Derek Mason has never coached a team that beat Tennessee.
But that doesn’t mean he is any less proud of Vanderbilt’s win over the Vols last November.
My new favorite pic with me and @CoachDerekMason @VandyFootball. pic.twitter.com/s02tSTauFH
— Nate Bargatze (@natebargatze) August 2, 2014
Mason posed in front of this photo, commemorating Vandy’s win against Tennessee last year, with comedian Nate Bargatze.
The only problem with the photo is that Mason had absolutely nothing to do with that win.
But he is certainly proud of it.
Mason just took over at Vandy this past winter, after James Franklin bolted for Penn State.
To be fair, Butch Jones has embraced Tennessee’s history as well as anyone. But I’m pretty confident he’s never posed in front of a photo commemorating a UT win against Vandy or even Florida or any other school.
Mason, as with any new coach, needs to build his own identity at Vanderbilt. Posing beside that picture is not a good look for him.
To be honest, it’s not a good look for the school either.
The old adage “act like you’ve been there before”, applies to this situation.
If Vanderbilt wants to change their culture and get rid of the “little brother” complex, they need to stop celebrating regular season wins as if they were national championships.
That should be true of any team in the SEC, from Kentucky to Alabama.
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