Hazell wasted no time in assembling a
strong team.

Just a little more than six weeks since being introduced as Kent State's head football coach, Darrell Hazell announced his first recruiting class last week. The 18-member class features 13 high school seniors from the state of Ohio.

Sixteen high school student-athletes and one junior college player signed National Letters of Intent, while one member of the incoming class is already enrolled at Kent State.

"I'm so excited about this recruiting class," says Hazell. "There is a lot of talent, great character and guys that have done an outstanding job in the classroom. We fully anticipate that these players are going to do exceptional things for Kent State in the near future."

Hazell's inaugural class is split fairly evenly on both sides of the ball, with 11 players on offense and seven on defense. The offensive signees include three quarterbacks, three running backs, a pair of wide receivers, one offensive lineman, a tight end and an athlete. The defensive commitments include three linebackers, two defensive ends, a cornerback and a strong safety.

"I couldn't be more proud of my staff," says Hazell. "In a very short period of time, they've done a phenomenal job of evaluating talent and going out and cultivating relationships with high school coaches, players and parents. We started three weeks ago by taking a good hard look at the current players on the team and put together a plan from there. Today is the culmination of a lot of hard work."

In addition to the 13 Ohio signees, the class also includes one player each from Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Virginia.

Kent State wrapped up the 2010 campaign with a 5-7 overall mark and a 4-4 record in the MAC. The Golden Flashes, who will have to replace two starters on offense and six from defense, are scheduled to open the 2011 campaign Sept. 3 at Alabama.

For information on each of the players, visit kentstatesports.com.