KWU Athletics
At 6-feet-3, 200 pounds his physique is better suited for wide receiver, which not coincidently he was before the 2022 season.
Hazuga, though, is the starting tight end for the No. 16-ranked Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes and with all due respect to the norms of the game is doing quite well.
"Obviously I've always been more of the receiver guy, I haven't really played much of a traditional tight end," Hazuga said. "It was more based on the team's needs and I was the guy that was suited to step in and fill that role so I've just kind of embraced it and I feel like it's been good."
Hazuga spent the 2020 season at KWU playing for former coach Myers Hendrickson, finishing with eight receptions for 204 yards and three touchdowns in three games. He transferred to Benedictine for 2021 but injuries derailed much of his season.
Hazuga wasn't certain of his future when KWU contacted him during the offseason.
"I was unsure if I was even going to play football," he said. "They were like 'the position that you were fitting into before has adapted a little bit to more of the traditional tight end with some mixing of being split out.' It was kind of the team's needs; they needed a guy to play that position."
Hazuga accepted the offer and since arriving has spent his time learning a quasi-new position.
"Our tight end position is to stretch the field vertically," coach Matt Myers said. "We can get him matched up with who we want in the box (line of scrimmage) and allow the fullback to block the bigger bodies."
Hazuga's ability to stretch the field and hold his own working at or close to the line of scrimmage has transformed him into a hybrid tight end/wide out.
With the new role comes new responsibilities that include additional blocking duties that typically are a huge part of what tight ends do. Hazuga has embraced the challenge.
"I was probably the biggest receiver that we had and I have no problems blocking and I take pride in being a good blocker," he said. "It was more of just getting comfortable with the run scheme and how I'd fit in and mesh with the offensive line.
"I had an old coach say a long time ago that you don't have to be some big overwhelming guy to be a good blocker. It's all about how mean you're willing to be and technique. I wouldn't say I'm severely undersized for the role but I can I can make up for it by a willingness to do it."
After a quiet start catching passes Hazuga burst onto the scene last Saturday during the Coyotes' 49-6 victory over rival Bethany. He caught five for 94 yards and two touchdowns – a seven-yarder from Tony White (SR/Cincinnati, Ohio) in the second quarter and a 30-yarder from White in the fourth quarter.
Hazuga remained patient early on knowing the ball would come to him soon enough.
"We've been working on it and obviously everyone had that sour taste in their mouth after the Bethel (loss)," he said. "We really took it upon ourselves, we had a couple of private workouts between the receivers and quarterbacks to get extra repetitions so they would see exactly where and how we'd be running certain routes.
"It was something that was bound to happen. We're just going to keep building on that chemistry. I've had a little bit more time with Tony and he is our guy. I told him the other day 'your ceiling is the sky, dude.'"
Hazuga is impressed with the wide receiving corps, one that looks much different from 2020 when he played with former standouts Stevie Williams and Eren Jenkins.
"Super talented group, honestly," he said of the 2022 group. "Everyone's got to get comfortable and gel. The passing game is a timing dependent thing and we're all getting into it now, we're really getting into the flow of it."
Hazuga said the decision to return to KWU was easier knowing Myers was the new head coach.
"He's just the kind of guy that everyone wants to play for," he said. "Honestly, this team loves coach Myers and I am 100 percent sure that everyone's willing to go out on that field and lay it all on the line for him. I was stoked when I knew I'd have the opportunity to come back and play for him.
"That's not saying anything bad about coach Hen either, I had a good relationship with him."