Jim McElwain is adding a veteran defensive presence to his staff in Mount Pleasant.
Sources tell FootballScoop that Tom Mason has joined Jim McElwain's staff and will coach the Chippewa linebackers.
Mason, who is 65 years old, is a well traveled defensive coach with stops coordinating defenses at Boise State, Nevada, SMU, Hawaii and UTEP.
Most recently, Mason had coached in the Alliance of American Football with the Memphis Express (2019) and in the XFL with the Houston Roughnecks (2020). Both leagues have since folded, with the XFL set to re-launch next year.
At two different points in his career, Mason has stepped in as the interim head coach for ten games. The first time came in 1996 when he stepped in for Pokey Allen, who took a leave of absence at Boise State, and the second time was for June Jones when he resigned at SMU in 2014.
Both times Mason went 1-9 as the interim head coach.
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