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MTSU football hires former Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason to replace Rick Stockstill

Cecil Joyce, Murfreesboro Daily News Journal
·2 min read

Middle Tennessee State football introduced Derek Mason as the next coach of the Blue Raiders on Wednesday.

“We want to win championships here, make no doubt about it,” Mason said. “I’m ready to hit the ground running. I’m ready to roll.”

The hiring comes just over a week after the university fired Rick Stockstill, who had coached the Blue Raiders for the past 18 seasons.

“I want you to know … you have a coach, a father, a teacher, an educator who’s all in the game," said Mason. The chips are all in at MTSU.”

Mason, 54, was Vanderbilt's coach from 2014-20, 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 hires Derek Mason as coach, replacing Rick Stockstill