Hawaii is set to hire former SMU defensive coordinator Tom Mason and current Idaho State offensive coordinator Don Bailey, FootballScoop learned Saturday. An announcement could come as soon as Monday.
Mason spent seven seasons coordinating SMU's defenses, helping the Ponies win two Conference USA West Division championships and reach bowl games from 2009-12, the program's first postseason appearances in two decades. He also served as the Mustangs' interim head coach following June Jones' early season departure. Mason owns coordinator experience at Nevada, Northern Iowa, Boise State and Portland State, as well as stints coaching with the Canadian Football League, XFL and NFL Europe.
Bailey arrives from Idaho State, where he led the Bengals to a massive improvement from 2013 to 2014, rebounding from a 3-9 campaign to rank among the FCS top 10 in total offense, scoring offense and passing offense while posting a 8-4 mark. He was named FootballScoop's 2014 FCS Coordinator of the Year for his efforts. Like Mason, Bailey has previously coached at Boise State and Portland State, as well as Cal Poly, Montana State, South Dakota State, Cheyney (Pa.) University and Shepherd (W. Va.) College.
Mason will replace Kevin Clune, who departed late last month for the defensive coordinator position at Utah State. Head coach Norm Chow served as the Rainbow Warriors' offensive coordinator for each of the past two seasons. Hawaii ranked 111th nationally in scoring offense and 64th in scoring defense en route to a 4-9 season in 2014.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.