Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images
Derek Mason will reportedly rejoin college football’s head coaching ranks.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Middle Tennessee is targeting Mason for its coaching vacancy. Matt Zenitz and Brandon Marcello of 247Sports said the Conference USA program is expected to hire him.
Sources: Middle Tennessee has targeted former Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason as the school’s new head coach.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 5, 2023
Middle Tennessee is expected to hire Derek Mason as its new head coach, sources tell @bmarcello and me for @247sports.
Mason, who was Vanderbilt’s head coach from 2014-20, most recrntly worked at Auburn and Oklahoma State as a defensive coordinator.https://t.co/cPSprWC2PI pic.twitter.com/YXYSsNjS24
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 5, 2023
Vanderbilt went 27-55 during seven seasons with Mason as head coach. The SEC school lost both bowl games in 2016 and 2018, each following six-win seasons.
A winless 2020 — with five losses of at least 21 points — prompted the school to fire Mason. The Commodores have nine wins (two in SEC play) during the last three seasons behind Clark Lea.
Mason has since worked as a defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2021 and Oklahoma State last year. He’s poised to become Middle Tennesee’s first new coach in quite some time.
The school fired Rick Stockstill after going 4-8 in his 18th season. He left as college football’s fourth-longest-tenured active FBS head coach.
“This is one of the most difficult days in my tenure, but one I feel is necessary in our aspiration to compete and win championships,” Middle Tennessee athletic director Chris Massaro said. “I appreciate everything Rick, his wife Sara, and their family have done the last 18 years for MTSU Athletics, our football program, and, more importantly, our student-athletes.”
The Blue Raiders went 113-111 with four bowl victories under Stockstill, but they have never won the conference.