Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Stanford football: 3 potential head coaching candidates to replace David Shaw

By Connor Muldowney

Nov 5, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw before the game against the Washington State Cougars at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw before the game against the Washington State Cougars at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next

Did you have “David Shaw stepping down as head coach of Stanford football” on your Week 13 bingo card? Yeah, me neither.

The all-time winningest coach in program history started incredibly strong at Stanford, taking over for Jim Harbaugh who left for the NFL, but his success has fizzled out over the past few years.

After winning fewer than nine games just one time from 2011-2018, Shaw has failed to win more than four games in any season since. He’s gone from one of the better coaches in college football to squarely on the hot seat. I don’t think he would have been fired because of all the success he did have at Stanford, but he would have been on a hot seat in 2023.

Let’s take a look at three guys who I think could replace him in 2023.

3. Troy Taylor, Sacramento State HC

This is one of the hottest names out there right now and just because he doesn’t have any head coaching experience at the FBS level doesn’t mean he’s not ready.

The former Eastern Washington and Utah offensive coordinator left for Sacramento State after a successful stint with the Utes and he’s had nothing but success there. In fact, he’s 29-7 as head coach of Sacramento State and 23-1 in conference play. He currently sits at 11-0 this season and has one of the best teams in the FCS.

Taylor has expressed interest in coaching at the FBS level and has been connected to the opening at Colorado and another as a Cal coordinator. The two-time Big Sky coach of the year is familiar with the West Coast so this job would be perfect for him.

A former Cal player going to Stanford? It could happen.

Home/Stanford Cardinal