Damon Hazelton Enters Transfer Portal

Damon Hazelton
Damon Hazelton has entred the transfer portal. (Ivan Morozov)

Virginia Tech wide receiver Damon Hazelton has entered the transfer portal.  The rising redshirt senior has graduated and will be eligible immediately for one season at his school of choice.

Hazelton caught 82 passes for 1,329 yards and 16 touchdowns during his two-year career in Blacksburg.  He led the team in receptions in 2018, and was second in receptions in 2019.  He began his career at Ball State, and will end up playing  for three different schools by the end of his career.

With Hazelton leaving, the Hokies will need another outside receiver to step up to complement rising junior Tre Turner.

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  1. The NCAA transfers rules are an exciting and plain as day read “not”. It would appear there is a one time graduate transfer rule, it was not clear to me if that meant one transfer after graduation or one transfer total. There is a waiver process for the one time graduate transfer rule.

  2. I expect he will be back when he doesn’t get a waiver because ‘I want more playing time’ isn’t a valid reason in the eyes of the NCAA. That or he will be going down to FCS where he will start immediately due to his talent.

    Haze has a ton of talent and has developed some amazing skills, but he has gaps in his game he needs to work on if he’s going to make it in the NFL in ’21. He can work on that here at VT and contribute to what’s looking like an awesome season. Hope he ends up back on our roster

        1. Still doesn’t need a waiver, because he’s a graduate. If he weren’t a graduate, he would need a waiver.

          1. According to Mike Niziolek of RT he does need a waiver even though he’s a graduate because it’s his 2nd transfer.

        2. He still needs a waiver. If not he will have to sit out again…. We shall see, if he wants to go I hope he gets the wavier.

  3. I have no problem with the transfer portal, per se. Non-athletes transfer all the time, and we’re all fine with that if it’s best for the individual. Does make it harder to invest in players when they might be gone at any time. Still, better than one-and-done in basketball.

  4. I wish him the best in finding a new team that will allow him to take off half the year and half of each game he plays.

  5. Damon think you are making a mistake. Stay and work on your dream, or declare for the draft. Another school isn’t the answer, you are.

    1. This could be an effort to draw attention to himself for his mission of making it to the NFL.

      1. Seeing that would require self-examination. He’ll always be unfulfilled potential otherwise. If he had played the way he is capable of all the time instead of part-time, and lost the alligator arms on every single ball over the middle, he’s be in this year’s draft..as it is….Good luck.

  6. FWIW, I recall that he was very tight (and was roommates with) Ryan Willis (though RW surely could have used him last season when he wasn’t playing). Don’t think he was pouting about RW being replaced, but he did seem more comfortable catching Willis’s passes and the whole situation could have colored his view on what he wanted to do (in addition to factors others have mentioned).

    1. This is an undeniable truth…

      I hate the Portal with a passion. It makes it easier to cut and run than it does to stay and fight to get better. Not only that, but if a coach looks at you funny, you can take your ball and run home to momma.

      NOW, there are a few quite notable exceptions where it works for the player (the QB’s, and some other studs who are mad at something).

      By and large, the portal players “showcase” their obscurity elsewhere;mostly in a lower division) . I can’t think of a single guy we have lost to date who hurt us (maybe there was one someone can use to prove me wrong, but that’s not the point). I put Hazleton’s “part time” greatness in that same category.

      1. I do understand with QBs because if you could start somewhere and are not starting where you are then it is definitely in your best interest to transfer – e.g. Jalen Hurts. I dislike the portal as well especially when we lost Blackshear in BB. I don’t think things will change unless some of the very top programs start losing players. I would like to know Hazelton’s real reason for transferring though – but at the end of the day if a player doesn’t want to be here then they should go. I just think the portal makes it way too easy.

    1. For some reason I thought we were safe from him transferring because he already transferred from a G5 school. Presumably to a school where he wanted to be. Oh well.

