Featured Photo by Myles Valrie
Story by Brett Walker
On Nov. 25, 2023, Derek Mason exited the Tom Elam press box at Neyland Stadium. The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores in the last game of the regular season, wrapping up Mason’s inaugural season as a color analyst for the SEC Network.
The 2023 season marked the first time in nearly three decades that Mason wasn’t on the sidelines as a coach. Mason took the broadcast gig shortly after announcing a sabbatical from his defensive coordinator position at Oklahoma State. After 29 years with a headset on, the coach from Phoenix, Arizona needed a break.
“At the time I was tired,” Mason said of his decision to step away. “I felt like I needed an opportunity just to take a break. And that break helped me understand how important football was to me.”
A mere 11 days after the regular season’s end, Middle Tennessee State University announced Mason as the 15th head coach in the program’s history. The move came after MTSU made the decision to part ways with longtime head coach Rick Stockstill. What made Mason stand apart from other candidates during the coaching search was his intensity and integrity, university president Sidney McPhee said at the time of the hiring.
“Being a president for 23 years I’ve had a lot of interaction across the board with a lot of folks,” McPhee said. “And I guess my background in psychology helps me to read when you’re getting the right stuff and people are being genuine, and I picked it up right away. It was not a situation where he was going through the motions.”
Mason arrived at MTSU with a wealth of coaching experience, spending time as a defensive backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings (2007-2009), at Stanford as the defensive coordinator (2010-2013) and most notably at Vanderbilt as the Commodores head coach (2014-2020).
As the Vanderbilt head coach, Mason posted a win-loss record of 27-55. While his record is well below .500, he still found moderate success, especially for the program in question. He became just the second head coach in Commodore history to appear in multiple bowl games and defeated in-state rival Tennessee three years in a row from 2016-2018.
Now in his second stint as a head coach, Mason feels more prepared for everything that comes with the job title. Previously with weekly events like press conferences, he felt like he was going from one thing to the next, but that isn’t the case anymore, Mason said.
“I feel like I’m at home in any of the spaces that I’m in or anything that I’m asked to do,” Mason said. “That comes with time, that comes with maturity and that comes with an idea of being prepared.”
After being fired from Vanderbilt, Mason stayed in SEC country, landing a job as the defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2021. After one season as a Tiger, Mason took the position of defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. In his two seasons post Vanderbilt, Mason made many impactful connections.
Tasked with building a brand-new staff at MTSU, he decided to call on his former co-workers. In total, Mason brought over seven staff members from his two combined seasons at Auburn and Oklahoma State. The bulk of Mason’s staff was crafted through his prior relationships, relationships that were forged in the heat of battle, Mason said.
“You don’t forget good people because good people leave a lasting impression on you,” Mason said of his staff. “And I think every place I’ve been, the people that have left lasting impressions are people that I’d like to travel with me as best I can.”
Perhaps the most important working relationship Mason built over the years is the one he has with assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Brian Stewart. The pair first crossed paths at Nothern Arizona University. In their short time together, Stewart quickly became a role model for a young Mason and inspired his desire to coach.
“When you look at people and you watch people and people do things the right way, man, you start to understand that maybe I can do that or maybe that’s the road I want to venture down,” Mason said.
Although he has a degree in criminal justice, football has always been his career of choice, but with his sabbatical from Oklahoma State, this was no longer the case. His short time away from the sidelines allowed him to reflect on the gifts in his life, Mason said.
“I’m grateful,” Mason said of his career. “I’m truly grateful that I’ve been able to coach football for a long time, step away from it and then come back and do it at a place like MTSU.”
Growing up in a family full of athletes, with his father and uncles playing football, the game has never traveled too far from the 54-year-old head coach. Now in the midst of his first season at MTSU, Mason is right back where he wants to be.
Brett Walker is the sports editor for MTSU Sidelines
To contact the Sports and Assistant Sports Editor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com
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