Vanderbilt fires head coach Derek Mason after seven seasons

Derek Mason has been relieved of his duties at Vanderbilt.

Just one day after Vanderbilt was the toast of the college football world for giving Sarah Fuller the opportunity to become the first woman to play in a Power 5 college football game, the mood has turned decidedly more somber in Nashville, as Vandy’s 41-0 loss to Missouri was the final game in charge of the program for Derek Mason.

The 0-8 Commodores parted ways with Mason, per Bruce Feldman. Mason had been the head coach in Nashville since 2014, going 27-55 along the way.

“I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Coach Mason for his many years of dedication and service leading our football program,” athletic director Candice Storey Lee said in a statement. “His tenure at Vanderbilt will be remembered for his steadfast commitment to our student-athletes, not only on the field, but in the classroom and as young people.”

Derek Mason’s performance has slipped in recent seasons

After a few years as a wide receiver and defensive backs coach in both college and the pros, Mason got his big break on Jim Harbaugh’s Stanford squad, where he was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for three seasons.

Mason was hired to replace James Franklin after back-to-back 9-4 seasons landed him the Penn State job in 2014. While Mason got the Commodores to two bowl games, he never had a winning season, and he was just 10-46 in SEC play in that span.

Mason released a statement after his firing on Twitter, claiming that he was “blessed” to represent Vanderbilt for the last half-decade.

https://twitter.com/coachderekmason/status/1333129397490970625?s=21

Mason did a lot of good things at a program that is very difficult to build into a consistent winner, but 27-55 just isn’t going to cut it in the SEC. Mason should have plenty of offers as either a Group of Five head coach or Power 5 coordinator next year.

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