After a week of searching the Vanderbilt Commodores have named Derek Mason the new head coach. Mason, 44, will make the move to music city from Stanford where he spent the last four years as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator.

Vanderbilt began the search for a new head coach last week as former head coach, James Franklin, left to take over at Penn State. According to espn Mason said, “I am so excited to be at Vanderbilt, this university combines the best of what's good about college athletics and academics. We expect to be competitive and look forward to competing for an SEC East crown."

Mason has spent his last 20 years coaching and has gained recognition at both the collegiate and professional levels as several NFL coaches flew to Stanford to watch his coaching tutorials.

Vanderbilt’s athletic director, David Williams, is optimistic about the new hire. According to yahoo Williams said, “We are so excited to be introducing him as our head football coach because we are confident he can build upon our successes on and off the field and that he will take us to the next level.”