Former Oklahoma State Defensive Coordinator to be Middle Tennessee's Next Head Coach

The Oklahoma State Cowboys were taken by storm after defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left for Ohio State after an incredible 2021 season. He had turned the defense around and established his schemes completely before leaving. 

After his departure, veteran coach Derek Mason stepped in as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator for the 2022 football season. Mason seemed to join the program at a rough time, as the Cowboys went 7-6 on the season and went 4-5 in Big 12 play. 

Mason, as mentioned, is a veteran coach. He began coaching in 1994 and received his first head coaching gig in 2014. He was the head coach of Vanderbilt from 2014 to 2020 when he then was fired.

After his head coaching gig, Mason joined the Auburn Tigers as a defensive coordinator for a season before joining the Cowboys in 2022.

When Mason finished his first and only season at Oklahoma State, he announced a "sabbatical" from coaching, where he then spent this past season in the media world.

“After 30 consecutive seasons in the great game of football, I have decided to take a sabbatical from coaching in college at the conclusion of my current contract at OSU,” Mason wrote after the 2022 season. “I look forward to spending time with my family to rest and reflect on opportunities within the game I love.”

Now, Mason is set to return to the sidelines with Middle Tennessee, a program that is coming off a 4-8 season and going 3-5 in Conference USA play.

Rick Stockstill, former Middle Tennessee head coach, was fired after 18 seasons with the program. Mason joins a program that was used to its head coach and will be undergoing a new era for the first time in a while.

Mason had a 27-55 head coaching record at Vanderbilt and will look for more success than he had coaching in the SEC with his new gig.