Middle Tennessee: a football coaching history
See Middle Tennessee’s full 91-year Zeitgeist History →← all coaches
Stature and coaches, 1999–2026
The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.
DynastyBlue BloodPower ProgramNational ProgramRegional Program
Run↔pass identity, by season
Every coach
Big movers show how many stature points they built or lost against what they inherited; steadier tenures show the tier they reached instead. A small blue arrow marks a real System Shift at that changeover — how hard the offense’s run/pass identity flipped.
2024–now
Derek Mason Steady
Derek Mason slid Middle Tennessee from Regional Program III to Regional Program IV in 3 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
−5.0 pts over 3 seasons · bottom 36% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Brent Guy’s Utah State run (2005–2008)
3rd-best Middle Tennessee tenure of 3 by the numbers.
Followed Rick Stockstill (2006–2023).
System Shift, on arrival
| Season | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||
| Record | 3-9 | 3-9 | 4-4 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #119 | #98 | #119 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||
| Pass rate | 56.0 | 61.4 | 52.3 | |
| Coordinators | ||||
| OC | Bodie Reeder | Bodie Reeder | Anthony Scelfo | |
| DC | Brian Stewart | Brian Stewart | Brian Stewart | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||
| Offense | 31 | 53 | 25 | |
| Defense | 6 | 27 | 18 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||
| 1st-down pass% | 49.2 | 57.0 | 49.3 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 45.1 | 55.2 | 50.0 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 43.8 | 37.5 | 40.0 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on offense and underperforms his recruiting talent on defense.
Offense vs. talent
+2.6 pts
#100 of 208 · middle half
Defense vs. talent
-24.1 pts
#185 of 208 · bottom quarter
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Roster construction · portal era
A typical amount of portal roster-building.
Portal arrivals
44
2.9★ avg rating
Portal departures
79
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-35
#75 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in
Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.
A typical class-year mix of incoming transfers.
Avg. size (raw)
6′2″, 239 lbs
across 27 of 44 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+5.8 lbs
#74 of 255 · middle half
Avg. class year
Jr
#189 of 255 · middle half
Top states: FL (8), GA (5), TN (3), AL (3), OH (2)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
51.5
position-weighted
Talent lost
54.5
position-weighted
Net
-3.1
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Xavier Williams (QB) from UCF
Biggest loss: Luther Richesson (QB) to Central Arkansas
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: Bodie Reeder → Anthony Scelfo · 2026
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 57.0% → 49.3% (-7.7 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 32% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
DC: Brian Stewart → Brian Stewart · 2026
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
214 lbs
6′1″ avg · #329 of 767 · middle half
Running back
197 lbs
5′11″ avg · #696 of 791 · bottom quarter
Wide receiver
190 lbs
6′1″ avg · #530 of 791 · middle half
Tight end
231 lbs
6′3″ avg · #699 of 731 · bottom quarter
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
304 lbs
6′4″ avg · #572 of 779 · middle half
D-line
289 lbs
6′1″ avg · #283 of 753 · middle half
Linebacker
232 lbs
6′1″ avg · #207 of 772 · middle half
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Buys Cornerback via the portal
100%
#1 of 236 stints
Buys Interior line via the portal
64%
#38 of 224 stints
Grows Edge from high school
73%
#160 of 208 stints
Grows Quarterback from high school
80%
#178 of 206 stints
1 NFL Draft pick: Parker Hughes (2026)
1 player-season honored (All-America / national award): Keylan Rutledge (2025)
AI Narratives — “Middle Tennessee — stat check”.
−5.0
10-22
2006–2023
Rick Stockstill Steady
Rick Stockstill held Middle Tennessee at Regional Program III for 18 seasons.
2011 offense ranked in the 4th percentile nationally — historically bad
−4.9 pts over 18 seasons · bottom 10% of 10+-season tenures (202 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Kalani Sitake’s BYU run (2016–now)
2nd-best Middle Tennessee tenure of 3 by the numbers.
Followed Andy McCollum (1999–2005) · succeeded by Derek Mason (2024–now).
