HOOVER, Ala. – Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason feels he has a kindred spirit in Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

That probably shouldn’t come as a huge surprise.

Both coaches cut their teeth on the defensive side of the ball, and is it turns out, they have many of the same life philosophies. According to Mason, the two have never been closer, which makes the season-opener in Nashville even more meaningful.

“We had a chance to spend some quality time with the Nike trip down to Mexico, and, to me, he's like a brother,” Mason said Thursday at SEC Media Days. “I mean, you meet people sometimes and you realize, man, that you got a lot in common, some of the goals. You see football the same way.”

The respect doesn’t end there.

“You see life the same way and what you're trying to do is move young men from where they are to where they need to be, and that's what our conversations were about,” Mason said. “Our wives got a chance to spend time with one another. I truly believe that was an enjoyable time for me, because in this profession, rarely do you get a chance, especially with guys in your conference, to spend that type of time away from everybody where you can talk about ball, but really all things life, all things children, all things opportunities to gain, philosophical wisdom, and understand people better.”

Of course, once the Commodores and Bulldogs kick off Aug. 31 in Nashville, it’s all about coming away with that first SEC win.

For Vanderbilt, it’s the first of what’s a daunting first three weeks of the 2019 campaign. After Georgia, the Commodores travel to Purdue before hosting LSU

Mason said that’s fine with him.

“I love the schedule. I really do. It gives this team a chance to test itself early. You know, if you think you have a good football team, what you want to do is be tested early,” Mason said. “I knew the schedule may be tough. I didn't realize after I got the conference schedule games to come out how tough it would be, and that's a good thing. We get a chance to test ourselves early, these games with Georgia, Purdue, okay, LSU, two of those at home, I think would do this football team some good and give us a chance to see what the Commodores have in 2019.”

Jared Pinkney, who Mason called the best inline blocking tight end in the country, knows the challenge that awaits as it pertains to the Bulldogs.

“Absolutely, because you’re not starting off with an FCS opponent; you’re starting out with the best of the best,” Pinkney said. “This is a top three team that can go out and play with and beat any team in the country--and that includes you, so you better come with your Ps and Qs and be ready to go.”

Offensively, this isn’t your granddaddy’s Commodore squad.

Although a replacement must be found at quarterback for the graduated Kyle Shurmur, the Commodores have some legitimate threats the Bulldogs will have to concern themselves with in Pinkney, running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb.

A former Big Ten Newcomer of the Year after transferring from Illinois, Vaughn rushed for 1,244 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, with several preseason honors under his belt, including a second-team All-American honor by Athlon, while Lipscomb caught an SEC-best 87 passes last year, fourth most in school history, with 916 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

“Every year I think I've come up here and said, okay, we're better and have more depth,” Mason said. “This is the first year, besides losing three key offensive players, where I think our offensive depth is going to carry this team. We're deep in all positions, but we've got depth across the board. Now this is about figuring this quarterback situation and getting this offensive line to gel.”

Defensively, Mason sees progress being made there, too.

“Defensively, we're bigger, longer, deeper, faster, smarter. I expect this year to improve in Jason Tarver's second year as coordinator. We have numerous returning players who saw significant playing time last season,” Mason said. “We expect all of them to make great strides this fall. Since the bowl game, we've emphasized tackling, stopping the run, third down efficiency, and red-zone efficiency. These areas continue to be a point of emphasis for this defensive unit.”

Mason said he believes the atmosphere at Commodore Stadium will be unlike any Vanderbilt has seen in recent years.

“I know what that Georgia bunch travels like, but this ball game is going to have a pretty well-attended crowd by Vanderbilt University. I mean, that's what we're looking for,” he said. “Our athletic director, Malcolm Turner, has done a really good job in the first six months, fortifying what our marketing plan will be exactly, what we're looking to do in terms of enhancing the experience and understanding that people want to see good SEC football. Georgia's a big game, and I think we're going to turn out in spades, so I look forward to that.”