Vanderbilt hires Derek Mason
ESPN.com news services
Vanderbilt has hired Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason as its new head coach.
A news conference to introduce Mason is planned for Saturday at 11 a.m. ET.
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'Derek Mason is the leader we trust to continue the challenging but exciting work that has elevated the Vanderbilt football program to unprecedented heights,' Vanderbilt chancellor Nicholas Zeppos said.
'He embodies integrity, strategic thinking and a demonstrated commitment to success. He understands the important role that athletics plays in the life of a vibrant university, and that outstanding scholarly pursuits and top-notch sports are integral parts of the Vanderbilt experience.'
Mason is known in the Pac-12 for excellence in defending spread offenses and also as a good recruiter with a likable personality -- two traits held by former Vanderbilt coach James Franklin, who left to become coach at Penn State.
Mason has been at Stanford for four years, also serving as the Cardinal's defensive backs coach, associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator. He'd be the fifth black coach in SEC history, joining Franklin, Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin and former coaches Sylvester Croom of Mississippi State and Joker Phillips of Kentucky.
'We are very pleased with our search,' athletic director David Williams said. 'It was evident that the football world is aware of the tremendous progress our program has made and that was reflected by the deep pool of talent that showed an interest in our position. We talked to outside experts and did our own evaluations and the person that always seemed to be in the spotlight was the same person that was at the top of our list and that was Derek Mason.'
St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Vanderbilt offensive line coach Herb Hand had also been mentioned as possible candidates for the Commodores' opening, sources told ESPN.
Franklin led Vanderbilt to a 24-15 mark in three seasons and won back-to-back bowl games, a first in program history. He replaced new Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien at Penn State.
Vanderbilt's last search for a coach was for a program that had played in only four bowls in its history and went 36-114 from 2000 to 2010. The Commodores posted only one winning record (2008) in the 28 seasons before Franklin was hired.
Information from ESPN college football reporter Joe Schad, ESPN.com NFL Insider Adam Schefter and newsandtalking.blogspot.com was used in this report.
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