Unpacking how Derek Mason signed 19 players two weeks after he was named MTSU football coach

Middle Tennessee State football coach Derek Mason was pleased with his first early signing day class.

And he should be.

The Blue Raiders signed 19 players Wednesday for the 2024 class. It was the biggest December class for the Blue Raiders in several years. The Blue Raiders signed 10 on the first day of the early period in 2022, eight in 2021, three in 2020 and 12 in 2019.

There are several three-star high school players and there are six transfers, one who was a four-star coming out of high school.

"This class really embodies what we want to be moving forward," Mason said. "Being able to come in with 23 guys puts us much closer to where we want to be as we take our current roster and blend it with some guys who are extremely talented as well. We wanted to focus on speed, height, length, athleticism and physicality."

The size of the class alone, meaning Mason got players he wanted before February, is a win for the Blue Raiders. Adding local talent gives Blue Raiders fans added optimism heading into the next signing class in February, one in which Mason said the Blue Raiders would be able to sign around "10-ish" players.

Here are highlights of Mason's first signing class:

MTSU football fills holes left by transfer portal

MTSU has been hit hard by the transfer portal, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. The Blue Raiders have lost defensive linemen Zaylin Wood (Vanderbilt), Marley Cook (Miami) and Richard Kinley (Memphis), along with defensive back Jakobe Thomas (Tennessee) and linebacker Sam Brumfield (Virginia Tech).

But, the Blue Raiders signed Pearl-Cohn defensive end Zeion Simpson-Smith, a 6-1, 235-pounder who was a 4A Mr. Football finalist, and 6-3, 240-pound defensive end Aidan Butts from Toccoa, Georgia, a three-star prospect.

After losing offensive linemen Keylan Rutledge (Georgia Tech) and Sterling Porche (Texas Tech) to the portal, MTSU signed four offensive linemen, including 6-3, 310-pounder Alex Gale from Tallahassee, Florida, a three-star prospect.

Middle Tennessee area well represented in Derek Mason's first class

Mason said he was intent on recruiting heavily in the Middle Tennessee area, including Murfreesboro, visiting more than 50 schools during the first week after being hired.

He added six area products, including Luther Richesson, a former Lipscomb Academy quarterback and junior college transfer. Richesson, who originally signed with Cincinnati, passed for 2,433 yards and 34 touchdowns as a senior in high school.

The Blue Raiders also signed Tullahoma punter Grant Chadwick, Brentwood defensive back Jackson Lowe and Pearl-Cohn offensive lineman Jason Overton, along with his teammate Simpson-Smith. Oakland running back Ashton Jones, who rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2023, signed as a preferred walk-on.

"That's us, that's our DNA," Mason said. "From a standpoint of getting Middle Tennessee players, I said that in my press conference and I meant that. I think it's a win for MTSU, a win for the student athlete, being in a familiar environment. But it's a huge win for our fan base and those who want to see us be us."

MORE: MTSU coach Derek Mason's defensive coordinator Brian Stewart had same job in NFL, Big Ten

MTSU gets transfers on national signing day

The Blue Raiders signed five from the transfer portal Wednesday, including one of Mason's former players at Vanderbilt in redshirt senior safety Brendon Harris. The 6-1, 208-pound Harris, who was a four-star coming out of Chattanooga's Baylor School, combined for 75 tackles for the Commodores in 2020 and 2021 before transferring to Wake Forest.

After losing top wide receiver Elijah Metcalf (Marshall) to the portal, MTSU signed two potential impact transfers in Vanderbilt's Gamarion Carter (6-2, 190 redshirt junior) and Auburn's Omari Kelly (6-2, 176-pound junior).

Another potential impact transfer is Brian Brewton, a 5-7, 173-pound running back from UConn. The Miami native was a freshman All-America kick returner with the Huskies in 2021. He suffered a season-ending knee injury after two games this season.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU football signs 18 in Derek Mason's first early recruiting class