Derek Mason Fired as Vanderbilt Head Coach; Todd Fitch Named as Interim

Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee confirmed the school has fired head football coach Derek Mason.  

"On behalf of the entire Vanderbilt community, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Coach Mason for his many years of dedication and service leading our football program," Lee said.

Mason later issued a statement on his exit via a post on his Twitter account:

The Commodores fell to 0-8 in 2020 following a 41-0 loss to Missouri on Saturday. Offensive coordinator Todd Fitch will take over as the interim head coach Saturday against Georgia and until a full-time successor is found.

Recruits in the 2021 class can begin signing from Dec. 16-18. Even if Vanderbilt doesn't have a new coach by then, Mason's firing at least provides a level of clarity for those on the Commodores' radar.

"Vanderbilt plays Saturday at Georgia and then will have a rescheduled game against rival Tennessee on Dec. 12 or Dec. 19," The Athletic's Joe Rexrode wrote. "This gives committed prospects time to reconsider, though the source said Vanderbilt will work to stay in communication and try to keep the class together as much as possible for the incoming coach."

Vanderbilt sits 46th in 247Sports' composite rankings, which is only good for 12th in the SEC. Defensive tackle Marcus Bradley is the only 4-star commitment so far.

Mason appears to have taken the program as far as he could. This was his seventh year at the helm, and not once did the team finish with a winning record. The Commodores reached the Independence Bowl in 2016 and Texas Bowl in 2018, losing both.

The problem for Vanderbilt is that it will likely struggle to lure any established coaches, and younger coaches might only view it as a stepping stone to bigger opportunities.

James Franklin was only there for three years before an acrimonious departure for Penn State. Banner Society's Steven Godfrey explained how that was a reflection on the university's general investment in football:

"VU did nothing to capitalize on James Franklin's success, which is a major reason why he left. Don't simply assume that Penn State > Vandy; that's certainly true by most standard measurements used in coaching, but at the time, Franklin and his staff agonized over leaving an SEC East job they felt could be competitive (with help) for a PSU that was still in embers after the Paterno-Sandusky cover-up."

Perhaps this is a sign Vanderbilt is aiming higher than what it achieved with Mason. Even if you chalk the 2020 season up as an outlier because of the pandemic, he had enough time to implement a vision and build a roster to his preferences.

Now, it will be up to somebody else to energize the Commodores, lest they fall further behind the competition in the SEC.