Stanford football's hiring of Andy Thompson may not be the most beneficial move

He's a great coach, but Thompson arrives to help a defense that has proven that it isn't the biggest problem.
Sep 16, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Sacramento State Hornets head coach Andy Thompson before the game against the Stanford Cardinal sat Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Sep 16, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Sacramento State Hornets head coach Andy Thompson before the game against the Stanford Cardinal sat Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

After finishing a season 3-9 for the fourth consecutive year, it was evident that major changes would be made to the Stanford football program. And through the early part of the offseason, the changes have started to come in bunches, with many notable players entering the portal and the hiring of Andrew Luck as the general manager to handle all personnel related affairs.

But one of the biggest changes occurred on the coaching staff, with head coach Troy Taylor hiring former Sacramento State coach Andy Thompson to his coaching staff as assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach.

But hiring Thompson does not really solve anything. In fact, it is quite possible that bringing Thompson on could distract from other issues while creating more problems that may not have been there before. While he will add another brilliant defensive mind to the staff, Stanford made a change in an area where it was not needed.

Thompson will join current defensive coordinator Bobby April as the two men in charge of the defense, even though April has helped the defense improve throughout his tenure at Stanford and has proven to be effective at leading the charge. Adding a co-defensive coordinator adds some questions as to what direction the program wants its defense to go even with the promise shown this year.

Despite being ranked No. 109 in total defense, they were actually one of the better teams in college football when it came to run defense, with the Cardinal finishing the year ranked No. 39 in that category, allowing 133.5 rushing yards per game. The passing defense saw some struggles, which was a large reason why the defense was ranked so low, but a large reason for that had to do with injuries and having to play a lot of freshmen and young players. 

The real issues stemmed on the offense, where the Cardinal finished the season with the No. 119 ranked offense in the entire NCAA FBS, where in many games, the team struggled to create any big plays.

Taylor, who has had tremendous success as a head coach everywhere he has been, has had to take on the role as the offensive coordinator and the quarterback coach for Stanford as well, which can be very tough for a coach. Investing in staff for the offensive side of the ball could not only help take some of the burden off of Taylor, but also bring in a new perspective to help the offense find more of a rhythm.

However, the relationship between Taylor and Thompson goes way back. Thompson served as Taylor’s defensive coordinator at Sacramento State from 2019-2022 before taking over as the head coach when Taylor took the Stanford job.

In his first year at the helm in 2023, Thompson’s Hornets regressed considerably from a 12-1 2022, but finished with an 8-5 record after a second round playoff loss and finished ranked No. 13 in FCS. But in 2024, questions about Thompson’s job security began to arise after the Hornets finished 3-9, including 1-7 in the Big Sky. Ultimately, Thompson opted to resign and take the role offered to him at Stanford.

There is no denying that Thompson is a great coach, but with the problems that Stanford saw last season, it may have been wiser to look to bolster the staff in other areas and create a scenario in which the offensive side of the ball got a heavy makeover.


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