Purdue hires Darrell Hazell from Kent State

• Coach took Golden Flashes to record-setting 11-2 season and first bowl since 1972
• Hazell will replace Danny Hope, fired last month after going 22-27 in four seasons
• Kent State was 16-9 in two seasons under Hazell, who had been an assistant at Ohio State

Darrell Hazell has been named Purdue's new football coach, the school announced Wednesday morning.

Hazell, 48, becomes the 35th football coach in school history. Terms of the agreement were not announced.

"Darrell is a great fit to build on our existing foundation," athletics director Morgan Burke said in a statement. "His leadership at Kent State, combined with his prior experience at Ohio State and other stops along the way, has prepared him to help us continue to move toward developing a championship-caliber program.

"Furthermore, it is clear that he appreciates the Cradle of Quarterbacks tradition, and it will remain a focal point of our program."

Purdue will have an introductory news conference at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday.

"I'm extremely excited to work with the players at Purdue, and I look forward to experiencing a lot of success in the future," Hazell said. "It's a wonderful opportunity. Purdue University has a great football tradition, and I can't wait to get started."

He replaces Danny Hope, who was fired last month after a 6-6 season. He was 22-27 in four seasons at Purdue. The Boilermakers are playing Jan. 1 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl against Oklahoma State.

Shortly after Hope was fired, receivers coach Patrick Higgins was promoted to interim head coach for the bowl game.

It's unclear if Hazell will be allowed to guide the Golden Flashes in the GoDaddy.com Bowl against Arkansas State. Coincidentally, Arkansas State coach Gus Malzahn was announced Tuesday as head coach at Auburn. It also is unclear whether Malzahn will coach in the bowl game Jan. 6 in Mobile, Ala.

Shortly after news broke that Purdue had hired Hazell, the Boilermakers started expressing their satisfaction.

"Excited to meet and get to know our new Head Football Coach Darrell Hazell, welcome!" defensive end Ryan Russell posted on his Twitter account.

Hazell has spent the last two seasons with the Golden Flashes, compiling a 16-9 record.

The New Jersey native moved to the top of Burke's list after Cincinnati's Butch Jones pulled out of consideration Tuesday. Jones interviewed on Purdue's campus Sunday, and flew to Colorado to speak with school officials about its opening.

Monday, Burke and a team of Purdue athletics administrators flew to Ohio to meet with Hazell. Senior associate athletics director Nancy Cross, associate athletics director Tom Reiter and assistant athletics director Calvin Williams accompanied Burke on the trip.

How Hazell became one of Purdue's top targets makes sense. Burke consulted with former Indianapolis Colts VP Bill Polian, who hired Jim Tressel last year. Hazell worked as an assistant head coach and receivers coach under Tressel at Ohio State.

"Big Ten beware!! Best coach I've ever had," former Ohio State and current Miami Dolphins receiver Brian Hartline posted on his Twitter account Tuesday night.

Hazell's offensive coordinator, Brian Rock, was Purdue's receivers coach from 2005-10.

When Hazell was hired at Kent State in December 2010, he signed a three-year contract that paid a base salary of $300,000 annually. He was the lowest-paid coach in the Mid-American Conference.

Part of Hazell's challenge will be to keep the 2013 recruiting class together. The group has lost one member since Hope's firing and three overall in the last month. Terre Haute South quarterback Danny Etling, a 2013 commitment, told247sports.com that he's going to wait and talk to Hazell before deciding his future.

"I'm going to have to wait for him to talk to me and see what his plans are for me, because his plan could differ from Coach Hope's and the other staff," Etling said. "I'll have to see if I fit in and if he wants me. He seems like a really nice coach and really good hire for Purdue. I'll have to see what he tells me."

Hazell had a dream season with the Golden Flashes, posting a 10-game winning streak en route to an 11-2 record. Kent State was on the verge of playing in a BCS game, but lost to Northern Illinois in double overtime last week.

Mike Carmin also writes for the The (Lafayette, Ind.) Journal & Courier