Brian Mason is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

coach and former player who is the

special teams coordinator In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was previously the special teams coordinator at University of Notre Dame in 2022 where he had one of the best special teams unit in the country. The year before he was

The University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

special teams coordinator. Prior to that, Mason was the Director of Recruiting at

for the 2017 season. Mason was a

Graduate Assistant A graduate assistant serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The assistant typically helps professors with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants or with academic research respons ...

from 2009-2016 with stops at Bluffton (Graduate defensive line coach, 2009–11),

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in Ash ...

(2012),

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

(2013–14), and

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

(2015-2016). He played running back at Denison for two years before an injury forced him to transition from player to coach. He was a student assistant

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

coach at Denison for the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

Coaching career

Early coaching career

From 2007 to 2008, Mason was a student assistant running backs coach at

Denison University Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...

. Mason coached at

Bluffton University Bluffton University is a private Mennonite university in Bluffton, Ohio. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, with four programs that have earned programmatic accreditation: dietetics, education, music, and social work. The unive ...

from 2009 until 2011, serving as a graduate assistant defensive line coach. From Bluffton, Mason moved to

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in As ...

as a defensive graduate assistant on

Darrell Hazell Darrell Ivan Hazell (born April 14, 1964) is a former American football college and National Football League (NFL) coach. Hazell has been a head coach twice, with Kent State from 2011 to 2012, and Purdue from 2013 to 2016. A native of Cinnamin ...

’s staff for the 2012 season, and followed Hazell to

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

for the

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

seasons.

Ohio State

Mason joined the staff at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

and was a graduate assistant for two years.

Cincinnati

In January

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, he was named the Director of Recruiting for the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

, and then in January

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, he was promoted to Special Teams Coordinator. Mason helped lead the Bearcats to an appearance in the 2021

College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level ...

Notre Dame

In January 2022, it was reported he would become the Special Teams Coordinator at the University of Notre Dame. The move re-united Mason with

Marcus Freeman Marcus Freeman (born January 10, 1986) is an American football coach and former linebacker who is currently the head coach at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football, University of Notre Dame. He previously served as the defensive coordinator and ...

, whom he previously worked with at both Ohio State and Cincinnati.

Personal life

Mason is a native of

Zionsville, Indiana Zionsville is a suburban town located in the extreme southeast area of Boone County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. The population was 14,160 at the 2010 census, 30,693 at the 2020 census, and grew to 33,891 in the 2022 esti ...

and holds a bachelor's degree in economics, and master's degrees in education (Bluffton, 2012), recreation and sports management (Purdue, 2014), and kinesiology, sport management (Ohio State, 2016).

References

External links

Indianapolis Colts profile

Notre Dame profile

Cincinnati profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Brian Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American football running backs Bluffton Beavers football coaches Denison Big Red football coaches Denison Big Red football players Cincinnati Bearcats football coaches Indianapolis Colts coaches Kent State Golden Flashes football coaches Ohio State Buckeyes football coaches Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coaches Purdue Boilermakers football coaches Bluffton University alumni Ohio State University alumni Purdue University alumni People from Zionsville, Indiana Coaches of American football from Indiana Players of American football from Indiana