Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason on Saturday was introduced as Vanderbilt's new head coach.
Mason, 43, replaces James Franklin, who left last week to become Penn State's coach after three seasons with the Commodores. Mason was clear on one of his main goals for the program.
"SEC East title, here we come," he said at Saturday's news conference. "Make no bones about it. You've got to talk about it to make it happen."
Mason takes over a program that grew immensely in stature under Franklin, going 24-15 in the past three seasons. Vanderbilt made three straight bowl appearances under Franklin after having four in its history before his arrival. The Commodores have never won the SEC East.
"I'm never going to try to be James Franklin," he said. "I'm Derek Mason. I'm your new head coach."
Franklin certainly elevated the job. Had coordinators at programs such as Clemson (Tigers offensive coordinator Chad Morris reportedly was a legit candidate) and Stanford been mentioned as potential Vandy coaching candidates even five years ago, most observers would have scoffed and said Vandy was aiming too high. But Franklin has shown that Vandy can win games in the SEC and get to bowls. Granted, SEC East foes Tennessee, Florida and Georgia have struggled at times in the past two seasons, but in the past, even struggling Vols, Bulldogs and Gators teams would've cruised past Vandy.
Mason's background at Stanford, which like Vandy has tougher academic standards than most of its conference brethren, probably was a major factor for Vandy decision-makers.
Mason had been at Stanford since 2010, as secondary coach and coordinator. Before that, he spent three seasons as the secondary coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He also has experience coaching at Utah, Ohio University and New Mexico State, among other stops.
The biggest immediate issue for Mason is recruiting. National Signing Day is less than three weeks away, and Vandy's recruiting class has fallen apart since Franklin's departure. But Mason's background and recent success at Stanford should be hugely appealing to the type of prospects who were considering Vandy before Franklin departed. An offshoot of hitting the recruiting trail is putting together a staff. How quickly can Mason put one together? It also will be interesting to see if any Franklin assistants are hired by Mason.
CBSSports.com reported Friday morning that Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton was the top target and had turned down the job, but Hamilton told footballscoop.com -- a website that tracks coaching moves -- he never was offered the job.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
