Vanderbilt football: 5 candidates to replace Derek Mason
2. Will Healy, Charlotte Head Coach
Healy is in his second season as the head coach at Charlotte, with a 9-9 total record. He led the 49ers to a 7-6 record and a bowl game last year, the firs winning record and bowl bid in program history. Prior to taking the job at Charlotte, Healy had a three-year stint at Austin Peay that saw him take the Governors from 0-11 in his first season to 8-4 in his second season (2017).
Healy is will turn 36 on Jan. 16. As the fresh athletic administration at Vanderbilt, led by athletic director Candice Lee, tries to somehow align football with the school’s academic reputation, a young coach would probably be ideal. As Thamel notes, fundraising for new facilities would have been a serious a challenge if Mason had been retained. Someone like Healy could bring back a spark that left the Vanderbilt football program when James Franklin left for Penn State.
At Vanderbilt, there's a feeling among the new administration that the school wants its football ambition to reflect the academic ambition. There are massive football building projects planned, and the new coach face there will be to usher in that new era. https://t.co/3cSXtRhY20
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 29, 2020
Healy was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. So the idea of returning to his home state to take the job at Vanderbilt might get his attention, even if the step up to the SEC is a daunting one. Lee and company need to see if Healy has interest in making the jump this year.