Middle Tennessee made it official on Wednesday that Derek Mason would be the team’s new head coach. The Blue Raiders had fired Rick Stockstill, who led the team for 18 years.
MTSU hopes Mason can lead the Blue Raiders to success in Conference USA.
“This is an emotional moment for me,” Mason said in a press release. “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.”
Here’s a look at Mason’s coaching career up until this point.
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Derek Mason’s Recent Resume
Mason has worked 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.
And before that, Mason was the head coach at Vanderbilt and an assistant with a plethora of other teams.
What Is Derek Mason’s Head Coaching Record?
Mason went 27-55 overall in seven years at Vanderbilt. His teams made two bowl appearances during that time.
Derek Mason’s Coaching History
Years | Team | Position |
2022 | OK State | DC |
2021 | Auburn | DC |
2014-20 | Vanderbilt | HC |
2010-13 | Stanford | DC |
2007-09 | Minn. Vikings | DBs |
2005-06 | Ohio | WRs |
2004 | NM 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 |
MTSU Head Coach Derek Mason’s Salary
Mason signed a five-year contract worth about $1 million per year. He’ll have an assistant salary pool of about $1.7 million.
Former Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill made $910,000 in total pay in 2023, according to USA Today.