Skip to main content

Four qualities Stanford's next head coach needs to have in order to succeed

A new era of Stanford Football is soon to be upon us

Following the announcement that David Shaw is stepping down as Stanford's head coach, the college football world has gone into a frenzy attempting to figure out who will be his replacement

Names such as Dave Aranda, Greg Roman, Chris Petersen, and Bill O'Brien have all been thrown around as potential candidates. While there really hasn't been any clarity on the situation as of yet, we do know that the Cardinal will likely end up having a coach sometime soon. Or at least they really should try to. 

There are some very important dates coming up, and not having a face of the program by the time these dates come around will really hurt them. In just three days on December 5 the transfer portal opens up, which is a very useful tool in college football in this modern era, that Stanford is planning to utilize more. The next important date is December 21, which is early signing day. It isn't that date in particular that should worry Cardinal fans, but more so the fact that other programs are beginning to attempt to poach Stanford's recruiting class.

Regardless of the immediate future, this hire needs to propel Stanford back to relevance for years to come. A task that can be extremely difficult considering how behind Stanford is when it comes to on field success, NIL, and of course the transfer portal. Having success at Stanford requires a certain type of breed. A coach like Jim Harbaugh or David Shaw whose success was predicated on building a strong foundation. In order to build that strong foundation, I believe there are four qualities in a coach that Stanford needs moving forward. 

Let's take a look at what qualities the ideal candidate will have.


1. Adaptability

Stanford has long operated with the notion that people who want to get a world class education and play at a high level will come here. That mindset is about as useful as a carton of expired milk. While it partially still holds true, that can no longer be the program's mindset when it comes to recruiting, the transfer portal, and schematics. 

David Shaw didn't play the NIL or transfer portal game, and he sure as hell didn't attempt to modernize the offense until it was too late. Stanford's new head coach needs to be able to figure out an avenue that works when it comes to NIL, locate as many transfers as possible that they can take in, and they need to have an offense system that isn't archaic. Stanford didn't crack 30 points once against Power 5 opponents this season, which is a testament to how ineffective the offense was but also how unwilling Shaw was to change. If the new coach is offensive minded, there needs to be a mindset that he will do whatever it takes for Stanford to succeed, not a mindset of Stanford will succeed only using my way. 


2. Gritty

I don't want to say that Stanford has gone soft as of late, but I think we can all agree that within the trenches they are nowhere near as physical as they once were. On both sides of the ball they have been pushed around, and that is unacceptable. 

Whether it comes from the head coach himself, offensive/defensive line coaches, or even the strength and conditioning coach, this program needs to be tough again. At one point Stanford could play any team from any conference, and there were probably just a handful of them that could match their physicality, but that can't be said about the recent teams. The trenches are the foundation of a team, and if they are unable to develop the mindset that no one can push them around, the rest of the team has no chance.


3. Creative

Similar to the first quality, this is mostly in reference to recruiting, the transfer portal, and schematics. The coaches that are succeeding the most in college football are the ones that don't shy away from trying something new. Having someone who is innovative on the sideline will help transcend this Stanford program back to being one of the most competitive in college football. 


4. Perseverance

This isn't to say that David Shaw was handed a successful program, because he certainly helped Stanford reach heights they never have before, but this next coach is inheriting a much more difficult situation than either Shaw or Harbaugh. Those two built the program up, but now it is down astronomically. Not to mention, the college football world has watched it date itself and become stagnant in their methods.

The new coach needs to be as strong minded as they come, as this job will certainly not be easy at anytime. The coach needs to be committed to overcoming the struggles, and willing to see the big picture even if things don't seem to be headed in that direction at that given moment. Stanford has faded from the national spotlight for a few years now, but considering there will be a new face of the program all eyes will be on Palo Alto.