For the third year in a row, there have been massive changes made in the Auburn football coaching staff. Following the 2020 season on the Plains, Gus Malzahn was fired, and his staff was sent away in exchange for Bryan Harsin’s first staff on the Plains, with Cadillac Williams being the only Gus-era staffer that was retained.
After the 2021 season, which ended in a downward spiral for the Tigers, there was insane turnover to Harsin’s staff, and new coordinators were brought in. Then, Harsin and part of his staff was sent packing mid-season before Hugh Freeze was officially hired in December and began to put together his debut coaching staff.
Now, ahead of the 2023 season, the Tigers are on their third set of coordinators in as many years while a face that was once familiar on the Plains has made an announcement similar to one we heard last year. According to Brandon Marcello, former Auburn football defensive coordinator Derek Mason will no longer be coaching:
Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Derek Mason is stepping down to step away from college coaching. He spent one season in Stillwater. #GoPokes
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) January 12, 2023
Mason has coached in various positions at over ten schools. Prior to his stint at Auburn, Mason spent 2014-2020 as head coach at Vanderbilt. After one season on the Plains as Bryan Harsin’s defensive coordinator, Mason stepped down from his post with the Tigers, and it was rumored that he intended to step down from coaching indefinitely. Days later, he took the same position at Oklahoma State for a big pay cut.
With Hugh Freeze on board at Auburn and Ron Roberts taking over the Tigers’ defense, let’s hope that this set of coaches will stick around for awhile and make a big impact on the program by providing consistency to the student athletes.