Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
"What we want to be moving forward” - Takeaways from Derek Mason’s first National Signing Day at the helm of the Blue Raiders
12/22/2023 10:46:00 AM | Football
The first signing class in Mason’s tenure set the tone for where he wants the program to go in the years ahead, Mason said.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Blue Collar. Physical. Explosive. Gifted. Derek Mason hit on all the signing day cliches on Wednesday when announcing the early signing period class of 2024 for the Blue Raiders.
Every program in the country should feel confident about where they're headed on National Signing Day. But given the short turnaround for Mason, who took over as head coach just two weeks prior to Wednesday's announcement of the 25 student-athletes that have signed to play football at MTSU in 2024, the level of excitement Mason had about this class was something to note.
"This class really embodies what we want to be moving forward," Mason said in his opening statement during Wednesday's press conference. "As you look at our roster as it is right now, being able to come in with (25) guys today put us much closer to where we want to be as we take our current roster and blend it with some guys who are extremely talented, as well, to push this program forward."
Here's three central themes that Mason hit on in his availability with the press following signing day on Wednesday.
'Dominant traits' pop off the page for Fall Signing Class that set the standard
Flipping through the list of new recruits, it doesn't take long to realize this class is a bit bigger than those signed in December in the past. Not just the number of signees, which dwarfs the past few December signing periods, but in the size of the players on the field.
Just two recruits check in at shorter than six-feet tall with their listed height. Over half (13) are at least 6-foot-3. Three of the five offensive linemen that were signed (Shamar Crawford, Alex Gale and Ellis Adams) weigh in at over 300 pounds. That sort of height, length and physicality was a point of emphasis for getting this class together, Mason said, along with the athleticism, speed and explosiveness that shows up on tape, but not so much on a page.
Pair that focus on "dominant traits" that show up on the field with the recruiting areas of focus and it's not hard to see why Mason was pleased with the progress made. MTSU signed six players from the state of Tennessee and another couple with further midstate ties, like Toccoa, Ga. wide receiver Gamarion Carter, who joins the Blue Raiders from Vanderbilt. Just as important as getting midstate players like 4A State Champion Pearl-Cohn's Jason Overton and Zeion Simpson-Smith to stay home, however, was continuing to find talent throughout the rest of the southeast, with the Blue Raiders signing multiple players from Georgia, Florida and Alabama, areas that have traditionally been fertile recruiting pipelines for MTSU.
"As we put together this group, I feel strongly about what our coaches did," Mason said. "This December signing group really reflects where our needs are. We're not done yet, but it really reflects where we needed to go."
In a coaching transition, roster management was paramount
Signing day was also a reminder of just how much MTSU's roster will have changed when the Blue Raiders take the field against Tennessee Tech for the season opener next fall, with multiple former starters (Quindarius Dunnigan, Sam Brumfield and Elijah Metcalf, to name a few) and several team captains (Keylan Rutledge, Marley Cook and Zaylin Wood) all announcing their future programs after entering the transfer portal following the conclusion of the season.
Managing that roster transition is a part of every recruiting cycle, of course, but making sure you have enough depth at each position, as well as enough depth from year-to-year with regards to class year for student athletes, can be especially tricky in a coaching transition. Mason said his staff did a great job of identifying who and what they needed at each position.
"For the schemes that we want to play and the things that we want to do, how do guys on our current roster fit and where are our gaps?" Mason said. "I thought in addressing that, we became pointed and very calculated about where we wanted to go, who we wanted to recruit, old, young, portal."
The high school recruits all fit areas where MTSU needed to build depth behind returning talent, particularly on the offensive line and in the secondary. Mason explicitly called out the quarterback room, where he said that the two new additions, Opelika High School's Roman Gagliano and former Lipscomb Academy QB Luther Richesson, who comes to MTSU from Golden West Junior College, will add depth behind one of the top returning quarterbacks in CUSA, Nicholas Vattiato.
