While most Michigan State football fans are trying to forget the Mel Tucker era still (outside of that magical 2021 season), a lot of former coaches and players from that timeframe are still out here putting in work and trying to find success at their new schools.
We've seen some Tucker era players have a ton of success elsewhere like Sam Leavitt with Arizona State and Ricky White with UNLV but the coaches haven't had as much luck.
While Chris Kapilovic got a job as Alabama's offensive line coach, he had a shaky season and was often criticized by Tide fans. He still has some time to turn things around and I wouldn't be surprised if he did because, well, it's fairly easy to recruit at Alabama.
Jay Johnson has struggled a bit as Wyoming's offensive coordinator and he, too, has received a ton of criticism from his new fanbase.
But one big name from the Tucker era coaching staff, Scottie Hazelton, may be back in the spotlight soon enough.
Shortly after the 2024 season, Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson decided to step down. He had a successful run with the Demon Deacons, but it felt like he reached his ceiling. Wake Forest decided to hire Jake Dickert away from Washington State and he's putting together his coaching staff now. The guy he wants as his defensive coordinator is none other than Hazelton.
Jake Dickert is targeting Texas special assistant to the head coach Scottie Hazelton for his defensive coordinator job at Wake Forest, sources tell @CBSSports/@247Sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 22, 2024
Before Texas, Hazelton was the defensive coordinator at places like Michigan State and Kansas State.… pic.twitter.com/Pnmb6taSLR
Hazelton got a bad rap in East Lansing and that was mostly because the secondary was one of the worst in the country and never really got better. I put more of that blame on the secondary coaches than Hazelton, but he is still well-respected in the sport -- clearly. He's about to land his first major job since leaving Michigan State.
This season, Hazelton has been acting as a "special assistant to the head coach" at Texas. The Longhorns did make the playoff and beat Clemson in the first round this past weekend so it's clear he's doing a decent job in whatever his role is, but he may be moving on soon.
It's good to see him land on his feet because he seems to have a bright future despite the hiccups he had in East Lansing.