New DC Derek Mason Speaks with OSU MAX in First Interview

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Derek Mason has been on the job now for over three weeks. There was some time after the last signing day that the staff had off, but the new hire coming from Auburn in the SEC and seven-years of experience as a head coach in that conference prior at Vanderbilt, Mason took that down time and studied his new assignment continuing the defense that Oklahoma State has enjoyed the past two seasons. He’s spent time getting to know his staff and, more important, his players. He did sit down with OSU Max for an exclusive interview that is available. That is his first interview unless you count the conversation Pokes Report had with him his first day. Pokes Report also did a story deaturing more about Mason outside of football. In the interview he was asked right away by OSU Max, what the last several weeks have been like?

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Mason sat down with OSU Max on this interview.

“It’s been fast and furious,” Mason answered. “It’s been good to get around Stillwater, getting around the locker room, great to be in Stillwater meeting the staff, but for me. I came here for the ball. It has been great to get around our guys and who they are, getting a chance a chance to immerse myself in this Cowboy culture. I’ve really taking the challenge on of doing that and trying to really absorb everything I can about being in a place where sports are important and have the opportunity to continue to build on something that has been successful over the past 17-years in omnipresent.”

Mason was approached by Gundy and pondered the Oklahoma State billet. Gundy had actually told Pokes Report at one point that he wasn’t sure if he could get the veteran coach because he had some NFL opportunities and he was strongly considering taken a year off, maybe do some television football analyst role, kind of that career growth year. Mason said exactly what Gundy told us, but in the end he and a strong influence thought Oklahoma State and working with the veteran head coach in Mike Gundy was the right thing to do.

“I really thought for awhile that I may take a step back,” Mason said of leaving his last position as defensive coordinator at Auburn. “I really thought about that, and then I met with Coach Gundy, spent some time and spoke with Coach Gundy. I think football programs are great. It taught me so much, how to be a young man and how to grow up. How to have some resolve and have some commitment to something.

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Mason and family when he was head coach at Vanderbilt. His wife, middle backed the move to Stillwater.

“Speaking to coach Gundy and he has been a head coach for so long,” he continued. “There is so much about this that we are still learning as leaders of me. How do we handle our programs and lead men. There are really few men that have done this so long as Coach Gundy, and so for me that is attractive. I’m 52-years-old and I’m a life long learner. I’m really excited about ball and being able to be challenged and mentored. I thought to myself, ‘Derek, maybe this is something for you.’ I think my wife was on board and we’ve been married 30-years and she thought this was a place for me. That being said, this was an easy decision.”

One thing that Pokes Report has reported as we were told by Gundy and several other sources that Mason would come in and much like previous offensive coordinators hired at Oklahoma State, keep the same playbook. Mason will learn the defense that is here, a hybrid defense that has Knowles imprint, but others currently on staff as well. The defense the players already know. Mason will put his imprint on it and call it with his experience and his personality.

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Mason loves coaching. He loves influencing young men.

“We want to make sure that we can attack,” Mason explained. “The whole idea for us defensively is to be able to set a wall up front, up front set an edge, track a hip, and play top down. Football has changed over the last ten years. Where it was three yards and a cloud of dust, it’s fast-paced, it’s tempo, it’s high scoring offenses, and defenses that are having to catch up and that is really where we’ve been over the last five-years. Defenses have really started to make the turn of attacking offenses instead of sitting on their heels. We are going to be an attacking defense.”

We’ll have more from the plentiful interview OSU Max did with Mason coming up later.