System Shift, on arrival
System Shift, on departure
| Season | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||||||||||||||
| Record | 7-6 | 5-7 | 5-7 | 10-3 | 6-7 | 2-10 | 8-4 | 8-5 | 6-6 | 7-6 | 8-5 | 7-6 | 8-6 | 4-8 | 3-6 | 7-6 | 8-5 | 4-8 | |
| Postseason | L bowl | — | — | W bowl | L bowl | — | — | L bowl | — | L bowl | L bowl | W bowl | L bowl | — | — | W bowl | W bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #111 | #93 | #63 | #82 | #114 | #99 | #119 | #87 | #85 | #86 | #96 | #91 | #104 | #85 | #90 | #122 | #118 | #119 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pass rate | 39.8 | 41.4 | 50.1 | 45.7 | 42.2 | 54.2 | 42.4 | 43.4 | 39.3 | 49.9 | 57.1 | 52.6 | 49.2 | 47.3 | 49.1 | 50.3 | 53.2 | 53.3 | |
| Coordinators | |||||||||||||||||||
| OC | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Buster Faulkner | Buster Faulkner | Tony Franklin | Tony Franklin | Tony Franklin | Tony Franklin | Tony Franklin | Brent Dearmon | Mitch Stewart | Mitch Stewart | |
| DC | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Tyrone Nix / Steve Ellis | Tyrone Nix / Steve Ellis | Tyrone Nix | Scott Shafer | Scott Shafer | Scott Shafer | Scott Shafer | Scott Shafer | Scott Shafer | Scott Shafer | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||||||||||||||
| Offense | 16 | 26 | 34 | 13 | 15 | 4 | 27 | 48 | 49 | 70 | 96 | 53 | 39 | 70 | 34 | 21 | 27 | 33 | |
| Defense | 21 | 43 | 59 | 86 | 64 | 29 | 8 | 21 | 27 | 74 | 16 | 85 | 60 | 33 | 27 | 78 | 77 | 74 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | 46.2 | 30.9 | 39.2 | 38.9 | 32.6 | 45.4 | 32.7 | 31.7 | 31.4 | 41.9 | 50.9 | 48.5 | 44.8 | 42.4 | 44.3 | 50.5 | 54.1 | 50.3 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 33.3 | 34.2 | 33.0 | 39.0 | 21.8 | 51.4 | 33.1 | 31.9 | 27.7 | 35.8 | 52.4 | 37.5 | 51.5 | 38.6 | 41.1 | 46.7 | 43.1 | 52.2 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 40.0 | 31.0 | 38.1 | 24.4 | 24.1 | 37.9 | 28.2 | 32.3 | 30.3 | 35.0 | 25.8 | 18.9 | 39.3 | 21.9 | 28.0 | 45.2 | 42.6 | 43.9 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Offense vs. talent
+5.1 pts
#87 of 208 · middle half
Defense vs. talent
+13.2 pts
#59 of 208 · middle half
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Roster construction · portal era
Barely touches the portal — recruits and develops his own.
Portal arrivals
25
3.0★ avg rating
Portal departures
36
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-11
#142 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in
Brings in smaller-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
Avg. size (raw)
6′1″, 222 lbs
across 20 of 25 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
-0.4 lbs
#236 of 255 · bottom quarter
Avg. class year
Jr
#35 of 255 · top quarter
Top states: FL (6), GA (4), TN (3), NC (2), MI (1)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
49.7
position-weighted
Talent lost
52.6
position-weighted
Net
-2.9
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Bailey Hockman (QB) from NC State
Biggest loss: Asher O'Hara (QB) to Sacramento State
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: Buster Faulkner → Tony Franklin · 2016The system held
2-season window either side.
1st-down pass rate: 36.7% → 49.7% (+13.1 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 78% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
OC: Tony Franklin → Brent Dearmon · 2021
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 44.3% → 50.5% (+6.1 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 58% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
OC: Brent Dearmon → Mitch Stewart · 2022
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 50.5% → 54.1% (+3.6 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 71% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
DC: Tyrone Nix (co) / Steve Ellis (co) → Tyrone Nix · 2016
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
DC: Tyrone Nix → Scott Shafer · 2017
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
202 lbs
6′0″ avg · #656 of 767 · bottom quarter
Running back
201 lbs
5′11″ avg · #600 of 791 · bottom quarter
Wide receiver
192 lbs
6′0″ avg · #435 of 791 · middle half
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
300 lbs
6′4″ avg · #683 of 779 · bottom quarter
D-line
275 lbs
6′2″ avg · #571 of 753 · bottom quarter
Linebacker
218 lbs
6′1″ avg · #742 of 772 · bottom quarter
Cornerback
193 lbs
6′1″ avg · #252 of 771 · middle half
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Kicker from high school
100%
#52 of 56 stints
Grows Tight end from high school
85%
#158 of 188 stints
Postseason detail2006: Lost to Central Michigan 14-31 Bowl2009: Beat Southern Miss 42-32 Bowl2010: Lost to Miami (OH) 21-35 GODADDY.com BOWL2013: Lost to Navy 6-24 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl2015: Lost to Western Michigan 31-45 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl2016: Lost to Hawai'i 35-52 Hawai'i Bowl2017: Beat Arkansas State 35-30 Raycom Media Camellia Bowl2018: Lost to App State 13-45 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl2021: Beat Toledo 31-24 Bahamas Bowl2022: Beat San Diego State 25-23 EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl
6 NFL Draft picks: Erik Walden (2008), Chris McCoy (2010), Roderick Issac (2011), Jimmy Staten (2014), Kevin Byard (2016), Richie James (2018)
−4.9
113-111
1999–2005
Andy McCollum Steady
Andy McCollum held the Blue Raiders at Regional Program I for 7 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
1st-best Middle Tennessee tenure of 3 by the numbers.
Succeeded by Rick Stockstill (2006–2023).
System Shift, on departure
| Season | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||||
| Record | 3-8 | 6-5 | 8-3 | 4-8 | 4-8 | 5-6 | 4-7 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | #71 | #86 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | 52.9 | 42.4 | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | 77 | 23 | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 77 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | 52.4 | 49.1 | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Grows Running back from high school
100%
#196 of 208 stints
2 NFL Draft picks: Kendall Newson (2002), Tyrone Calico (2003)
Regional Program I
34-45