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According to a 247Sports, Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason will become the next head coach of Vanderbilt replacing James Franklin who took a job with Penn State. Mason reportedly gets the job over Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris and Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton becoming just the 5th African American head coach in SEC history.

Mason, who became a top coaching candidate this offseason guided the Cardinal to a top 15 standing in both scoring and yards/play the past two years. He was also the finalist for the Broyles Award (honoring the best assistants in the country) in 2012.