Ben Mason, Former Michigan Fullback, Joins Fordham as Tight Ends Coach

Fordham has added former Michigan fullback Ben Mason to its staff as tight ends coach for the 2026 season, a move that elevates Mason from Division III coaching work to the Football Championship Subdivision and gives the Rams a coach with high-level playing pedigree and positional versatility.

Mason played at Michigan from 2017 to 2020, appearing in 45 games with four starts, scoring 10 career touchdowns and recording 14 tackles. He delivered one of his most memorable performances against Nebraska in 2018 when he became the first Wolverine since Denard Robinson in 2011 to score three first-half touchdowns. A team captain in 2020 and a two-time winner of Michigan’s “Toughest Player” award, Mason also took home the Lowman Award, given to the nation’s top fullback.

Selected in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Mason’s professional career included stops with the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and a late-2023 signing with the Chargers. He spent much of his NFL time on practice squads and is listed as having appeared in one regular-season game. The Chargers waived Mason on Aug. 13, 2024 because of an undisclosed injury, and he did not sign with another NFL team thereafter.

Rather than walk away from the sport, Mason pivoted quickly into coaching. He served as a volunteer offensive analyst at Army West Point during the 2024-2025 academic year before taking on hands-on roles at Ithaca College beginning in March 2025. At Ithaca, he coached tight ends and running backs while sharing co-special teams coordinator duties. Mason also has family ties to Ithaca: his father Bob Mason was an All-American defensive lineman there and his brother Dan played for Ithaca from 2019-2023. On his transition to coaching Mason said, “I just love the game of football and really want to be around it. I was always told as a player, play as long as you can and then coach as long as you can.”

For Fordham, Mason’s hire is both a technical and cultural get. Technically, he brings experience coaching both tight ends and running backs and a background as a blocking fullback and occasional inline tight end - skill sets that translate to developing multi-role tight ends who can block in the run game and move in space. Culturally, his Michigan captaincy and NFL draft status add credibility on the recruiting trail and in the meeting room. His quick climb from volunteer analyst to FCS position coach reflects a growing industry pattern: recent players accelerate through small-school stops to reach FCS and FBS staffs, leveraging playing resumes and short yet varied coaching apprenticeships.

Mason’s appointment matters for Fordham fans and FCS observers because position coaches shape nuanced skill development and recruiting pipelines. Watch Fordham’s tight end reps, early recruiting targets and special teams assignments this spring; Mason’s background suggests the Rams will prioritize physical, versatile tight ends who can be deployed in multiple formations. If he continues the trajectory he began at Army and Ithaca, Mason’s Fordham stint could be the next rung in a rapid coaching ascent.