SEC Hot Seat Monitor: Vanderbilt's Derek Mason

The Vanderbilt Commodores suffered through a miserable 2014 season. Vandy finished 3-9 and was only able to beat UMass, Charleston Southern and Old Dominion during Derek Mason’s first campaign in Nashville.

Vanderbilt lost all eight of its SEC games, seven of which were by double digits. For a program that had enjoyed a measure of success over the three previous seasons, it was definitely a step back.

As the 2015 season approaches, Mason finds himself on a fairly hot seat in Nashville. James Franklin set a high standard for the Vanderbilt program, but all of that momentum disappeared last season. Now, Mason must re-establish Vanderbilt as a bowl contender in 2015.

Mason has made some changes that he hopes will make a difference in 2015. He hired a new offensive coordinator and has taken the defensive coordinator job upon himself. These changes could prove to be significant, but they don’t seem like enough.

To make matters worse, Vanderbilt had the lowest rated recruiting class in the SEC, according to ESPN. Mason is hoping to find some contributors in his 2015 class, but that remains to be seen.

The Vanderbilt administration and fans liked the direction in which Franklin had taken the program during his time in Nashville. There was excitement and, most importantly, there was more winning than Vanderbilt is accustomed to having. Now, they have taken a big step back under Mason, and he needs to show improvement in 2015.

Another 3-9 season could find Mason on an even hotter seat at the end of next season. He needs to show that his philosophy and ideals for a program can succeed. It doesn’t look good for Mason in 2015, but, as Franklin proved, Vanderbilt can produce a winning program.

Hot Seat Monitor: 7 out of 10

Tim Letcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.