 Mason with the St. Louis Rams in 2014 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 27 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1993-08-06)August 6, 1993 (age 31) Amityville, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 207 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Park Vista(Lake Worth Beach, Florida) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Auburn (2011–2013) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2014: 3rd round, 75th pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Stats at CFL.ca | |||||||||||||||
Trence Mason (born August 6, 1993) is an American former professionalfootballrunning back. He played in theNational Football League (NFL) for theSt. Louis Rams from 2014 to 2016. He playedcollege football for theAuburn Tigers, earning first-teamAll-American honors in 2013. He was selected by the Rams in the third round of the2014 NFL draft.
Mason attendedPark Vista Community High School inBoynton Beach, Florida, where he was a standoutfootball andbasketball player, and also rantrack. Herushed for 1,643 yards and 24touchdowns as a senior in 2011, and was named the 2009 Palm Beach Large School Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-Palm Beach County by theSun-Sentinel.
He was also on the school'strack & field team, where he competed as asprinter and jumper. He placed 7th in the100 meters at the 2009 Park Vista Meet, with a time of 10.9 seconds.[1] At the 2010 Palm Beach County Championship, he earned a sixth-place finish in thelong jump event, recording a career-best jump of 6.63 meters.[2] He also competed inhigh jump, he got a top-jump of 1.88 meters at the 2011 Warrior Invitational.[3]
Considered a four-star recruit byRivals.com, he was rated the 14th bestrunning back in his class.[4] He committed toAuburn over offers fromWest Virginia andMississippi.[5]
In his first college game, Auburn againstUtah State, Mason returned akick-off 97 yards for a touchdown.[6]
In the2013 SEC Championship Game against Missouri, Mason set an SEC Championship rushing record with 304 yards (breakingLSU'sJustin Vincent's previous 2003 record of 201 yards), touchdown record with four touchdowns, rushing attempts record with 46carries and was named the game's most valuable player.[7]
As a junior in 2013, Mason was a first-teamAll-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection.[8] He was named one of the six finalists for the 2013Heisman Trophy.[9]
In the2014 BCS National Championship Game, Mason rushed for 195 yards on 34 carries and a touchdown in a 34–31 defeat by theFlorida State Seminoles. He finished his season with 1,816 rushing yards, breaking the school record held byHeisman winnerBo Jackson (1,786 set in 1985). It was also the third-highest rushing yards total in a single season in SEC history, behind onlyHerschel Walker (1,891 yards in1981) andDarren McFadden (1,830 yards in2007).[10] Later single-season yardage marks set byAlabama'sDerrick Henry (2,219 yards),[11] andLSU'sLeonard Fournette (1,953 yards)[12] placed Mason's 2013 performance at fifth-highest all-time.
| Year | Team | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | ||
| 2011 | Auburn | 28 | 161 | 5.8 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | Auburn | 171 | 1,002 | 5.9 | 86 | 8 | 7 | 86 | 0 |
| 2013 | Auburn | 317 | 1,816 | 5.7 | 53 | 23 | 12 | 163 | 1 |
| Career | 516 | 2,979 | 5.8 | 86 | 32 | 19 | 249 | 1 | |
Mason announced on January 9, 2014, that he would forgo his remaining eligibility and enter theNFL draft.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft8+1⁄2 in (1.74 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | 30 in (0.76 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 4.44 s | 1.50 s | 4.15 s | 38.5 in (0.98 m) | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) | ||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[13] | ||||||||||||
Mason was selected by theSt. Louis Rams in the third round (75th overall) of the2014 NFL draft. Mason was the Rams' third pick in the draft, behind former teammate and second overall pick,Greg Robinson.[14]
In Week 7, 2014 in a game against theSeattle Seahawks, Mason ran for 85 yards on 18 carries with 1 touchdown in a St. Louis win. In Week 11, he had 113 yards on 29 carries in a game against theDenver Broncos. During a Week 13 matchup against theOakland Raiders, Mason ran for 117 yards on 14 carries and 2 touchdowns, to go along with one receiving touchdown. After rushing for 765 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2014, Mason was named to thePFWA All-Rookie Team.[15]
Following the 2015 season and going into the 2016 season, it was reported that Mason had not been in contact with coaches or players from the Rams since the end of the season.[16] CoachJeff Fisher stated "I tried numerous times to reach him, he has made a decision not to communicate with us, not to talk. Not talking to his teammates. Right now we're more concerned about his well-being than we are his football career."[17] Mason had several run-ins with the law and displayed erratic behavior throughout the summer.[18][19] On July 30, the Rams placed Mason on the reserve/did not report list.[20]
On March 10, 2017, Mason was released by the Rams.[21] Former college teammateRicardo Louis stated in April 2017 that Mason was working towards coming back to the NFL for the upcoming season.[22]
On May 30, 2018, Mason signed with theSaskatchewan Roughriders of theCanadian Football League.[23] Mason's usage increased following the suspension and release ofJerome Messam on voyeurism charges.[24] With increased playing time, Mason proved to be a key contributor to a lackluster Roughriders offense, including producing a 20-carry, 117-yard effort during the 2018Banjo Bowl, a Riders win. Despite playing in all 18 games, Mason was held without a score until near the end of the year, when he had three rushing touchdowns in the final six games of the regular season. Mason finished the year with a higher rushing average than a receiving average. He missed the Roughrider's lone playoff game due to injury. During the off-season Roughriders signedWilliam Powell in free agency, at which time Mason's injury was revealed to be a damaged ACL requiring surgery, which could keep Mason from playing in 2019.[25] He was released by the Riders on May 10, 2019.[26]
| Season | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FUM | Lost | ||
| 2014 | St. Louis Rams | 12 | 9 | 179 | 765 | 4.3 | 89 | 4 | 16 | 148 | 9.3 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2015 | St. Louis Rams | 13 | 3 | 75 | 207 | 2.8 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 88 | 4.9 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 25 | 12 | 254 | 972 | 3.8 | 89 | 5 | 34 | 236 | 6.9 | 35 | 1 | 5 | 2 | |
| Season | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2018 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 18 | 160 | 809 | 5.1 | 42 | 3 | 21 | 103 | 4.9 | 16 | 0 |
| Total | 18 | 160 | 809 | 5.1 | 42 | 3 | 21 | 103 | 4.9 | 16 | 0 | |
His father,Vincent Mason, is a member of hip hop groupDe La Soul.[6]
After Mason led police on a high-speed ATV chase,[27] Mason's mother stated that Mason had the "mindset of a 10-year-old" due to head injuries sustained during his career.[28] She noticed her son’s behavior was different after the 2015 season: “Clearly, we could see the change. Like, completely... As much as he’s accomplished, as hard as he’s worked, as much as he’s built his character, in record-breaking time it’s going downhill because of what’s going on." In November, Mason pleadedno contest to charges related to the ATV chase.[29] Mason was arrested in January 2017 for the incident and charged with a third degree felony of fleeing and eluding without regard for others' safety or property.[30]