Mike Gundy on Derek Mason: ‘His Intelligence is Off the Charts’
The 2022 Oklahoma State Cowboys are tasked with following up the best defensive season in school history, and they must do so without the coordinator that put it all together as Jim Knowles is now in Columbus, Ohio.
With Knowles gone and a host of key players such as Malcolm Rodriguez gone, it appears that the Pokes may have a tall task at hand, but don’t be so quick to write off this unit.
OSU head coach Mike Gundy has been around the block a time or 18, so when he says that new defensive coordinator Derek Mason’s intelligence is “off the charts,” it means something.
In an interview with ESPN’s Chris Low, Gundy bragged about his new defensive coordinator and the level of intelligence he brings to the table.
“His intelligence is off the charts,” Gundy said. “We’re going to do some things differently defensively, but our players don’t have to learn a new language. Derek is magnetic. That’s key in today’s game.”
The former Auburn defensive coordinator certainly has the pedigree to be the next great DC at Oklahoma State, as he led the Tigers defense to allow just 21.8 points per game last season in a brutal SEC West. His unit’s PPG ranked fifth in the SEC, behind Georgia, Texas A&M, Alabama, and Kentucky.
With an established system and terminology, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that his unit it Stillwater could be just as good in 2022.
