On the same day separate reports surfaced that offensive coordinators Chad Morris and Pep Hamilton, both candidates for the Vanderbilt job, would be staying with Clemson and the Indianapolis Colts, respectively, it appears the Commodores are on the verge of hiring James Franklin‘s replacement anyway.
247Sports.com is reporting that Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason will soon be named as Vandy’s new head coach. The same website tweeted “Mason was the first choice of [athletic director David Williams] and the [search] committee.”
Buttressing that report, FootballScoop.com tweeted that "[e]veryone we have spoken with throughout this search has told us David Williams’ guy was Derek Mason. Waiting on official word.”
That official word could come as early as today.
Mason has spent the past four seasons at Stanford, three of them as the Cardinal’s coordinator. In his 20-year coaching career, all of which have come at the collegiate level, Mason has never been a head coach.
Overnight, speculation percolated that Mason and Morris were the front-runners for the Vandy job. In addition to Hamilton, St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer interviewed to fill the vacancy.
(Photo credit: Stanford athletics)