Derek Mason, former head coach at Vanderbilt
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Derek Mason’s big coaching break came in 2007 when he was defensive backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL. He would spend three years in that position before accepting the same position for Jim Harbaugh at Stanford in 2010.
In 2011, new Stanford coach David Shaw promoted Mason to associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator. In 2012, he was promoted to defensive coordinator and was a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to college football’s top assistant coach.
He spent one more year at Stanford before accepting the head-coaching job at Vanderbilt in 2014.
In seven seasons at Vanderbilt, Mason amassed a 27-54 record and was fired after an 0-8 start in 2020.
Despite the record, Mason did several good things at Vanderbilt, which is the toughest place to win in the SEC. He kept his teams competitive for years, pulled off a few upset wins, and brought some good players to Nashville.
Mason is a strong candidate for this position, and he admitted there is mutual interest.