paladin,
While being able to get more years in the pension system with PERS may have been a factor, I doubt it is the only factor. Heacock is from Ohio. His roots are in Ohio. His dad is a legend in Beloit, and throughout Ohio High School Football. The job at KENT was a perfect fit for him, because he did not have to move, and was able to be part of a program on the rise.
The former HC at KENT made the jump to Purdue, which is understandable from the standpoint of it being alot more money, and a chance to turn around a program that has had success in the past, and plays in the BIG (or whatever the heck the conference is now called). But, Purdue hasa rough road ahead of them, and Heacock has seen this before at Indiana.
So, why not take the DC job at Toledo, get back closer to home, and if it gets him more years in PERS, then so be it. At his age, and this point in his career, I think being the DC at Toledo is much better for him than being the DC at Purdue until Hazell either gets fired, or before that makes wholesale changes to his staff in an attempt to save his job. Toledo is not a glamorous program, but they do have success in the MAC, and played in a bowl game this past year.