Derek Mason chooses growth

[aubiefifty 18,231]

Derek Mason chooses growth, ‘sets the standard’ for Auburn’s defense

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

5-6 minutes

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Six words shape the way Derek Mason views the world.

“Growth is optional; change is inevitable.”

It’s a mantra, a mindset that Mason has adopted over the years. It has both informed and guided his coaching career — serving as a foundation for his success for the better part of three decades in the business and as a guardrail that helped him brace for and accept the end of his tenure as Vanderbilt’s head coach.

“That’s part of the process,” Mason said. “I knew that, and I’ve known that for 28 years. I have always looked at the opportunity to take on the day or try to dominate the day. It’s never a 10-year contract or a three-year contract. It’s every week and every day.”

Mason fizzled out at Vanderbilt, a program that’s difficult to build and maintain success at, after nearly seven seasons and compiling a 27-55 overall record, including a 10-46 mark in SEC play. He twice guided the Commodores to a bowl berth on the back of six-win campaigns in 2016 and 2018 but went 0-2 in those postseason appearances. With Vanderbilt mired in a winless season played against the backdrop of a pandemic last fall, Mason was fired prior to the end of the season.

Change was inevitable.

After his ouster at Vanderbilt, Mason considered stepping away from college football. He anticipated returning to the NFL as an assistant, figuring he needed a break from the college game after the last seven years as a head coach. He was contacted by multiple college programs about openings, but it wasn’t until he was approached by Bryan Harsin, recently named Auburn’s head coach, that his mindset shifted.

Maybe a reprieve from college football wasn’t necessary. Maybe that personal growth could be achieved if given a different opportunity in a new — yet somewhat familiar — setting in the SEC.

It didn’t take long for Mason to buy into what Harsin, with whom he had an existing relationship, was selling him, and on Jan. 7, Mason was named Auburn’s defensive coordinator.

“When we had an opportunity to talk, the conversation was very much to the point about his vision for Auburn — and that vision was set in stone,” Mason said. “It was very strategic; it had all the makings of what I thought a good leader should talk about coming into a situation like this. Which I thought was unique. For him to get me to come up here on my way home — because believe me, I was on my way back home — we got to come through here, sat down for a couple of hours. Had a chance to talk ball, but it was more about connecting on, like, the ideology of how he wanted to run the program and what he wanted and what he needed from me.”

What Harsin needed was someone to take the reins of a defense that had an abundance of talent but was in need of a fresh approach after taking a step back in 2020, as well as a lieutenant on staff who was familiar with what it takes to navigate life in the SEC, both on the field and off it.

“I’m a solider,” Mason said. “I can lead, man, but I can also follow. And I think those are the important things I think Coach Harsin was looking for as he put together this staff; you know, guys with experience, guys who understand, you know man, how do get things done the way he wants it done. And that’s important. Coach Harsin is the tip of the spear, so for me, it’s been great just to focus on the ball, focus on the recruiting, focus on the development of players and what does that look like?”

Mason has put his fingerprint on Auburn’s defense since his arrival, quickly establishing a level of trust with his new players. The Tigers have moved to a multifaceted scheme — adding a new wrinkle with Mason’s marquee 3-4 front — and welcomed an infusion of talent from the transfer market with defensive backs Donovan Kaufman, Bydarrius Knighten, Dreshun Miller and Ro Torrence, and defensive linemen Tony Fair, Marcus Harris and Eku Leota to the returning personnel on that side of the ball.

It has been an enjoyable adjustment for Mason, who has carried the lessons he learned as a head coach — such as the value of time, an unrenewable resource — and applied them to his new opportunity at Auburn, where he aims to rejuvenate both his coaching career and the Tigers’ defense this season.

He has chosen to pursue growth after that inevitable end at Vanderbilt. It’s a decision, he said, he would have made 10 times out of 10.

Now, after an offseason of change, it’s about getting the most out of Auburn’s defense this fall. The pieces are there, and so too are the expectations.

“Man, he brings energy,” senior safety Smoke Monday said. “He brings that intensity into the room where like, he sets the standard. And when you’ve got a coach like that, it’s easy to follow because, I mean, he’s never going to let you slouch. He’s never going to let you just downplay yourself. He’s going to teach you the right way to do it, and you’ve just got to go out and get it. He’s going to be there every step of the way.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[DAG 34,754]

So glad we got this man . He is going to do wonders here. I remember over the summer there was a poster or two actually against this man for decisions he made at vandy. Get well coach .

[WDE_OxPx_2010 5,473]

6 minutes ago, DAG said:

So glad we got this man . He is going to do wonders here. 

Agreed 10000%. This is the best hire Auburn made, arguably more important than Harsin. I'm stoked to have this guy on campus at Auburn.

[Gowebb11 9,871]

As he continues to build relationships with HS coaches and recruits, I expect him to become a monster recruiter for AU! 

[Randman5000 4,271]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32076936/auburn-dc-derek-mason-recovered-breakthrough-bout-covid-19

 

[SRBautigerfan 1,040]

2 hours ago, Randman5000 said:

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32076936/auburn-dc-derek-mason-recovered-breakthrough-bout-covid-19

 

Has anyone heard anything from Coach Harsin or how he's doing?  I've missed it if it's out there.🤷‍♂️

[AU80cruiser 1,102]

19 hours ago, DAG said:

So glad we got this man . He is going to do wonders here. I remember over the summer there was a poster or two actually against this man for decisions he made at vandy. Get well coach .

While I didnt like a couple of Mason's decisions last year that shouldnt detract from the overall body of work. I think we hired the best DC we could have hoped and dreamed of getting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[W.E.D 11,071]

Was a little skeptical on Mason, but grown to like him.  Hopefully focusing on defense and back with better talent serves him and Auburn well.

[toddc 13,197]

3 hours ago, SRBautigerfan said:

Has anyone heard anything from Coach Harsin or how he's doing?  I've missed it if it's out there.🤷‍♂️

Think he’s doing a zoom call today