Vanderbilt football coach Derek Mason was sacked during the 0-8 campaign

Vanderbilt football coach Derek Mason was sacked on Sunday, a day after a 41-0 defeat in Missouri, reducing Commodore’s record to 0-8.

Mason had a 27-55 record at Vanderbilt in his sixth season. He is the sixth winning coach in program history and the second player to lead Commodore to two cup games.

A Report on Twitter, Mason wrote, “It is truly my honor to be given the opportunity to teach, guide, champion and coach hundreds of Vanderbilt young men and a brave woman.”

God bless and be safe. 🙏🏿👊🏿# Anchor Town pic.twitter.com/zrvpTPaGyb

– Derek Mason (coach Derek Mason) November 29, 2020

“On behalf of the entire Vanderbilt community, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Coach Mason for his many years of dedication and service in guiding our football project,” Athletics Director Candice Story Lee said in a statement. “Derek is deeply concerned about the student-athletes in his charge. His tenure at Vanderbilt will be remembered not only for his commitment to our student-athletes in the classroom and to the youth.”

Attack coordinator Todd Fitch will serve as interim coach. The search for a new coach will begin immediately, Vanderbilt said.

Vanderbilt play in 9th Georgia on Saturday and are working to reconsider its final home game against Tennessee, which SEC has postponed to catch the games Missouri played. The Commodores have never had a successful campaign in their 117-year history.

Despite competing with huge resources and recruitment sites against SEC projects, Mason led the Commodore to at least five wins in three consecutive seasons from 2016 to 2018. He became the first Vanderbilt coach to beat state rival Tennessee three straight since the 1920s. , And his teams played in the 2016 Independence Cup and the 2018 Texas Cup.

The last two seasons together Vanderbilt went 3-17, however, S.E.C. Commodore has lost 12 straight SEC games, the longest running one for the Power 5 school.

At least seven Vanderbilt players have left the 2020 season and eight have been replaced. Linebacker Dmitry Moore resigned and later changed his mind. 6 Florida.

Mason, who was hired as Vanderbilt’s 28th coach in 2014, was appointed to replace him when James Franklin moved to Penn State. Mason came to Vanderbilt after being co-head coach and defensive coordinator at Stanford.

Candidates who could be targeted by Vanderbilt include former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher, Buffalo’s Lance LeBold, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea (former Vanderbilt fullback), Princeton’s Bora Suarez, Nevada’s Dilli, Indiana Skip Holds, Charlotte Will Healy, Jamie Chadwell of Coast Carolina, Jeff Mongen of the Army, Ken Newmadlolo of the Navy and Matt Ends of North Dakota.

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN and the Associated Press contributed to this report.