When a team has success at a mid-major football program, it’s usually only a matter of time before larger programs court the head coach.

Kent State’s Darrell Hazell is no exception.

ESPN reporter Brett McMurphy tweeted Sunday that Hazell had an interview with the University of California that afternoon regarding the position of head football coach at the school.

California fired head coach Jeff Tedford after a 3-9 season in 2012. Tedford coached the bears for 11 seasons.

Tedford was making a little more than $2 million per year at California. Hazell’s deal with Kent State is for $300,000 per year until the end of the 2015 season.

A spokesman from the Kent State Athletic Department said Hazell was unavailable for comment Sunday night, as he was speaking with NCAA officials regarding the team’s invitation to the GoDaddy.com Bowl.

Hazell will be at the regularly scheduled football press conference at noon in the M.A.C. Center.

NIU faces coaching change before the Orange Bowl

Less than 24 hours after leading Northern Illinois past Kent State in the Mid-American Conference Championship game, Huskies head coach Dave Doeren found a new job.

Doeren accepted an offer from North Carolina State to become its next head football coach. He will not coach the Huskies in the Discover Orange Bowl on Jan. 1.

The Wolfpack fired Tom O’Brien Nov. 26 after six seasons as the head coach. The team won bowl games in 2010 and 2011, and North Carolina State is bowl eligible this season, as well.

Doeren had a 23-4 overall record at Northern Illinois and was 17-1 against MAC teams. The Huskies have also won the last two MAC Championship games.

There have been multiple reports that Doeren’s annual salary at North Carolina State will be about $1.8 million per year. He was making about $420,00 per year at Northern Illinois.

Contact Grant Engle at [email protected].