Five steps to rebuilding Stanford's football program

The Stanford Football program needs some major help

With the end of the regular season approaching, and the chances of Stanford's football team making a bowl game as slim as it gets, the focus has been elsewhere around the Farm.

The Women's basketball team is already blowing teams out, the guys basketball team is looking strong, and the rumors about whether or not David Shaw will be fired continue to blossom. Needless to say there has been a ton of attention on things that are taking place off the field, but when a team is one game away from their fourth losing season in five years that shouldn't be a surprise. 

The program has a ton of problems to fix and ESPN's Adam Rittenberg provided five steps that he thinks will fix programs such as Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Stanford's program for the better. 

Let's take a look at what he says needs to be done in order to return Stanford back to its former glory of winning the Pac-12, and being one of the best teams in the country. 

5. Examine new play calling approaches

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Stanford's play calling on offense has been far from stellar, and the new addition of the mesh look has done nothing but expose this offense's flaws. 

Here is what Rittenberg had to say:

This is related to the first item, but also includes Shaw, the team's longtime offensive playcaller. Throughout his tenure, Shaw has defended his playcalling, often labeled overly conservative. The approach worked for many years, but Stanford's current issues stem from their inability to consistently run the ball. After recording 390 rush yards and six touchdowns in the first two games this season, Stanford has just 914 rush yards and four touchdowns. There just isn't a clearly defined identity. Shaw has to open himself up to other perspectives and perhaps a new approach because the current one isn't working.

4. Adapt to the portal and other realities

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I understand what he means with this one, but unless Shaw really wants to do this I doubt this one will come to fruition. If Shaw is replaced, I am sure that the a new coach will want to figure out ways to bring in transfers, but this has been something that Shaw has been adamant about Stanford not having the same luxury of partaking in like a USC.

Here is what Rittenberg said:

 In 2014, Shaw voiced his opposition to an early signing date in recruiting, noting that most recruits wouldn't be admitted to Stanford in time to sign. But Stanford adapted and continued to recruit well, which makes the on-field problems even more frustrating. Stanford's 2022 recruiting class ranked No. 12 nationally on signing day, according to ESPN. The team signed ESPN Top 25 classes in 2020 and 2019 as well. Stanford isn't nearly as active in the transfer portal as other Pac-12 programs and likely will always suffer a bit there because of its difficulty to admit transfers. The portal likely will be a net negative for Stanford, but administrative adjustments can be made to better position the program.

3. A bit of real pressure on Shaw

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There has never been a sense of pressure placed on Shaw, even with another down year the vibe around the program is more so wait for him to figure it out rather than he figures it out or else... Stanford is a unique job and is treated as such, but having four losing seasons in five years and not showing any signs of being able to adapt to the new era of football would get you fired anywhere else.

Rittenberg weighed in saying:

There are no forever jobs in college coaching, not with the money involved and the demands to win. Stanford isn't a pressure cooker, and images of empty seats at Cardinal home games -- even during good seasons -- raise questions about how many people truly care. But Shaw is one of the nation's highest-paid coaches, and his longevity and loyalty only goes so far when the product isn't consistently competitive. Every program needs standards, and Stanford must reinforce what Shaw needs to do to continue. He led the program to incredible success from 2011 to 2016 -- three league titles, five AP top-12 finishes -- but Stanford needs a reset. After the Washington State loss, Shaw said, "We'll look at what we're doing, how we're doing it. I'm ultimately accountable for everything."

2. Reestablish the line of scrimmage

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The trenches were at one point a strength for Stanford, but are now more of a weakness. There have been flashes of potential on the defensive side from freshman David Bailey, Ernest Cooper, and Jaxson Moi but the unit as a whole is underperforming.

Rittenberg was adamant that this needed to change saying:

 Stanford's best teams under Harbaugh and Shaw bullied their opponents up front. From 2010 to 2018, Stanford had 20 linemen (offensive or defensive) and tight ends selected in the NFL draft. But the defensive line hasn't really been the same since the draft departures of Solomon Thomas and Harrison Phillips, as Stanford ranks 121st nationally in run defense since 2019. The offensive line has struggled since assistant Mike Bloomgren left to become Rice's head coach in December 2017. Stanford ranks 126th nationally in rushing offense since 2018, a shocking number given Shaw's track record. Something needs to shift up front, whether it's coaching or overall philosophy.

1. Shake up the staff

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This one is a must in my eyes. I respect that Shaw wants to stay loyal to those around him, and loves having guys from within the program on his staff, but a change is needed. Both the offense and defense are underperforming, and have been for years. I think Shaw needs two new coordinators, or everyone on the staff, including him has to go.

Here is what Rittenberg said:

 Shaw has been very loyal to his assistants over the years, and Stanford isn't the type of program where there's constant pressure to shake things up. But after the past two seasons, Shaw must look at adding new voices from the outside. Defensive coordinator Lance Anderson is in his 16th year on staff. Offensive coordinator Tavita Prichard played at Stanford and has spent his entire career at his alma mater. Special teams coordinator Pete Alamar has been at Stanford for a decade. Perhaps not all need to go, but Stanford needs some fresh perspectives on how to turn things around.