Awful this year of course but 72-38 overall with 4 FCS playoff appearances in his first 7 years. Also their only coach ever.
FOOTBALL Kennesaw Coach Fired
- Thread starter MidTennMtneer
- Start date
Their AD told everyone that he just stepped down too.
C-USA is becoming a good G5 conference if MTSU can keep building up under Mason, so the Owls kinda need to hit on this hire.
Bright side: Insane amount of talented young coaches in the sport with resumes right now, everyone has ties to Atlanta
Not so bright side for the AD: Nobody gives a damn what you say now, every fan, alumni, social media presence already didn't respect you
C-USA is becoming a good G5 conference if MTSU can keep building up under Mason, so the Owls kinda need to hit on this hire.
Bright side: Insane amount of talented young coaches in the sport with resumes right now, everyone has ties to Atlanta
Not so bright side for the AD: Nobody gives a damn what you say now, every fan, alumni, social media presence already didn't respect you
Just to add some background, KSU was one of the few FCS programs that scheduled A LOT of lower level teams and padded their wins. I think it was a little premature but I was expecting them to make a change.
Not as many as I thought but his time there these are wins he had:
15 D2 or lower
3 non-scholarship
54-38 still isn’t terrible but I wanted to make sure the full picture is being painted.
I read that too. So while I get it, as Shayne said, terrible optics in how it was handled. What is the point in doing it now as well with three games left? Should've announced together as AD and coach a change was coming at end of season.
He also was making under $400k according to CBS. They are going to have to raise that if they want anyone currently involved in FBS.
He also was making under $400k according to CBS. They are going to have to raise that if they want anyone currently involved in FBS.
I would expect Willie Simmons to be lead dog in the search for a new coach. The AD was the one that hired him at FAMU.
I'd tell Willie to RUN.
This is seems like a situation where the school jumped too fast without the resources or leadership to navigate the jump. And then threw HC under the bus. Why waste a what COULD be your only shot to be a FBS HC on program that is underfunded & lacks the resources to compete?
Bohannon's salary was 50% less than MT. They'll need to almost double salary to attract people
They do have a large budget and have a ton of students. I expect they will pay their new coach a lot more. Look for a retread FBS coach to fill this role. Chad Morris is a name I’m watching.
That's a win for Middle Tennessee all the way around
Mack is going to do very well there. He knows how to run the ball and had a lot of success at an HBCU with zero resources. I wanted him as well. Him or the DC at UT who really wanted this job. They both did.
Ugh what could have been done with our coach opening infuriates me! This program is in shambles.
I don’t think anyone realized that Mason was going to instantly implement his schemes so harshly. Felt like this season was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.
I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt this season but they need to clean some things up. Rebuild will be longer than I thought it would be with the harsh change tho. Wish he’d stop saying they’re going to compete right away tho. Don’t think he’s doing himself any favors there
I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt this season but they need to clean some things up. Rebuild will be longer than I thought it would be with the harsh change tho. Wish he’d stop saying they’re going to compete right away tho. Don’t think he’s doing himself any favors there
I watched Mike Norvell’s postgame presser from start to finish yesterday. I couldn’t help but wonder how much input Stock had on their offense this season as an “Analyst” and Director of Scouting.
A few thoughts regarding Mason & the season :
1) Mason's enthusiasm & willingness to engage the fans / community was EXACTLY what MT needed after Stock. I see why the powers that be (aka McPhee) liked him.
2) I had some concerns re: Mason's hire. There's a reason he failed / got fired at Vandy & it's not just that every body gets fired at Vandy. It's that football evolved & Mason didn't. Based on watching MT this year & listening to Mason talk over the last year, it seems like Mason believes you can still win football games 21-17. You can't. You need to be prepared to win 34-27.
It's no longer trying to put together a 12 play 75 yard drive that drains the clock. You need to be dynamic and explosive ( on the outside with the threat of a consistent run game.
You don't need 6'3 250 inside backers. You need 6'3 225-230 pound inside backers that can drop & cover (FWIW, Stock's 215 pound LB don't work either. Too small). You gotta be able to play in space, especially when you're in a nickel isn't as sub package anymore. You're in nickel / dime 60-70% of the time.
3) As Shayne said, I'm not sure saying the "bones are good" & the potential to compete immediately was honest if you're gonna overhaul everything (offensive and defensive schemes, personnel, etc).
Recruiting has some bright spots. Can't wait to see some guys who RS / played smaller roles this year take the next step in 2025.
But Mason's seat starts to get warm if he doesn't do better than 6-6 in 2025.
