2020 National Signing Day: LB Dylan Hazen Signs With Wake Forest

Dylan Hazen, a consensus 3-star prospect out of College Park High School in The Woodlands, TX, is officially a Demon Deacon. The 6’1”, 220 pound linebacker signed with Wake Forest over a host of other schools, including offers from Arizona, Kansas, Kansas State, Illinois, Rice, Washington State, Yale, Air Force, Army, Colorado State, Penn, Dartmouth, UNLV, Tulsa, Columbia, New Mexico State, Texas State, and Stephen F, Austin. I think it’s extremely telling when a kid gets offers from service academies, Ivy League schools, and Power 5 programs, and Hazen is one of those prospects. I have to say, his highlights jumped out at me perhaps the most out of any others I’ve covered so far this NSD.

The first thing that hits me is how incredibly hard this kid plays. When he hits, he HITS, but in my estimation, it’s not in an unwise, unsafe, or potentially bad for the team way. Yes, he sometimes “uses the hit stick”, but there are just as many instances of him making good, strong wrap up tackles and dragging his targets to the ground. The other thing I notice watching him is the exciting combination of his ability to read and react to plays as they develop, but also his innate skills at getting right off the blocks, finding his target, and absolutely blowing up plays before the offense knows what’s happening. We need more guys in the linebacking corps with this mixture of skills, and I think the diversity in his offer list backs up the general assessment that he is both hard-nosed and heady depending on what the play itself calls for. If these flashes translate at all to the college level, there’s no doubt in my mind that Dylan will find himself right in the thick of the linebacker rotation sooner rather than later.

Welcome to the family, Dylan!