I think it's one of those things that we're super excited to be in spring ball right now. I mean, it's really where you get a chance to develop the guys and get them really understanding the details of what you're trying to do.”

MSU loses some key pieces from that transition, including starting linebacker Antjuan Simmons, defensive tackle Naquan Jones and cornerback Shakur Brown to the NFL draft process. Add to that the departures of seven veterans into the transfer portal, part-time starter Chris Jackson among the four defensive backs to leave, and the Spartans’ depth took a significant hit from a unit that ranked 54th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total defense at 396.7 yards per game allowed - 157.3 on the ground (55th) and 239.4 through the air (72nd).

Tucker hired Hazelton away from Kansas State on Feb. 28, 2020. College sports shut down March 13, four days before their first scheduled spring practice. That added importance to this year's 15 practices, the 11th of which will be held Thursday.

“When we started spring ball, it was it was the opportunity for sort of the third chance we had this spring to reinstall again,” Hazelton said. “So now you're talking, really, we had a Zoom install, and then we had season and it was real. And then we had a chance to do it more of this spring — already three times than we did even before we got here. So that's the cool part.

“And really, the great thing we're looking at is the guys are starting to learn the other parts. Not just, 'What do I do?' ... but 'Hey, how do you want me to do it? What's the techniques you want me to use? Where are my eyes? Where do you want my hands? How do I make this break? How do I how do I play this block? How do I do those things?' And the why — 'Why am I doing it? Why is this part important to the defense?' Because that's the small things that, sometimes, we were lacking last year, the technique and fundamentals, and then how it affected everybody else around you.”

More to come

Michigan State cornerback Angelo Grose, left, and linebacker Cal Haladay tackle Indiana tight end Peyton Hendershot during the first half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020.
Michigan State cornerback Angelo Grose, left, and linebacker Cal Haladay tackle Indiana tight end Peyton Hendershot during the first half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020.

Hazelton echoed what Tucker has said, that MSU expects to remain active in the transfer portal throughout the summer to address areas of need.

One spot in particular is at linebacker, where the only two returning players on the spring roster with any game experience are junior Noah Harvey and sophomore Chase Kline. The Spartans lost three linebackers into the portal (Jeslord Boateng, Luke Fulton and Marcel Lewis) and are expected to add transfers Itayvion Brown (Minnesota) and Ben VanSumeren (Michigan) in the summer.

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“The good news, when those things happen, is the young guys get a ton of reps and they get a chance to learn and grow and you build some depth doing those things,” Hazelton said. “So sometimes it's a positive for you, because as we're moving in new guys that we get in that in that position group, those guys are going to need reps, too. And some of these reps are gonna have to stick.”

One player who Hazelton said impressed him during Tuesday morning’s scrimmage was Cal Haladay, who played primarily on special teams in the fall as a true freshman.

“Cal Haladay made some really good plays yesterday,” Hazelton said. “And that was great to see a young dude being able to play linebacker and run through and make some make some plays that you go, 'Wow, here's a young guy that's growing up.'”

Pressure points

Michigan State defensive end Jeff Pietrowski (47) chases Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields (1) during the second half at the Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020.
Michigan State defensive end Jeff Pietrowski (47) chases Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields (1) during the second half at the Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020.

MSU’s defensive line may be the deepest and experienced returning group on the team, with defensive ends Jacub Panasiuk and Drew Beesley back outside starting defensive tackle Jacob Slade and heavily used backups Jalen Hunt and Dashaun Mallory.

Still, Hazelton pointed to sophomore Maverick Hansen as being in the mix at defensive tackle.

“I don't know how many reps he got last year, but he sprinkled in some,” Hazelton said of the 6-foot-4, 310-pound Hansen. “He's a really strong dude that can do some things.”

Getting more pressure from the pass rush is a point of emphasis after generating 12 sacks in seven games last season, with the Spartans’ 1.71 per game ranking 91st nationally in an uneven statistical year.

Hazelton has seen improvement there from returnees Panasiuk, who said he lost weight battling COVID-19, and Beesley, who is back for a sixth season. MSU also brought in grad transfer Drew Jordan, who started 26 games in his career at Duke.

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“He's done a good job just coming in and giving a new little new little sprinkle to it, which allows you to put a guy like Beesley inside on some of the rushes,” Hazelton said of Jordan. “I think I think Kub (Panasiuk) is always a guy that you can get cranked up and hopefully get healthy. And he's been healthier this spring, which has been good, because you're starting to see some of this stuff come around with what he's been doing.”

Hazelton said sophomore Michael Fletcher is “still developing some of his rush stuff, which is outstanding.” He also cited other young players, saying redshirt freshman Avery Dunn shows “tremendous get off” on the edge. As for converted running back Brandon Wright, who is still learning the nuances of defensive end, Hazelton said, “that dude can fly.”

But Hazelton predominantly boasted about Jeff Pietrowski, who played primarily on special teams but made brief appearances on defense late in the season

“His effort and his tempo and all those things upfront, he goes hard all time,” Hazelton said. “And the guys up front respect that guy for what he does.”

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football DC Scottie Hazelton relishes spring practices