MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders are headed into Year 2 of the Derek Mason era, and with it being the final season for fifth-year senior Nicholas Vattiato at QB, Mason knew he had to utilize the portal to build a competitor around his star quarterback as quickly as possible. 

“We had some stars a year ago – Omari Kelly and Holden Willis – but we’re more dynamic this year. We have more speed, more depth, we’re longer, and we knew we had to give Nick weapons. These guys are long. You can talk about Kason Stokes, you can talk about Nahzae Cox, you can talk about Myles [Butler] being the lone returner, but AJ Jones from Arizona, Amorion Walker from Michigan, I mean we went out and got dudes. That room, whether we’re talking about the portal or high school talent, is unbelievable. Nick’s just been having fun all summer throwing to a cast of characters where it doesn’t matter who’s out there because somebody makes plays.”

Kason Stokes, a 6’2, 191 lb RS. freshman transfer from UCF, ran a 10.87 in the 100-meter dash as a junior in high school. Amorion Walker, a redshirt junior transfer from Michigan who appeared in four games last season and caught three passes for 34 yards, is 6’4 and a former defensive back. The 6’2 Myles Butler returns for his senior season after playing in all 12 games with 30 receptions for 366 yards and 3 TDs. AJ Jones, a 6’3 junior transfer from Arizona, was a three-star recruit out of high school, but is hoping the change in scenery leads to a breakout season. For his career, he has just five receptions for 27 yards. Nahzae Cox, a 6’3 juco transfer from Fresno City, had 23 catches for 562 yards and 5 TDs in his second season in California, proving to be an explosive big-play threat down the field.

The Blue Raiders also revamped the running back room, as well as working to improve the offensive line. Early on, Mason is confident that this year, MTSU will be able to control the ground game more consistently than a season ago when they ranked 129th out of 134 FBS teams averaging just 89 rushing yards per game. In terms of scoring average, MTSU ranked 127th with 26.77 points per game. 

“If I had to put a number on it, I’d say our goal is 35 points per game,” said MTSU’s second-year offensive coordinator, Bodie Reeder. 

The coaching staff is extremely excited about the explosive big-play threat that the 2025 Blue Raiders’ offense presents, and that will only help the MTSU defense’s psyche compared to a season ago. 

MTSU opens the 2025 campaign at home against Austin Peay on Saturday, August 30th at 6:00 p.m. before traveling to Madison, WI, to take on the Wisconsin Badgers the following week.