MTSU football to hire ex-Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason to replace Rick Stockstill | Reports
Middle Tennessee State football is expected to hire former Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason as the Blue Raiders' next coach, according to multiple reports Tuesday.
MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro and Mason did not immediately reply to text messages from the Daily News Journal.
The hiring news comes just over a week after the university fired Rick Stockstill, who had coached the Blue Raiders for the past 18 seasons.
Mason, 54, was Vanderbilt's coach from 2014-220, amassing a 27-55 record, including 10-46 in the SEC. He took the Commodores to two bowl games (2016, 2018), losing both.
He was the defensive coordinator at Auburn (2021) and Oklahoma State (2022) before spending the 2023 season as a color analyst on the SEC Network.
Mason has been an assistant at several college stops and in the NFL as assistant defensive backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings (2007-09).
Stockstill was the fourth-longest tenured coach in the nation and third-longest in Blue Raiders history. He was 113-111 in 18 seasons. He led MTSU to 10 bowl appearances, a 2006 Sun Belt Conference (split) championship and a 2018 Conference USA title game appearance.
The Blue Raiders, who struggled to a 4-8 record (3-5 CUSA) in 2023, ended the season with a 23-20 loss at Sam Houston State, a game in which a fight broke out following the final play,
Derek Mason record at Vanderbilt
Derek Mason spent seven seasons as coach at Vanderbilt, compiling a 27-55 record (10-46 SEC). Here are his year-by-year results with the Commodores:
2014: 3-9 (0-8 SEC)
2015: 4-8 (2-6)
2016: 6-7 (3-5). Lost 41-17 to NC State in Independence Bowl.
2017: 5-7 (1-7)
2018: 6-7 (3-5). Lost 45-38 to Baylor in Texas Bowl.
2019: 3-9 (1-7)
2020: 0-8 (0-8). Fired after eight games. Team finished 0-9 in a COVID-19 shortened season.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU football to hire Derek Mason as coach, replacing Rick Stockstill
