Stanford reportedly in contact with Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman for head coaching vacancy

The Ravens OC is the first person to officially linked to Stanford

When it comes to head coaching searches in college football there are smokescreens everywhere, and it is always difficult to get a true read on what is going on.

For instance, Auburn's head coaching job was thought to be fully wrapped up with Lane Kiffin being the next in line, when all of a sudden Hugh Freeze came sliding into the picture. Unlike the Auburn job, Stanford's job hasn't really had anyone associated in its infancy of being open. There are names of coaches such as Chris Petersen, Tom Herman, Derek Mason, and Dave Aranda among many others that have been thrown around, but up until Wednesday we had not had someone officially be linked with the job.

According to The Athletic's Stewart Mandel, we finally have just that. 

Source: Stanford has talked with Baltimore Ravens OC Greg Roman about its coaching vacancy. Roman was on Jim Harbaugh's Stanford staff in 2009-10.

Not known how many other candidates there are at this time.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) November 30, 2022

Roman, who worked as Stanford’s offensive tackles and tight ends coach under Jim Harbaugh from 2009–10, has been on his brother John Harbaugh’s Ravens staff since 2017, and has served as offensive coordinator for the Lamar Jackson offense since 2019. A year in which won the AP’s NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award.

Stanford is currently viewed as the best job opening in college football according to 247Sports, and is in need of a coach to shift the culture after what has been a dreadful last half decade under David Shaw, who was considered to have not evolved with the sport.  

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that the talks are "preliminary".

Shaw announced to the media on Saturday after Stanford's loss to BYU that he felt it was the right time for him to step down as the head coach of the Cardinal. Despite being the winningest coach in program history, Shaw just finished what ended up being his third losing season in four years. There are more names expected to be thrown around this opening as time goes on, but expect a decision to be made fairly quickly considering the transfer portal opens in a week and early signing day is a couple after that.