Updated Stanford Football potential head coaching candidates

Now that some coaches have take other jobs the list has been adjusted

Vacancies around college football are beginning to be filled, with notable names such as Deion Sanders (Colorado) and Tom Herman (FAU) on the move. 

One job that has yet to be filled is Stanford's head coaching vacancy, which has been quite a mystery when it comes to who the school is pursuing. David Shaw officially announced he was stepping down a week ago, which of course requires the administration to find his replacement. A task that may be more difficult than people realize due academic restrictions, and stances on NIL and the transfer portal. 

Following Shaw's announcement I compiled a list of coaches that I think Stanford should pursue, and due to people accepting other jobs around the country I felt it was appropriate to add some more names.

Let's take a look at who I think Stanford should be calling.

Bill O'Brien, Alabama OC

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Alabama has missed out on the College Football Playoff, which means that Bill O'Brien likely feels less obligated to coach them for the bowl game. He is an offensive minded coach who has had success at both the NFL and college level, and can help modernize a Stanford offense that has been stuck in the past. He is used to inheriting poor situations and turning them around, which is evident based on his stint at Penn State that saw him go 15–9 in two seasons following the Sandusky scandal. 

Gary Patterson, Texas Special Assistant to the Head Coach

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The former TCU coach who found such success at the program that there was a statue made of him, is up for grabs. In October 2021, he was fired after a 3-5 start with TCU, but finished his time at TCU with a 181-79 record overall. Now, he is working in an analyst role with Texas and Steve Sarkisian has done nothing but emphasize how big of a help he has been. 

Patterson was viewed as a candidate for the UNLV job, but there are now other names that are being thrown around more frequently. He is a defensive minded coach that outside of his last couple seasons that saw a decline, produces top tier defenses. He also was an advocate of TCU using NIL, which would bode well at a Stanford gig who is just now getting into it. He would build a great culture and is open to the modern world that college football finds itself in. 

 

Chris Petersen, Former Washington HC

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Chris Petersen, may be the best candidate available due to his West Coast ties and success at previous stops. He currently is an analyst for Fox Sports and it's unknown if he wants to dive back into coaching, but until he says that he doesn't want to coach college football, he should certainly be contacted. Even if he takes it and doesn't plan on coaching for a decade, I think Petersen would find success right away and set this program up to succeed for years to come. 

Troy Taylor, Sacramento State HC

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An offensive minded coach that is leading Sacramento State to new heights as a program, I am likely the biggest Troy Taylor to Stanford advocate in the country. Sacramento State is set to play in the FCS Championship Quarterfinals on Friday, as the Hornets sit at 12-0. He did already say he doesn't want to leave Sacramento, but that is no different than any other coach linked to another job. He would bring a vibrant energy that this program needs, and his play style will be attractive to recruits. Depending on how Sacramento State does in the FCS Playoffs , that could also prevent Taylor from being able to step in right away. If they continue to win and he decides to finish out the season, that could force Stanford to wait anywhere from a couple more weeks to a month for him. 

Garrett Riley, TCU OC

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At just 33-years of age, Garrett Riley has a chance to be one of the next rising stars in college football. He has helped lead TCU to being a playoff team as the No. 3 seed. He may be the most risky hire considering he has no previous head coaching experience, and if he chooses to wait until TCU plays in the playoff that forces Stanford until the end of December at least, before he can focus on the job. If TCU makes it to the championship, that puts Stanford waiting until the second week in January to have a coach. 

Greg Roman, Ravens OC

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The only name to be publicly linked to the opening. Not sure how I feel about a coach who has been out of the college game for as long as he has taking the reins of a program that needs to adapt to the modern era. I would try to find someone who has at least dealt with NIL and the transfer portal in some capacity. He has had some success calling plays for Lamar Jackson with 2019 being the best statistical year, but again not a fan of being out of the college game. 

Dave Aranda, Baylor HC

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A California native who wasn't interested in major jobs such as LSU and USC during last year's cycle, Aranda is believed to not desire going to a big market program. Stanford can offer him everything he loves about Baylor and likely even pay him more. He also is open to both the transfer portal and NIL, which as we all know Stanford needs major help with. This would be one of the more surprising hires if they can pull it off, but Stanford would greatly benefit from it. This season wasn't as successful as last year's 12-2 year that saw the Bears win the Sugar Bowl, so maybe a change of scenery would appeal more. 

Troy Walters, Cincinnati Bengals WR Coach

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This name should sound familiar to Stanford fans, as Walters was a star receievr at Stanford. Walters has worked in the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC. He also helped Scott Frost turn UCF into top-15 team when he was the OC. Walters has spent the last two seasons coaching wide outs for the Bengals, and has some old Stanford players pushing for him to get a look.