  7. Regardless of whether the portal is right or wrong, it makes it hard to get invested in these guys…

  8. Wish him the best. The fact that DH is entering the portal and not the NFL draft is somewhat telling I guess. Might be chasing big numbers somewhere to improve his draft status.

    1. If he wouldn’t have parked himself on the bench for half a season his numbers would be better.

  9. Someone will surely be looking for that elusive wideout with the determination to catch everything with one hand. We must have someone ready to step in that actually has decent work ethic and commitment to the team.

  10. I heard he was mad he didn’t get to run the jet sweep. He will do well at Baylor. Best wishes Haz.

  11. We have gone from, “Give it that Old College try” to Give me that College good bye

  12. Good luck to him. I see some saying he is a great ambassador and a fine player or something like that. I’d rather he stayed as part of the team but if he leaves . . . Well fine, don’t let the door hit you on the a$$ on the way out. I will be here rooting for those that stay and compete in a Hokie uniform and I will never give you another thought. No hate here … just no interest if you leave to play out eligibility some place else.

  13. The first paragraph has an untrue statement in it. He doesn’t get to play at the school of his choice. He gets to play at the school that chooses him. Hopefully he will have a choice of schools that want him but that’s no the same as his total choice and it’s possible, not probable, no other school picks him at all.

    1. And other reports say he has to get a waiver because he transferred before. Anyone know if that’s the case?

  14. He got his degree. I like that and have no problem with him moving elsewhere to get some post-grad work done. Good for him. Kinda hoping this means he saw a crowd of young talent behind him and that may have factored in too. We’ll miss him though. Great young man and he’ll always be a Hokie; and a fine ambassador too.

    1. Agree completely. There wasn’t much talk about it, but there were some 4* recruits that red shirted this year. Something tells me one or more could be in the mix for some catches next season.

    2. How many of the guys who transferred after last season wound up on better teams. They all left because they knew the players coming up behind them were better. I suspect Hazleton sees the same thing. He doesn’t want to end his playing career riding the pine.

  15. I agree with the post about not liking the portal – at all. Here today, gone in a short time and the fans get less for our money. Hurts college football in my opinion and certainly hurts the fans. Wish him well but man this is getting crazy.

      1. Agree, let’s face the facts: Damon’s masters degree will take him farther than his nfl potential over the next 35 years. Hope he finds a great opportunity.

  16. He was the best end zone player we have had in a long time. His play fell off this year somewhat, and his effort was not always present. I would love to see him play well all the time, as there is no doubt he has potential to be better. Good luck in your future and thanks for 2 good years Mr. Hazleton.

  17. Probably is looking to go to a program that is pass happy and passes the football about 45 or 50 times a game so that he can accumulate stats. Probably some Big 12 program.

  18. I am a lot better with this when they graduate an want to go somewhere else. Good luck to him.

  19. This is not a bad thing…he was good but not great – too many drops…we got a bunch on the pipeline with Smith, Simmons, Bowick, Payoute, Pinkney – someone will rise and be better…

    Grow with it baby!

    Go Hokies!

    1. Agreed. I’ve always liked college more than NFL because there’s an attachment to “my” school and “our” kids. But now, it’s kind of feeling more like just a transaction. The passion and the connection to the program is getting stripped away by the transfer portal.

      1. my thoughts too. I always loved how it was THEIR school, like you say. But it is still a small number going into the portal in the grand scheme of things.

    1. I know, makes no sense. He has just as much of a chance to have a standout year next year and then go pro with us than any other team especially with the squad we have returning and his already well established chemistry with Hooker. Tis’ a shame

        1. That we want him to play with effort when he doesn’t have the ball or to run routes and make tough catches on 3rd down with a chance to put the game away instead of alligator arming them. He was an asset on fades in red zone…just like Kumah. Guessing he won’t do much more than Kumah either

          1. Exactly and it was obvious he was not into what the team and coaching staff thought when he sat out the early part of season despite being cleared to play. Just don’t see how he’d make it in the NFL. Good for him to transfer and seek a team he can have have fun on to finish out his football career.

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