I've said from the get go today's coaches need 3yrs.
- Yr 1 usually a disaster. Figure out what you have and what you need. Sometimes lightning strikes like Cignetti and Indiana. But he brought several from JMU and their championship team not to mention a super weak schedule. Not the same as our situation with a coach that was out of the game.
- Yr 2 is better. Bowl and win is the minimum. Off-season spent plugging final holes. A needed safety, returner, etc.
- Yr 3 is conference champ or bust.
If you are a G5 and have a coach longer than 5-6yrs tops that isn't poached (unless they are doing well and choose to stay), you have the wrong guy.
So we shall see. I'm expecting more next year, period.
- Yr 1 usually a disaster. Figure out what you have and what you need. Sometimes lightning strikes like Cignetti and Indiana. But he brought several from JMU and their championship team not to mention a super weak schedule. Not the same as our situation with a coach that was out of the game.
- Yr 2 is better. Bowl and win is the minimum. Off-season spent plugging final holes. A needed safety, returner, etc.
- Yr 3 is conference champ or bust.
If you are a G5 and have a coach longer than 5-6yrs tops that isn't poached (unless they are doing well and choose to stay), you have the wrong guy.
So we shall see. I'm expecting more next year, period.
This is a fair take. I've looked at most of the G5 hires and it's been a rough go for a lot of them - almost all of them. Only 4 of 17 G5 new hires in 2024 had a winning record. All 3 of the new CUSA guys each went 3-9.
To top it all off - we ended up with the #1 hardest schedule in CUSA according to the sports reference SOS rankings.
I'm not sure I agree with those saying that Mason made a mistake in trying to build positivity. We all should have known (if we're being honest) that this wasn't going to be a 6 month turnaround. It's all made doubly difficult by the portal and every player being a free agent every year. You can't really walk in the door and say "everyone and everything sucks and it's going to be a while". You can't replace all 85 guys in a year, and you can't alienate all the support staff and such and you still have to convince portal guys to join up ("we're going to suck" isn't going to play well in those phone calls).
Deion tried that - everyone remember the "I'm bringing Louis with me" nonsense - and he went 4-8 (1-8 in conference) his first year with a generational talent in Hunter and possibly a 1/1 QB in Sanders.
We need to see enough progress next year to have a realistic idea that we're going to contend for a title in years 3 and 4.
How did we stack up against "weaker" competition ? NMSU and FIU too tough ?
Maybe we need to schedule some high school teams
All fair points…
Personally, I’d rather you show straight and say “it’s gonna take 2-3 years for me to get the guys to run my system. We’re gonna build it, but we’re gonna do it right. And that takes time.”
if I were a recruit, I’d rather you say “let’s build something great together. It’s gonna be hard. Maybe a little rough on the front end, but it’ll be worth it.”
Feel like the talk of trying to blend things ended up trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.
Yeah, I suppose my natural patience, optimism, and hoping for the best made me wrong on a message board.
Maybe I do need to start with the daily temper tantrums about things I absolutely cannot control.
And thankfully the lesson was learned on that with no auto extensions for 6 wins for CDM. As of right now anyway....
It's why you create an incentive laden contract. No one would complain if Ryan Silverfield chooses to stay at Memphis. He does get extended a year but only for 9 wins or 2yrs for a champ game appearance (but that can only happen once during the contract)
Bonus structure:
8 wins $75k
9 wins $25k
10 wins $25k
11 wins $25k
Bowl win $25k
Bowl over P4 $50k
When I said it's ok for a G5 coach to stay when doing well...6 wins isn't doing well. 20 wins in 2yrs and being ranked is.
It's all about what the administration considers good. For years ours put forth that a bowl is good enough. With the new CFP, zero excuses for that to stay the case. If we went undefeated with a win over even a lower end P4 we would 100% be in the conversation for the CFP. That wasn't an opportunity before this year. I truly hope McP has learned 6 wins isn't good enough. I hope CDM is the answer. But if he isn't, I don't hold much faith in McP (and by result CM, when it should be all CM) to hold him accountable and move on.
WVU is paying $9m to fire a 6yr coach who was 2 games above .500, 2 winning seasons, a losing FBS record, losing P4 record, losing conference record, and never ranked.
If CDM is here after 6yrs with that same type of resume, will CM make the same call?
Mack is bringing a UT assistant (QB coach) over to run the offense. Kennesaw is about to be a beast. We were so stupid to pass on him. So stupid.
Mason gets 2 years to “build” his system and culture, that’s all. With the way rosters turn over and the transfer portal, that’s the new landscape.
