TiJaun Mason is hoping to provide a pass rush for Rutgers this season
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- TiJaun Mason hasn’t played in a real football game since the fall of 2016. He’s itching to get back out on the gridiron.
Well, lucky for him, the Rutgers football JACK will join his teammates in less than 24 hours as the Scarlet Knights face Texas State at noon on Saturday at HighPoint.com Stadium in the 2018 season opener.
“I’m super excited. The main thing I’m worried about is knocking the butterflies out on the first play,” Mason told in an interview on Wednesday with TKR. “It’s been (a while). I don’t know the speed of the game, so I have to get adjusted to the speed of the game. Once I get used to it, everything is going to click like that.”
Mason spent last summer and the season getting over a shoulder injury which caused him to miss his entire freshman year. Even though his first year up in Piscataway didn’t exactly go as planned, he was able to watch and learn from the sidelines and in the film room.
“Last training camp, I was taught many lessons because I was hurt. I was looking at the game from an outside point of view,” Mason said. “Being hurt, it makes you a student of the game. It makes you study your position more, watch more film, and learn what you should and shouldn’t be doing.
“This year, I took those lessons and put it into this training camp. I was able to help my brothers out a lot. I was mainly focused on staying healthy. I just wanted to get to the season, improve as much as possible, make everyone proud. That’s my mindset now. I just want to help the team win.”
This August, Mason continually flashed from his hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker position on the edge of the defensive line. Just like in high school at Trezevant High in Memphis, TN., Mason stood up ready to pounce.
“In high school, I was used to staying up and at the JACK I stand up a lot. It’s helped me build some moves and I’ve gained some weight and have gotten bigger, faster, and stronger. I feel like it’s a perfect fit for me. It’s why I chose this school,” Mason said. “They understood my vision and I understood (head) coach (Chris) Ash’s vision. (Me and Elorm Lumor) always stay after practice and work on things. I get a little extra film work in too and that’s where coach Ash, coach (Toby) Nienas, and coach (Corey) Brown come in. Most of the time I don’t focus on what I’m doing right, I’m focused on what I’m doing wrong because I expect every play to be right. In my mind, if I do my job, it’ll be smooth.”
At Rutgers football media day a few weeks ago, Nienas told TKR that at that point, Mason was leading the team in sacks. Rutgers has lacked the ability to get to the quarterback in recent years, so the hope is that the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder can be reliable force when it comes to rushing the passer.
A three-star recruit, Mason helped his Trezevant Bears to six wins and an appearance in the Tennessee 2A State final in 2016 and completed his senior season with 19 tackles and four sacks, earning First Team Class 2A All-State honors by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association, was the Region 7 2A Defensive Player of the Year as voted by the coaches, and a Second Team All-State pick by USA Today. As a junior, Mason helped Trezevant win the 2015 Class 2A state title. He had two sacks in the championship game and was selected to AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game. He ended his junior season with 35 tackles and five sacks in 11 games.
“Yeah, I work on pass rush a lot. Coach Nienas and everybody came up to me saying they were excited for what I was doing in training camp,” Mason said. “I didn’t play last year so I had to get on the stat sheet somewhere this time. I got the most turnovers and about 11 or 12 sacks. I never let that get to my head though. It doesn’t mean anything until the season comes. I was humble about it. I want to go against Ohio State and teams like that so I can see what I can do. Anybody can practice and do well against their own teammates. I want to see what I can do against other teams now.”
One of the big assets for Mason besides the coaches and his teammates is former Scarlet Knight and current Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kemoko Turay. Mason and Turay still connect often and the two share film and tips with one another. Turay played at the JACK in his final year “On the Bank” in 2017.
“He always sends me videos and what not. We always catch up a lot. I send him my film and he tells me what I’m doing wrong and what I should be doing. We communicate all the time still. He checks up on me and I check up on him. Our relationship is great and I’ve taken a lot from him. It’ll be a lot of love,” Mason said.
Mason committed to Rutgers just a few days before National Signing Day two years go. Coming up to New Jersey from Tennessee, there were definitely some differences for Mason that he had to get accustomed to, but none bigger than the weather.
“Tennessee is hot. When people come here and say it’s hot, and I’m like you have no idea. It’ll reach 98-100 degrees down at practice. Here, it’s like 86 degrees. It’s a breeze,” Mason said. “But up here, it gets really cold. I’ve never seen so much snow. In Tennessee, we’d only get like two inches. I’m always like, ‘What is going on with this snow?’ It’s different. I had to buy some boots and extra jackets. And then I have to walk to practice (or class) in the cold. It was a lot at first.”
Nonetheless, Mason loves it at Rutgers.
“Everything is great about this place. I like my teammates. I like culture here and even the people who don’t play sports or those who do. They all accept me. We’re all friends. I’m cool with a couple basketball players, soccer players, I’m cool with everybody here. I love everybody,” Mason said.
Listen to the full audio up top if you shall choose.
