AUBURN — Auburn football’s Derek Mason is leaving his position as defensive coordinator, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to the Montgomery Advertiser.
In Mason’s only season at Auburn, the Tigers (6-7) allowed 21.77 points per game. They ranked No. 22 in the country and No. 3 in the SEC in rushing defense with 3.55 yards allowed per carry. Opponents averaged 7.1 yards per pass attempt and 245.8 per game.
Mason joined Bryan Harsin’s first-year staff after being fired by Vanderbilt, where he was the head coach from 2014-20. Previously, he spent four years as a defensive assistant at Stanford and three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
Auburn will promote assistant coach Jeff Schmedding to fill the defensive coordinator role, a source told the Advertiser.
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Mason is the fourth assistant coach from Harsin’s first season no longer on staff. Four games into the season, Harsin fired receivers coach Cornelius Williams. Two days after the end of the regular season, he fired offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, later replacing him with Seattle Seahawks coach Austin Davis. And defensive line coach Nick Eason left to join the coaching staff at Clemson, his alma mater, in January.
Auburn reportedly plans to hire former Tennessee defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh to fill the vacancy left by Eason.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football defensive coordinator Derek Mason leaving Tigers