{"id":1115,"date":"2016-09-21T09:14:40","date_gmt":"2016-09-21T13:14:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordoncollegefootball.com\/?p=1115"},"modified":"2017-05-22T00:02:38","modified_gmt":"2017-05-22T04:02:38","slug":"what-has-derek-mason-done-for-the-vanderbilt-commodores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2016\/09\/21\/what-has-derek-mason-done-for-the-vanderbilt-commodores\/","title":{"rendered":"What Has Derek Mason Done for The Vanderbilt Commodores?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIts impossible for anyone at\u00a0Vandy<\/strong>\u00a0to defend\u00a0Derek Mason<\/strong>\u00a0after this performance today\u201d.<\/p>\n

This is just one of many social media posts from a fan upset with head coach Derek Mason after the\u00a0Vanderbilt<\/strong>\u00a0loss to\u00a0Georgia Tech<\/strong>\u00a0on Saturday. Commodore Nation should be aware that there is far more involved in coaching a football team than a box score. Quality takes time. Here is what Derek Mason has done for the Vanderbilt Commodores.<\/p>\n

Bowl Games > Integrity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Are bowl games and winning seasons more important than integrity? Saturday, September 17th<\/sup> was exactly two years and eight months since Coach Mason was hired. It was also the day you Vandy fans took to social media calling for his job. You professed your love for\u00a0James Franklin.<\/strong>\u00a0Some of you begged for a second coming. You remembered his three bowl games with stars in your eyes. \u00a0Vandy fans, have you conveniently forgotten the ugly side of Franklin\u2019s winning? \u00a0Do you fail to recall the negative national media attention? In fact, because of that negative incident Vanderbilt no longer accepts JUCO transfers into the football program. Sadly, you have chosen bowl games over integrity whether you say it aloud or not. Meanwhile Mason is actively involved in\u00a0MEND Experience<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Nashville. It’s a prevention initiative dedicated to ending violence against women by educating men. Commodore nation you need to pay attention.<\/p>\n

Behind the eight ball\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Furthermore, when Franklin fled\u00a0Nashville<\/strong>\u00a0he took a number of players with him. This left Mason\u00a0with a program decimated by transfers and a recruiting class of de-commitments. He had three weeks to hire a staff and get a recruiting class together (at an\u00a0SEC<\/strong>\u00a0university with higher academic standards than most). At the same time, he was selling the advantages of rebuilding a football program with dated football facilities. The fact is Coach Mason had to overhaul the football program. He had to change the damaged culture of the past. Every day for the last 978 days, Mason has worked on\u00a0his<\/em>\u00a0Vanderbilt program. He has laid a solid foundation. \u00a0Mason is rebuilding the program the right way. He is coaching these athletes in life as well as football. \u00a0Mason is teaching them to be great men, Vanderbilt Men.<\/p>\n

Stats not printed in the box score<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was a wet and dismal Halloween game in the middle of the 2015 season.\u00a0The Commodores\u00a0traveled to\u00a0Houston<\/strong>\u00a0to take on the\u00a0Cougars<\/strong>. \u00a0Vandy\u00a0could do nothing well on either side\u00a0of the ball while enduring a torrential downpour that lasted the entire game. \u00a0It was a\u00a0brutal shutout. The greatest highlight of the night occurred after the game when the players, the Vanderbilt\u00a0Men in Mason\u2019s charge walked\u00a0over\u00a0to the stands and shook hands with\u00a0every<\/em>\u00a0Vandy\u00a0fan remaining.\u00a0 Every\u00a0player\u00a0shook hands and thanked each fan\u00a0for coming out and supporting them. \u00a0EVERY PLAYER<\/em>. Mason is doing something right in that program.\u00a0\u00a0It is well-documented things happen and college kids make mistakes.\u00a0There is no shortage\u00a0of stories of players going awry. Vandy fans you need to take\u00a0note: \u00a0Vanderbilt has not had an arrest of a football player with Mason at the helm. He and his staff\u00a0are\u00a0doing something extraordinary. They are building a football team that you should be proud to support.<\/p>\n

40-years not four<\/strong><\/p>\n

The off field achievements keep adding up. The\u00a0Vanderbilt football team\u2019s APR score of 990 ranked fifth among FBS programs, they also received\u00a0NCAA<\/strong>\u00a0Public Recognition Awards for finishing in the top 10 percent\u00a0and in\u00a02015, they had a perfect graduation success rate. The players started the\u00a0summer with a new mission\u00a0of\u00a0adding\u00a0at least 10 hours of\u00a0community service to their list of required activities. \u00a0They\u00a0completed over 1,050 hours\u00a0of community service for more than 70 organizations.\u00a0\u00a0Not to mention, Vanderbilt boasts the most comprehensive internship program<\/strong><\/a> in the SEC and the very first university in the country to have an NCAA sanctioned internship program for their student-athletes. In addition, this summer the Commodores added Operational Excellence,<\/b><\/a>\u00a0a unique player development program. The nine-week program taught the core elements of streamlined organizational effectiveness. Players learned how to reduce “lead” time and “eliminate waste” from any workplace, ultimately learning and applying the science of process efficiency. Another first in the country for the Vanderbilt athletic department. \u00a0Mason has also added two critical new\u00a0 departments under his leadership. The\u00a0 Player Personnel Department is designed to better evaluate the incoming talent, help with roster\u00a0management,\u00a0and improve recruiting.\u00a0 The Player Development Department works alongside Mason to ensure these athletes are fully prepared for their 40-year futures, by offering guidance on everything off the field such as academics, personal, professional and community. \u00a0Vanderbilt football is fully living up to its hash tag\u00a0of\u00a040not4,\u00a0which they have been using\u00a0in reference to investing in a\u00a040-year\u00a0future not just a\u00a04-year future.<\/p>\n

The SEC Look<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Mason first walked thru the\u00a0McGugin Center<\/strong>\u00a0to get to the football offices, meeting rooms, locker rooms and the weight room the walls were a drab yellowish beige. Mason\u00a0immediately did some simple cosmetic work by adding awe-inspiring graphics. \u00a0He then set his sights on renovating the outdated football locker room, meeting rooms and player lounges, as well as building a state of the art weight room and training room. \u00a0The Vanderbilt football facility is still not at the level of the top-tier SEC programs but slowly Mason is making changes to help them compete in the world of first impressions.<\/p>\n

The Brutal Facts<\/strong><\/p>\n

The fact is Derek Mason has made the Vanderbilt football program exponentially better in the last two years and eight months \u00a0The behind the scenes progress can\u2019t be read in a black and white win\/loss column\u00a0yet<\/em>, but it will manifest its self on the field if it is given time to grow and to be nurtured.\u00a0\u00a0The attitudes are changing. \u00a0The team confidence is growing. If Mason is fired now or after the season Vanderbilt is setting itself back another three to five years. Mason needs another 978 days to make a true impact on Vanderbilt football. Mason deserves more time. \u00a0College football is a business. \u00a0It is a brutal business. \u00a0Coaches no longer have the luxury of building a program. \u00a0That\u00a0is a shame. Mason is motivating. He is influencing athletes to become more. \u00a0Mason is coaching future community leaders. He is educating men to become great citizens who will change the world. Mason\u00a0is building a great program and he is doing it the right way. \u00a0Commodore Nation you need to calm down. Quality takes time. \u00a0You need to pay attention to what Derek Mason has accomplished.<\/p>\n

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Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n