Looking at the "older" players Mason signed, it's clear where he and the staff felt some immediate needs were. After the offense lost three of its four starting receivers, Auburn transfer Omari Kelly and the previously mentioned former Commodore Gamarion Carter will likely compete for playing time early on the outside. Defensive backs James Monds III (Indiana) and Brendon Harris (Wake Forest via Vanderbilt) will play a role in replacing the production of the graduating duo of Teldrick Ross and Tra Fluellen in the secondary. Brian Brewton, a late addition from UConn, has a good chance to be a weapon on both offense and special teams as a speedster out of the backfield than can split out wide and return kicks, like Zack Dobson did this year.
Big December Class will allow for more targeted work for February Signing Period
Such roster turnover, however, also meant that not every pressing need could be addressed in December. But the large class signed will allow Mason and his staff to be very deliberate in who they target heading into February, Mason said, projecting his staff had "10ish" scholarships to work with for the later signing period, with an emphasis on finding more older players, particularly on the defensive line and at offensive tackle, where MTSU will have to replace six starters between those two spots in 2024.
"As we're talking about older players or maybe even some junior college players, we want to do our homework and make sure that they fit who we are," Mason said. "When you take older players, you want to know culturally do they fit? What's the injury history?"
Mason praised the work of the MTSU training staff in evaluating many of the recruits during the December recruiting blitz, helping allay any injury concerns ahead of the signing period. Mason said the work on many of the recruits the team is targeting for February started later than the group signed this week.
"There's some young men that we have been evaluating and that we've started relationships with now," Mason said. "The relationships were started as we were building this class and now what we have to do is finish those relationship places."
Expect players that can play immediately in the trenches to be at least a few of those February signees. New offensive line coach Kendall Simmons, for instance, spent his first week on the job at the Junior College National Championship, scouting potential Blue Raiders. Mason said that the large class in December, however, means that he and his staff can afford to be picky in the final stretch of recruiting for February.
"We'll be looking at some early visits in January to address some needs, but that's not a lot of players," Mason said. "And I think that's the great spot that we're in right now, because we don't want to get poached on the backend of recruiting and find ourselves dipping below the line to take somebody who doesn't fit what we do or really can't play at this level."
Every program in the country should feel confident about where they're headed on National Signing Day. But given the short turnaround for Mason, who took over as head coach just two weeks prior to Wednesday's announcement of the 25 student-athletes that have signed to play football at MTSU in 2024, the level of excitement Mason had about this class was something to note.
"This class really embodies what we want to be moving forward," Mason said in his opening statement during Wednesday's press conference. "As you look at our roster as it is right now, being able to come in with (25) guys today put us much closer to where we want to be as we take our current roster and blend it with some guys who are extremely talented, as well, to push this program forward."
Here's three central themes that Mason hit on in his availability with the press following signing day on Wednesday.
'Dominant traits' pop off the page for Fall Signing Class that set the standard
Flipping through the list of new recruits, it doesn't take long to realize this class is a bit bigger than those signed in December in the past. Not just the number of signees, which dwarfs the past few December signing periods, but in the size of the players on the field.
Just two recruits check in at shorter than six-feet tall with their listed height. Over half (13) are at least 6-foot-3. Three of the five offensive linemen that were signed (Shamar Crawford, Alex Gale and Ellis Adams) weigh in at over 300 pounds. That sort of height, length and physicality was a point of emphasis for getting this class together, Mason said, along with the athleticism, speed and explosiveness that shows up on tape, but not so much on a page.
Pair that focus on "dominant traits" that show up on the field with the recruiting areas of focus and it's not hard to see why Mason was pleased with the progress made. MTSU signed six players from the state of Tennessee and another couple with further midstate ties, like Toccoa, Ga. wide receiver Gamarion Carter, who joins the Blue Raiders from Vanderbilt. Just as important as getting midstate players like 4A State Champion Pearl-Cohn's Jason Overton and Zeion Simpson-Smith to stay home, however, was continuing to find talent throughout the rest of the southeast, with the Blue Raiders signing multiple players from Georgia, Florida and Alabama, areas that have traditionally been fertile recruiting pipelines for MTSU.
