Hutson Taylor Mason (born September 20, 1991) is a former
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 ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
and was the
Bulldogs
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.[Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...]
in 2015.
Mason currently works as a
broadcaster for
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
and a
sports radio
Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on-ai ...
host for
WCNN
WCNN (680 kHz) is an AM radio station licensed to North Atlanta and serving the Atlanta-area radio market. It is owned by Dickey Broadcasting and airs a sports radio format. The station is commonly known by the on-air branding as "The Fan". Loc ...
in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. He is also a contributor to ''
The Federalist
''The Federalist Papers'' is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. The co ...
'', writing about sports and politics.
Early years
Mason attended
Lassiter High School
Lassiter High School is a public high school located north of Atlanta in Marietta, Georgia, United States, in the Cobb County School District. The school was founded in 1981. The school colors are gold and maroon, and the school mascot is the Face ...
in
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...
. As a senior, he threw for a Georgia high school record 4,560 yards and 54
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
and was the state's
Gatorade Football Player of the Year
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' a ...
. In his two years as starter he threw for 8,265 yards and 85 touchdowns.
College career
As a true freshman at the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
in 2010, Mason played in four games as a backup quarterback to
Aaron Murray. He passed for 102 yards and had one touchdown. As a sophomore in 2011, he again was the backup to Murray, passing for 254 yards and two touchdowns. In 2012, he
redshirted
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
so that he could have another year of eligibility. Mason returned in 2013 as the backup to Murray. After Murray
tore his ACL, Mason took over as Georgia's starting quarterback and made his first career start against
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
. He finished the game 22 of 36 for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Mason also started the
2014 Gator Bowl, passing for 320 yards with one touchdown. Overall, he appeared in five games, going 67 of 110 for 968 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. In 2014, he took over as Georgia's starting quarterback after Murray graduated. He started all 13 games, completing 188 of 277 for 2,167 yards, 21 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Professional career
Washington Redskins
Mason signed with the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
on May 18, 2015. He was released on June 9, 2015.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Mason was signed by the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...
on September 9, 2015. He was released by the Roughriders on October 20, 2015.
Mason participated in
The Spring League
The Spring League was an American football developmental league and scouting event (pro showcase) that played from 2017 to 2021 and was founded by Brian Woods. Aimed at professional athletes but not paying a salary or expenses, the league's go ...
in 2017.
Post-playing career
Since 2017, Mason has provided
color commentary
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and the ...
for college football games on
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
networks.
In 2018, Mason began a career in
sports radio
Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on-ai ...
, co-hosting ''Tug and Hut'' with Tug Cowart on
WFOM
WFOM (1230 AM, "Xtra 106.3") is an Atlanta-area radio station broadcasting on a frequency of 1230 kHz. The radio station is licensed to the city of Marietta, Georgia. WFOM, along with WCNN and WIFN, are owned by Dickey Broadcasting. The broad ...
in Atlanta. In September 2020, Mason began co-hosting ''Buck and Hut'' on WFOM's parent station
WCNN
WCNN (680 kHz) is an AM radio station licensed to North Atlanta and serving the Atlanta-area radio market. It is owned by Dickey Broadcasting and airs a sports radio format. The station is commonly known by the on-air branding as "The Fan". Loc ...
, pairing him with fellow former
Georgia Bulldogs quarterback
Buck Belue
Benjamin Franklin "Buck" Belue played American football and baseball at the University of Georgia from 1978 to 1981. He was the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, when the team went 12–0, and, after beating Notre Dame in the Sugar ...
. Mason replaced longtime WCNN host
John Kincade, who was laid off due to budget cuts in the wake of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Mason also hosts a weekly college football preview show called ''Game Day With Hutson Mason'' on the
SportsMap
SportsMap is a sports radio network that is distributed by Gow Media.
The SportsMap Radio Network supplies its network affiliates with a 24-hour schedule of sports programming, including call-in shows and sports updates. Over its history, through ...
Radio Network, which airs nationally on Saturday mornings during college football season.
In July 2021, he became one of five hosts of ''The Locker Room'' on
WCNN
WCNN (680 kHz) is an AM radio station licensed to North Atlanta and serving the Atlanta-area radio market. It is owned by Dickey Broadcasting and airs a sports radio format. The station is commonly known by the on-air branding as "The Fan". Loc ...
alongside
Brian Finneran
Brian Joseph Finneran (born January 31, 1976) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1998 and also played for the Barcelona Dragons, Phila ...
,
Joe Hamilton, John Michaels and Brandon Leak.
In 2020, Mason began working as a contributor to the conservative political commentary blog ''
The Federalist
''The Federalist Papers'' is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. The co ...
''.
In August 2022, Mason won the Long Drive Competition at the John Smoltz Golf Classic.
References
External links
Georgia Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Hutson
1991 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Marietta, Georgia
Players of American football from Marietta, Georgia
American football quarterbacks
Canadian football quarterbacks
American players of Canadian football
Georgia Bulldogs football players
Washington Redskins players
Saskatchewan Roughriders players
The Spring League players
College football announcers