MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- When Derek Mason announced he was taking a sabbatical from college coaching after serving as Oklahoma State's defensive coordinator in 2022, he noted that he'd spent 30 consecutive seasons in coaching and cited a desire to take a break and spend time with his family.
"I just felt like I was tired and needed a rest," Mason said. "The good Lord told me it was time. Coaches don't step away sometimes when they're supposed to, and when you don't step away, you don't get refreshed."
What may have gone overlooked in Mason's announcement was that he never planned to be gone for long. He'll be back in familiar territory on an SEC sideline Saturday as the head coach of Middle Tennessee as the Blue Raiders travel to face No. 6 Ole Miss.
"I never said I was retired," Mason told CBS Sports last month inside his new office. "I said 'sabbatical.' A sabbatical just means you're taking a little bit of time off."
In his 2022 announcement, Mason noted that – in addition to resting during his sabbatical – he also planned to "reflect on opportunities within the game I love."
That reflection ultimately led him just 40 miles down I-24 from Nashville, which is a city his family never stopped calling home after Mason's seven-year run as Vanderbilt's head coach ended with one game remaining in the COVID-19 season of 2020.
The Commodores were so adversely impacted during the wackiness of that year that they turned to the goalkeeper on their SEC championship women's soccer team, Sarah Fuller, to handle kicking duties.
"There were games where we shouldn't have played, but we played," Mason said. "You just had to push through it because of TV contracts, this, that and the other."
Despite the unusual circumstances, Vanderbilt's administration ripped the cord on a coaching tenure that was successful by the program's historical standard. Among his achievements were a three-game winning streak over rival Tennessee, which stands as the program's longest in the annual series since the 1920s. Though Mason didn't match the standard of predecessor James Franklin, he did reach two bowls, which is more than any other coach in program history aside from Franklin.
"I was mad, not at anybody, just at me, because I thought maybe I could have done more," Mason said. "I finally had to come to grips with, 'you know what, I did what I could do.' I did the best I could do, and once I put it to bed, I was good. But I don't know of anyone that wants to be told to move on."
New vantage points
Mason quickly returned to coaching as Auburn's defensive coordinator under Bryan Harsin in 2021 before taking on the same role at Oklahoma State under Mike Gundy in 2022. All the while, the world of college football was changing in dramatic ways with NIL and the proliferation of transferring altering the sport's landscape.
"With Harsin at Auburn and being with Gundy at Oklahoma State, I had a chance to see a lot of good for the most part," Mason said. "And also some things that you have to be aware of in terms of resourcing and where NIL is and what it's going to look like. The best thing I gained out of it was just some new perspectives."
The sabbatical brought even more vantage points on the game. Though he spent the 2023 season out of coaching, Mason still wore a headset as an analyst with the SEC Network. He also was a consultant for Rice coach Mike Bloomgren as the Owls reached their second straight bowl.
Mason's family was leery about him taking on the TV gig, and he quickly learned that it was a full-time job. He became obsessive over preparation, noting that he was "afraid to be bad" on air. It wasn't long before he told himself that if he was still devoting so much time to football that he might as well be doing it as a coach.
He initially thought an NFL assistant job might be the move. Mason was on the Minnesota Vikings staff from 2007-09 and was in contact with former Vikings colleague Leslie Frazier throughout last season as Frazier was on a sabbatical of his own. Frazier landed as an assistant head coach with the Seattle Seahawks for 2024.
By then, Mason had already found his next move.
"It just so happens that this job came open," Mason said as he sat in front of a wall in his MTSU office that doubles as a mural depicting every county in this part of Tennessee. "When it came open, I didn't think much of it. I got a phone call from some people who support people here. They asked if I'd have any interest."
'Boro Built, Middle Made
Mason did his homework. He'd be following a legend in Rick Stockstill, who was pushed out after 18 seasons at Middle Tennessee. Stockstill went 113-111, reaching 10 bowls and posting an 82-58 mark in league games across stints in the Sun Belt and Conference USA.
That would bring challenges.
But a strong foundation was in place. A $66 million student-athlete performance center is under construction at Middle Tennessee. It will be a long-awaited home for the football program overlooking the north end zone of Floyd Stadium with over 85,000 square feet housing everything the Blue Raiders need to compete for Conference USA titles.
Furthermore, Mason wouldn't need to familiarize himself with the local landscape. He knows it well from his time at Vanderbilt, which went 4-0 against MTSU during Mason's tenure.
He's been aggressive in community outreach and promotion, trying to elevate the profile of a Blue Raiders program located in the heart of SEC country and near a booming city that is home to NFL, NHL and MLS franchises. Mason can rattle off statistics about the masses of MTSU alumni who live within a relatively easy drive.
"So how come our stadium isn't packed?" Mason said. "That's a challenge. I've looked at all these things. Since I hired a good staff, I've been able to focus a little bit on what we're doing with our marketing. Who are we? How are we touching our community and creating connections? You look at Boise State and (Appalachian) State, those communities are connected with those programs. We've got to connect with our space in order to make it work."
He appreciates the school's blue-collar ethos and has coined the slogan, "'Boro Built, Middle Made" to drive home his team's connection with the DNA of the school and community.
Feeling like he's got a chance
One easy way to connect with fans is to win. MTSU was picked to finish fourth in the Conference USA, despite the inevitably heavy roster attrition that comes with any coaching change at the Group of Five level in the transfer portal era.
Proven quarterback Nick Vattiato is back along with star tight end Holden Willis. But both lines of scrimmage lost several proven players, which will test the Blue Raiders as they face a difficult schedule. Their September consists of a road trip to Ole Miss, a game against CUSA stalwart Western Kentucky, a visit from Duke and a trip to play Group of Five power Memphis.
Even a Week 1 game against Tennessee Tech brought challenges. The Blue Raiders led 24-11 in the fourth quarter before their visiting FCS foe took the lead with a pair of quick scores. MTSU had to mount a touchdown drive in the game's final minute to escape with a 32-25 win. Now, things will get much tougher.
"It's going to test every bit of who we are," Mason said. "It's going to test our depth, our character. It's going to test if we are what we think we are up front on both sides of the ball. Then, after you get out of the first five games, you get into the midweek. That's a whole different animal."
Middle Tennessee will play Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday games in October. That's a wrinkle he never encountered at Stanford, Vanderbilt, Auburn or Oklahoma State. But even though Mason's recent coaching stops have come in the sport's top conferences, he's quick to note his experience at the likes of Ohio, New Mexico State, Idaho State and Saint Mary's.
There will be no culture shock for him in Conference USA.
"I think, for me, having been enough places in my career and seen enough things, it was apparent to me — maybe not to other people — that this was a good fit," Mason said.
Mason assessed Conference USA as being "very equal," while noting that Liberty, the reigning champion and favorite to win the 2024 title, is ahead of the pack with its resources. But having just one school to chase in resources and institutional commitment is a welcome change from his last head coaching job.
When Mason was at Vanderbilt, the other 13 teams in the SEC at the time — all state schools with massive fan bases and donor bases — were lapping the Commodores in investment.
His return to an SEC sideline may just be a cameo appearance against the Rebels this week. But even though he's operating mostly on the less-glamorous side of FBS football now, Mason finally feels like he's on an even playing field.
"No disrespect to anybody," Mason said. "But when is the last time Vanderbilt was picked fourth in the conference? I haven't played a game, and I feel like I've got a chance."