Bowl next year or he’s on the hot seat and it’s been a failure.
Bowl next year or he’s on the hot seat and it’s been a failure.
I think this is fair. We are likely looking at 35-40 new players this season which means he has mostly flipped the roster in his two classes. Needs some improvement next year or that seat is going to be uncomfortable.
Anyone think that Vattiato will portal out? Could that be why Gagliano went in near the end of the final game?
I wouldn’t be shocked. I haven’t heard anything one way or the other but I honestly don’t think it would be the end of the world.
Nick has moments where he is really good and times where he has protection and doesn’t go through his progressions and just checks it down.
Look at nearly every game when he is running a 2 min offense. Just about every play is a check down. A qb has to be willing to take some risk when the game is on the line. It isn’t like we were trying to protect the lead.
He was a bright spot for us, but in the 8 games or so I watched, I don't know if I'd put anyone on this roster as totally irreplaceable.
To borrow a baseball term - we have a lot of 0.0 WAR players on this team.
We honestly don't know what any QB could do for Bodie and his "run first" system. Nick has great passing numbers but kid is still running for his life every play. He's never even been given time to go through progressions to show if he can. Almost has no choice but to always use checkdown.
No need for that. How about be objective, trust your eyes, and don't give people the benefit of the doubt who have not earned it.
Mason has not earned any benefits lately. Flamed out at his last 3 stops, couldn't tell you the last time he led a respectable team. Not getting any slack from me he hasn't earned it.
I watched plenty of times where Nick had time and looked flustered and caused issues. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t think the line was as bad as we’ve seen in previous seasons. There were some bad plays/games for the OL but my point is Nick also contributed to the issues with “not having time” a decent amount imo.
Not disagreeing at all, just honestly asking. So you think the lack of a run game (we were 129th in the country with 89yds/game) is a result of the OL? RBs? Play calling?
If you will go back and read my comments the moment he was hired this is the very first thing I pointed out. And have done so multiple times. This is especially true outside the power 5 levels because it's very difficult to recruit, develop, and retain elite level d-linemen that afford you with the ability to stretch a game out and play different styles like wkcc airing it out and Jax St pretty much running it on every down. It's very difficult to play all the different styles and expect to keep those teams under 20 points. This is even more true now that the clock doesn't stop on out of bounds plays, because there are less possessions if you're offense is grinding it out. We had 11 possessions last week. If you go back to before the clock rule change we had 17 possessions against FIU in the 2019 game.
That was one of my concerns too, but remained hopeful that he'd bring in someone with a little more of a dynamic offense. I just was not impressed with Reeders offense at UNI, but I'm not familiar with personnel there. I thought it could be more personnel than plays. Not having the Jimmys and Joes to run your scheme can affect performance / explosive plays on perimeter. But the data points on Reeder's offense are too consistent
2019 (UNT) : 30.6 ppg (5 ppg less than 2018 UNT & Reeder was let go).
2020 (Utah State) : 15.5 ppg (~14 ppg less than 2019)
2024 (MTSU) : 18.1 ppg (6 ppg less than 2023)
Re: personnel and offensive performance :
As much as I like the Jerry Mack hire at KSU & would love to see the veer and shoot at MT (that offense would be explosive on the G5 level), it's going to be interesting to see how quickly he can transition from the triple option to the veer and shoot. It will take time for him to get the players to run that scheme at full capacity (although I imagine he'll pursue several UT guys in portal to make the transition faster).
I feel like our OL did decent in pass protection. They were not good in run blocking (which has been an issue since I became a fan). They really struggled to get off the ball and get any push. To specifically answer your question, I think the run game mostly lies on the players, but they weren’t terrible in pass protection imo. I think S&C plays a major factor in run blocking.
I don't want to be objective, I want to be a fan. I want to give people the benefit of the doubt. As long as the effort is there, I'll keep supporting our guys - coaches, staff, admins. I couldn't detect any lack of effort on the field even when it got tough this year. I think the recruiting efforts look good (they seem to be far better than our last staff).
It's just entertainment - win or lose, not one more dime is in my bank account nor one more chicken nugget on my dinner plate. The moment this becomes miserable, i'll find something else to do.
Let's be honest here - we are a fan of a lower resourced G5 program with little to nothing to offer the larger college football world. Destiny is not kind to programs in our shoes. This isn't a knock on MT - we didn't make many good decisions in the last 20 years, but many program who did are just as up the creek as we are. It's simply a realization that the college athletics world has changed - it's simply money now. And we don't have it.
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