"As we put together this group, I feel strongly about what our coaches did," Mason said. "This December signing group really reflects where our needs are. We're not done yet, but it really reflects where we needed to go."
In a coaching transition, roster management was paramount
Signing day was also a reminder of just how much MTSU's roster will have changed when the Blue Raiders take the field against Tennessee Tech for the season opener next fall, with multiple former starters (Quindarius Dunnigan, Sam Brumfield and Elijah Metcalf, to name a few) and several team captains (Keylan Rutledge, Marley Cook and Zaylin Wood) all announcing their future programs after entering the transfer portal following the conclusion of the season.
Managing that roster transition is a part of every recruiting cycle, of course, but making sure you have enough depth at each position, as well as enough depth from year-to-year with regards to class year for student athletes, can be especially tricky in a coaching transition. Mason said his staff did a great job of identifying who and what they needed at each position.
"For the schemes that we want to play and the things that we want to do, how do guys on our current roster fit and where are our gaps?" Mason said. "I thought in addressing that, we became pointed and very calculated about where we wanted to go, who we wanted to recruit, old, young, portal."
The high school recruits all fit areas where MTSU needed to build depth behind returning talent, particularly on the offensive line and in the secondary. Mason explicitly called out the quarterback room, where he said that the two new additions, Opelika High School's Roman Gagliano and former Lipscomb Academy QB Luther Richesson, who comes to MTSU from Golden West Junior College, will add depth behind one of the top returning quarterbacks in CUSA, Nicholas Vattiato.
Looking at the "older" players Mason signed, it's clear where he and the staff felt some immediate needs were. After the offense lost three of its four starting receivers, Auburn transfer Omari Kelly and the previously mentioned former Commodore Gamarion Carter will likely compete for playing time early on the outside. Defensive backs James Monds III (Indiana) and Brendon Harris (Wake Forest via Vanderbilt) will play a role in replacing the production of the graduating duo of Teldrick Ross and Tra Fluellen in the secondary. Brian Brewton, a late addition from UConn, has a good chance to be a weapon on both offense and special teams as a speedster out of the backfield than can split out wide and return kicks, like Zack Dobson did this year.
Big December Class will allow for more targeted work for February Signing Period
Such roster turnover, however, also meant that not every pressing need could be addressed in December. But the large class signed will allow Mason and his staff to be very deliberate in who they target heading into February, Mason said, projecting his staff had "10ish" scholarships to work with for the later signing period, with an emphasis on finding more older players, particularly on the defensive line and at offensive tackle, where MTSU will have to replace six starters between those two spots in 2024.
"As we're talking about older players or maybe even some junior college players, we want to do our homework and make sure that they fit who we are," Mason said. "When you take older players, you want to know culturally do they fit? What's the injury history?"
Mason praised the work of the MTSU training staff in evaluating many of the recruits during the December recruiting blitz, helping allay any injury concerns ahead of the signing period. Mason said the work on many of the recruits the team is targeting for February started later than the group signed this week.
"There's some young men that we have been evaluating and that we've started relationships with now," Mason said. "The relationships were started as we were building this class and now what we have to do is finish those relationship places."
Expect players that can play immediately in the trenches to be at least a few of those February signees. New offensive line coach Kendall Simmons, for instance, spent his first week on the job at the Junior College National Championship, scouting potential Blue Raiders. Mason said that the large class in December, however, means that he and his staff can afford to be picky in the final stretch of recruiting for February.
"We'll be looking at some early visits in January to address some needs, but that's not a lot of players," Mason said. "And I think that's the great spot that we're in right now, because we don't want to get poached on the backend of recruiting and find ourselves dipping below the line to take somebody who doesn't fit what we do or really can't play at this level."
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