Article excerpt:
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy, as he always does, went through his usual process of doing deep dives into candidates, a lot of his own study, and then spoke to those candidates for the defensive coordinator position. Some he interviewed away from Stillwater, but the one he hired came to the Cowboys’ West End Zone headquarters and even met with the staff. Derek Mason is the new Oklahoma State defensive coordinator, and when he gets to Stillwater, he won’t be having his first meeting with the staff. That took place during the interview process when Gundy had Mason go before the staff and they had him on the white board for several hours. The meeting left the staff impressed.
One Oklahoma State assistant said Mason was impressive with his defensive acumen and that he showed a lot of knowledge of defensive football but even knowledge of the current Oklahoma State defensive system showing the 52-year-old coach had done his homework.
In fact, Mason will use the same playbook, base defense, and terminology that is in place from the hybrid defense that previous coordinator Jim Knowles, now at Ohio State, worked out with assistants Joe Bob Clements, Dan Hammerschmidt, Tim Duffie, and Greg Richmond. Mason will use that defense as the blueprint and then add his own twists and nuances.
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy, as he always does, went through his usual process of doing deep dives into candidates, a lot of his own study, and then spoke to those candidates for the defensive coordinator position. Some he interviewed away from Stillwater, but the one he hired came to the Cowboys’ West End Zone headquarters and even met with the staff. Derek Mason is the new Oklahoma State defensive coordinator, and when he gets to Stillwater, he won’t be having his first meeting with the staff. That took place during the interview process when Gundy had Mason go before the staff and they had him on the white board for several hours. The meeting left the staff impressed.
One Oklahoma State assistant said Mason was impressive with his defensive acumen and that he showed a lot of knowledge of defensive football but even knowledge of the current Oklahoma State defensive system showing the 52-year-old coach had done his homework.
In fact, Mason will use the same playbook, base defense, and terminology that is in place from the hybrid defense that previous coordinator Jim Knowles, now at Ohio State, worked out with assistants Joe Bob Clements, Dan Hammerschmidt, Tim Duffie, and Greg Richmond. Mason will use that defense as the blueprint and then add his own twists and nuances.
