Vanderbilt football: 5 candidates to replace Derek Mason

4. Jeff Fisher, Former NFL Head Coach

Thamel tabbed Fisher as a wild card candidate to replace Mason. It’s not the first time the former NFL head coach has surfaced as a possibility for Vanderbilt, with a nod to his long and most successful tenure as Tennessee Titans head coach from 1995-2010. It’s worth noting that Malcolm Turner, who was deemed not likely to hesitate to make a non-traditional hire like Fisher just over a year ago, is no longer Vanderbilt’s athletic director after resigning in February.

Fisher apparently still owns property in the Nashville area, and remains popular locally. Given connections that probably still remain, he should have little trouble assembling a solid coaching staff to help recruiting. The fact he has never coached at the collegiate level is not that important, as he can (similarly to Herm Edwards as Arizona State) sell recruits on the idea he knows what it takes to get to the next level.

NFL fans would yawn at the idea of Fisher making a return as a head coach. He has appeared to want to coach again though, albeit in the NFL over college even as he has surfaced on the periphery as a candidate for his his alma mater USC. Fisher and Vanderbilt may ultimately be a good match, as the both coach and program look for a bit of redemption.