With the firing of previous head coach Rick Stockstill, who led the team for 18 years, Middle Tennessee decided it was time for a change.
The Blue Raiders turned to former Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason to lead the team. MTSU hopes Mason can help the Blue Raiders be championship contenders in Conference USA, as they haven’t had a winning season in league play since 2018.
Here’s more info about Mason.
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What’s Middle Tennessee Head Coach Derek Mason’s Salary?
Mason signed a five-year contract with a base salary of about $1 million per year. Former MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill made $910,504 in total pay in 2023, according to USA Today.
Derek Mason’s Coaching History
| Years | Team | Position |
| 2022 | Oklahoma State | DC |
| 2021 | Auburn | DC |
| 2014-20 | Vanderbilt | HC |
| 2010-13 | Stanford | DC |
| 2007-09 | Minnesota Vikings | DBs |
| 2005-06 | Ohio | WRs |
| 2004 | New Mexico State | WRs |
| 2003 | Saint Mary’s | Co-DC |
| 2002 | Utah | WRs |
| 1999-2001 | Bucknell | DBs |
| 1997-98 | Idaho State | RBs |
| 1995-96 | Weber State | WRs |
| 1994 | Mesa CC | WRs |
What’s Middle Tennessee Head Coach Derek Mason’s Record?
Derek Mason is 27-55 in the FBS as a head coach. All of those games are from his time as Vanderbilt’s head coach from 2014-20. He’s 0-2 in bowl games.
How Old Is Middle Tennessee Head Coach Derek Mason?
Derek Mason is 54 years old.
Middle Tennessee Head Coach Derek Mason’s Background
Mason has worked with a plethora of teams at both the pro and college levels.
Most recently, he was Oklahoma State’s defensive coordinator in 2022. The Cowboys ranked eighth in the Big 12 in total defense with 440.8 yards per game allowed and gave up 29.3 points per game, which was the sixth-fewest in the league.
The year before, he was Auburn’s DC. The Tigers were fifth in scoring defense (22.2 points per game allowed) and eighth in total defense (369.8 yards per game allowed) in the SEC in 2021.
Before that, Mason was the head coach at Vanderbilt, where he reached two bowl games.
He’s been a successful assistant throughout his career. From 2010-13, he was the defensive coordinator at Stanford. From 2007-09, he worked with defensive backs with the Minnesota Vikings.
He also was a co-defensive coordinator at Saint Mary’s (2003) and coached defensive backs at Bucknell (1999-2001) and running backs at Idaho State (1997-98). In fact, he’s spent a good amount of time coaching on the offensive side of the ball, having worked with wide receivers at Ohio (2005-06), New Mexico State (2004), Utah (2002), Weber State (1995-96), and Mesa Community College (1994).
