Derek Mason and Vanderbilt Entering Important Year
It’s a crucial year for Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason as he enters year five. Mason is just 18-31 at Vanderbilt and is coming off a disappointing 5-7 campaign a year ago where the Commodores went just 1-7 in the SEC.
The good news for Mason is he will have quarterback Kyle Shurmur leading the offense. 2018 will be the fourth year as the starting quarterback for the 6-foot-5, 227-pounder and Shurmur had a big 2017 as he threw for 2,823 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
“I truly believe Kyle Shurmur is one of the most improved quarterbacks and one of the most dynamic passers in this conference that people are not talking about,” Mason stated at SEC Media Day. “That's okay. I don't need people to talk about Kyle Shurmur. I know, and I understand his pedigree, and I have seen his development of when he was a freshman and where he is now.
“I've seen him with weapons, without weapons, with an offensive line, and without an offensive line. His growth and maturity are really beyond his years. He believes in this team. This team believes in him. And in this conference, it all starts with the quarterback position. If the quarterback can play well, you got a chance for success.”
The Commodores return seven starters on offense, including four on the offensive line, which Mason believes will be his best yet.
“For the first time in my tenure as head coach, we have 12 offensive linemen up front that can play for us” explained Mason. “It's anchored by Justin Skule, Bruno Reagan, Egidio DellaRipa, Saige Young, Devin Cochran. And those guys behind those guys are guys that have experience in this conference now.
“For me to have the offensive line back intact means that we can keep our quarterback upright. We can run the football, and that's important. It doesn't matter who is at running back. You have to have an offensive line to be able to make sure you can control the line of scrimmage in this conference.”
The most significant change of the offseason was Mason giving up the reigns as defensive coordinator. Jason Tarver came to the Vanderbilt program after spending the last four seasons in the NFL and spent 2011 at Stanford with Mason.
“For me, it was never meant to be long-term,” Mason said of being defensive coordinator. “That process was about me going through the idea of looking at coaches, figuring out exactly who I can bring in. I really identified the target three years ago, but he was under contract. And that was Jason Tarver. There were only two guys in the country that I would have relinquished this defense to, one is at Stanford University, Lance Anderson, and the other is Jason Tarver.
“It's taken me a minute to be able to get the guy I want, but the idea of getting it right was exactly what I needed to do. For me, I thought '15 went well. '16 went well. What you saw in '17 was something that sort of took on a life of its own. We started out well. We didn't play well. I take the full responsibility of how we played in the middle, but here's the deal, I got the guy. I'm back to being exactly what I want to be and need to be for my program. Now it is time to go, so let's ride.”
Tarver’s defense returns just four starters, but there is some quality talent on the roster. The sophomore class will determine Vanderbilt’s success and possibly the career path of Mason.
It starts with the defensive line, and Tarver’s focus has been on bringing the young players up to speed.
“It's got to be about competition,” stated Mason. “We've had more competition this spring. This team is different not just because I say it's so. It's different because this team is really player lead.
“When we got between the lines, I truly believe that these guys, okay, these guys, whether it's Dare (Odeyingbo), whether it is Dayo (Odeyingbo), whether it is a guy like Charles Wright, these guys took the ownership. This will be the first time I've had a group of guys step up and not be about Coach Mason getting out front and having to make a speech or some type of announcement to how we play. The standard is theirs.”
Vanderbilt comes to South Bend week two and Mason drew a little bit of criticism with his comments about the game.
While his words might have been taken out of context, Mason has been to Notre Dame before and knows what it takes to win in South Bend.
“We play in the SEC,” said Mason. “I don't worry about going to South Bend. Right now, I am worried about MTSU. I looked at how we started last year, and the blueprint is there.
“If you want to be successful, stay in the moment. That's exactly what we're doing. We're staying in the moment. We're about Notre Dame when that game comes. Right now, it's about MTSU. It's about going to camp. It's about solidifying that depth. It's about making sure when we harden this team enough that when adversity comes, this team knows how to handle it.”