New Pleasant Home football coach Chris Mason will bring some excitement and passion to the still-young Eagles program when he takes over after the school year has concluded.

Mason’s hire was approved by the Covington County Board of Education on Tuesday.

PHS principal Craig Nichols was present at the meeting and said the search was long and that Mason will help lift the program in the future.

“He’ll bring a lot of excitement to the program,” Nichols said.

Mason comes to PHS from Prattville Christian Academy, where he served as offensive coordinator for two years. For three years prior to his stint at PCA, Mason served as the offensive coordinator and head baseball coach at Clarke Prep in Grove Hill.

Back in 2003, Mason began his football coach career as an offensive assistant at McGill-Toolen.

In college, Mason played baseball at the University of West Alabama and afterward, spent a year playing in the minor leagues.

“I’ve been around a little bit,” he said.

With baseball being a part of his background in sports, Mason said the passion for football came when he got his first offensive coordinator job at Clarke Prep.

“I just loved the game,” he said. “My background is in baseball as far as playing in college, but I’ve got a pretty extensive background in football as well. I’ve already been a part of some pretty good programs with winning coaches that showed me some things.”

Becoming a head coach was one of his career goals, Mason said.

“Mr. Nichols gave me a great opportunity, and he’s been awesome as far as the (interview and hiring) process goes,” he said. “I met with him quite a few times, and I’m really pleased with the school .I know it’s not a perennial powerhouse, but I think we have the opportunity to be competitive.

“I think with the school that Mr. Nichols runs and the players there, I think we have a good chance to be successful,” he said.

When asked what type of an offense he will be running at PHS, Mason said it’s going to start and end with running the ball.

“If you can run the football, you can win football games,” Mason said.

Mason’s coaching philosophy is simple — to outwork the opponent.

“The keys to win are to be fundamentally sound, 100 percent committed to the program and working hard in the weight room,” he said. “The rest is up to them. It’s all going to be about the kids. I’m real excited to see what will take place because they have not had success in a few years, and I want to bring some excitement and passion.”

Mason, a Tuscaloosa native, and his wife, Amberly, have an 8-year-old daughter, and 3-year-old son.