Derek Mason has long been considered one of college football’s top defensive minds. When he was let go as Vanderbilt’s head coach, it was no surprise to see he had multiple teams reach out to see if he would be interested in a defensive coordinator position.

During an appearance Tuesday on ESPN 102.5 The Game in Nashville, Mason shared that one of the reasons he landed on The Plains is that he liked what he has seen of Bryan Harsin’s coaching from a distance.

“We always respected one another’s abilities and skills, whether it’s offense or defense,” Mason said of his previous familiarity with Harsin. “And having the chance to meet with him, he got my attention with what he’s talking about, what he wants it to look like at Auburn. When I talked to some other coaches in this league, some coaches outside this league, I had a fair amount of opportunities. But Auburn caught my attention.”

Mason acknowledged that he may one day take another head coaching job, but he’s presently focused on his job as Auburn defensive coordinator.

“What I’m going to do, moving forward, I’m serving Coach Harsin and the Auburn Tiger program,” Mason said. “And someday, hopefully, I’ll get a chance to be a head coach, but right now I’m the defensive coordinator, I’m a general, and I’m going to do the best job I can to make sure I move this program forward.”

We’ll see if Mason has the kind of success at Auburn that will get him back to being a head coach.

[H/T  Nathan King of 247Sports]