College football: The State Of Stanford Cardinal Football Program

Let's take a dive into the state of the Stanford Cardinal Football Program.

Stanford is standing dead last in the Pac-12 Standings with a 1-5 conference record and a 3-5 overall record. Looking at Stanford, and who their head coach is, they should not be dead last. The Stanford program's last winning season was during the 2020 shortened pandemic season when they finished 4-2. Their last winning season that was not a short season was in 2018 when Stanford finished 9-3 and won the Sun Bowl. 

Recruiting Classes

Starting with the 2020 recruiting class which are now juniors or in their third year at Stanford. The 2020 recruiting class was ranked 22nd overall by 247 sports. These players are in their third season, which means they should be winning games. I don't blame the players at all, they have the talent, which is a conversation we will discuss later in the article. 

The 2021 recruiting class is now in their second year or sophomores ranked 48th by 247sports. Now, this is where the program struggled, recruiting during this year. It's hard to recruit athletes when your program isn't winning in recent years. Athletes want to go to programs that are winning or competing for bowl games and currently, Stanford's coaching staff just can't sell that to the recruits. They have to sell their prestigious academics and their history. The only problem is that young players or the younger generation may not care about history and care about what is relevant today. 

The 2022 class, which is all freshman or first-year players was ranked 27th overall, now there are 7, 4-star recruits. However, one of the 4-star recruits is transferring or at least entering the transfer portal, that is running back Arlen Harris Jr. Now this class is contributing on the defensive side of the ball. Three defensive linemen are helping the Cardinal defense as much as they can, and at times have flashed really good potential. 

The 2023 class so far has 14 commits and 6 are 4 star-recruits. The class is ranked 29th overall. There are players in this class that should come in immediately and start. The problem is, I don't know if David Shaw is willing to allow freshmen to start. He has had a few plays this year or starts this year, but it seems as if he prefers his veteran or older players. This class partnered with the 2022 class are program changers with the talent they have, just need to use them the right way. 

Coaching

The coaching staff has been in the program for quite some time. Head Coach David Shaw has been head coach at Stanford for 12 years now. His defensive coordinator has been with the program for 16 years,  but 9 of those years as the defensive signal caller. The offensive coordinator Tavita Pritchard is in his 13th season with the program, and 5th as the offensive coordinator. The coaching staff has been around for a long time, especially together. Usually when a team struggles someone is canned or they part ways mutually. Stanford hasn't had a true winning season since 2018, yet no changes for any of the signal callers by Head Coach David Shaw. David Shaw needs to make changes or he needed to have made changes. If something is not working it doesn't make sense to keep pounding the same drum, change can be good for a program. 

What Change Does The Program Need? 

The program needs more speed in the program. This means better recruiting classes, however, the problem is why should recruits come to Stanford. Ask yourself. Top recruits that are either 5-star-recruits or very high 4-star-recruits want to go play ball at the top level to go to the NFL. Stanford has a good program academically but that isn't just what these players want, they also want to win and play immediately. These athletes see that they aren't playing young players then they'll just turn to the next program that will play them immediately. The program needs to change. That change starts at the top with the man in charge. Yes, David Shaw has done a fabulous job in his tenure with the Stanford Cardinal. However, his program isn't winning games anymore, the stands are completely empty and his team looks outmatched on a weekly basis. David Shaw is the 8th highest-paid college head coach, and his production is not worthy of the $9.25 million he receives. As great of a man and head coach as his past record is, Stanford needs a new head coach. They should hire a head coach that has a reputation for every stop he goes for winning or offensive/defensive dominance. This will bring more recruits, more wins, more fans in the stands, and a program that Stanford is formerly known to be.