Fansided

5 candidates for Vanderbilt football coach if Derek Mason is fired

By Brad Berreman

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 09: Head coach Derek Mason of the Vanderbilt Commodores watches the action during the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 09: Head coach Derek Mason of the Vanderbilt Commodores watches the action during the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images /

3. Willie Fritz, Tulane head coach

After leading Tulane to its first bowl in five years last year, Fritz has the Green Wave at 6-3 this year with the losses coming to Auburn, Memphis and Navy (combined record of 22-4). With two more wins this year, with four games to go including a bowl game, the team will improve its win total in each of Fritz’s four seasons as head coach.

Fritz has a long and successful head coaching resume, albeit at the lower levels, from Central Missouri (97-47 from 1997-2009) to Sam Houston State (40-15 from 2010-2013) and Georgia Southern (17-7 from 2014-2015) before coming to Tulane. A Power 5 job is a logical next step for the 59-year old, and those opportunities should be coming his way.

Shy of the obvious increase in salary that would come ($1.612 million this year), it’s fair to wonder if Fritz would leave Tulane for Vanderbilt. But it’s also hard to see bigger job openings that are or may come open courting him seriously, so if the step up is available to him it may be Vanderbilt or nowhere in this year’s coaching carousel. In any case, Turner’s initial search for Mason’s replacement will have to include Fritz.

Home/College Football