Derek Mason named head football coach at Middle Tennessee
Former Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason is headed back to the Volunteer State, announced on Wednesday as the next head coach at Middle Tennessee. Mason last coached in 2022 when he was the DC at Oklahoma State under Mike Gundy.
“We are ecstatic to welcome Coach Derek Mason to Middle Tennessee and the Blue Raider football program,” AD Chris Massaro said. “With his experience as a head coach, his reputation for coaching fast, aggressive defenses, his strong reputation as a recruiter, and deep connections in college football to formulate an outstanding staff, Coach Mason’s vision for MTSU football fits exactly what we were looking for during our interview process. Coach Mason is no stranger to the mid-state community and we expect his connections to allow him and his staff to hit the ground running as our 15th head football coach.”
Mason went 27-55 in 6+ seasons at Vandy, taking the team to bowl games in 2016 and 2018. Mason is only the second head coach in the history of the Commodores to go to more than one bowl in his tenure. A defensive specialist, Mason has also served as DC at Oklahoma State, Auburn and Stanford.
“I am excited to be the 15th head coach at MTSU,” said Mason. “This is an emotional moment for me. This is the house that Rick Stockstill built and he left good bones and a strong foundation. He did a lot to raise and encourage these young men and help them take the journey. Now, that responsibility has been passed down to me. It’s about winning and making sure we can do everything we can to resource our student athletes in a way to make them successful both on and off the field.”
Middle Tennessee parted ways with former head coach Rick Stockstill last month after 18 seasons at the helm, going 113-111 overall with ten bowl appearances (four wins). The Blue Raiders finished 4-8 (3-5 CUSA) this past season.
credit to Middle Tennessee Athletics for the image
