Last week, Boise State offensive coordinator Mike Sanford reportedly turned down the same position at Vanderbilt despite his past ties to head coach Derek Mason. The two served as assistants on David Shaw’s staff at Stanford before accepting their current jobs prior to the 2014 season.

Sanford reported offer was projected to double his salary, a source told the Idaho Press-Tribune. The decision is the latest factor in what has been a nightmare first season for Mason at Vanderbilt. The coach went 3-9 (0-8 SEC) before firing four assistants this offseason.

Vanderbilt’s woes look to continue in its search for replacement assistants. While other SEC programs have seen success in hiring coordinators (Auburn), the Commodores struggles continue off the field after being spurned by Sanford despite a pay raise and the prestige of the SEC.

Which raises the question: Is Vanderbilt an undesirable destination? It seems that way given the program’s current state and inability to lure away a young coach with ties to Mason.

Granted, Sanford is an alumnus of Boise State and played quarterback from 2000-04, but college football is a business and green money should outweigh blue turf.

Vanderbilt’s best chance is to hire a young offensive position coach that has shown promise at a winning program. At this point, it seems the next potential coordinator will be a “dead man walking” given Karl Dorrell’s dismissal after one season.

The Commodores can groom a young candidate into a top-tier offensive coordinator if they can bring in the right prospects. But, like the coaching search, that seems like a difficult task given their current No. 52 overall class for 2015.

It’s going to be difficult for Vanderbilt to find a candidate willing to accept its assistant coaching positions given the program’s current state. Mason faces a tough task attempting to convince coordinators to join a staff that shows little job security and is expected to have even less success in 2015.