Grading potential candidates for Stanford's head coaching job Pt. 2

The names to replace David Shaw continue to flow in

Being that the Stanford head coaching job is open and is considered by some as one of the best openings in college football right now, that means there are a handful of names that are being thrown around as candidates. 

Some of the names seem a bit obvious and too easy, as there are a handful of candidates that worked at Stanford at some point during their career that are being suggested. There are also the young gun coaches or coordinators that have come into play, and of course coaches that may be out of football at the moment but looking for a way back in. 

Regardless, just five days after David Shaw announced that he was stepping down, there have been at least 10 names suggested for the opening. On Tuesday I graded the first five names, and today I will be grading the additional coaches that I think realistically could be in the mix. 

A name that I personally am eliminating that was from my initial candidates article, due to the fact that he has been linked with three other schools already is Deion Sanders. I didn't there was ever a huge chance of getting in the Prime Time sweepstakes, but I did think it would be worth giving him a call. With his options essentially being viewed as Colorado, USF, and Cincinnati I just think Stanford would be too late. 

While I was writing this, it was announced that Tom Herman was taking the FAU job, so he is obviously eliminated. 

So, with that being said let's dive in and grade the next onslaught of coaches that have been identified as candidates. My grading criteria is based off likeliness of them being offered/accepting an offer, fit, previous success, and whether or not it is one that I think will be successful.

 

Garrett Riley, TCU OC

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Garrett Riley has burst onto the college football scene this season as he has been a key piece of TCU's success that saw them go from bottom feeder to a playoff caliber team. TCU's offense ranks No. 10 in the country in total offense, and it isn't even with players that they recruited. He had success at SMU as their offensive coordinator as well, which is how he ended up at TCU after he followed Sonny Dykes down the road. 

 However, at just 33-years old with no head coaching experience it is unknown if any Power 5 programs will take a risk on the younger Riley as a head coach right now. He would probably need to bring in a staff of experienced vets to help him out, but I do think he is one of the bright upcoming stars in the coaching ranks. Due to his lack of head coaching experience, and riskiness of the hire, his grade is taking a hit. I think he could succeed, but I'm not sure if Stanford will be the team to take that risk.

Grade: B

Greg Roman, Baltimore Ravens OC

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With all of the uncertainties when it comes to this job search, we did find out on Wednesday that Roman has been approached by Stanford. He worked as Stanford’s offensive tackles and tight ends coach under Jim Harbaugh from 2009–10, and has been working on his brother John Harbaugh’s Ravens staff since 2017, where he 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.

On the flip side, he has been out of the college game for some time now, and I don't know if he even wants to venture back. Lamar Jackson's numbers have declined every year since 2019, so I'm really not sure how much of a success he could be. Not to mention, there are a few coaches such as Chris Petersen who haven't dealt with NIL, but Roman hasn't dealt with the transfer portal or NIL. This hire in my opinion could be setting Stanford's progress back in those two aspects. 

Grade: C+

Troy Taylor, Sacramento State HC

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Get to know one of the hottest name at the FCS level right now. Sacramento State's Troy Taylor will be a Power 5 coach eventually, despite him saying he wants to remain in Sacramento. Whether it will be at Stanford, I am not sure. Especially since he is a Cal grad himself. He has Sac State as the No. 2 seed in the FCS playoffs with an 11-0 record, and his offensive mind is special as the Hornets rank No. 6 in the FCS in total offense and are constantly dialing up unique looks. 

I think he would bring a new form of energy surrounding this Stanford program, but I wonder how serious he was about not leaving. I also am curious if he would coach at the school that is his alma mater's biggest rival. It would be ironic if Stanford's coaches for baseball, basketball, and football all played at Cal 

Grade: A

Bill O'Brien, Alabama OC

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A coach that has had success at both the NFL and college level, Bill O'Brien will be the next coordinator to get a head coaching nod after doing time at Nick Saban's academy for broken coaches. His work at Penn State saw him have two amazing seasons after the Sandusky cloud was remarkable. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and was also awarded the Paul "Bear" Bryant College Coach of the Year Award and named national coach of the year by ESPN. He reportedly wanted to stay, but wasn't getting the support from the administration he needed. His success as the Texans coach, which included three winning seasons, is clouded by his time as the general manager. That was too much power, and he clearly had no idea what he was doing. 

He is now the offensive coordinator at Alabama where he along with the program are receiving a ton of criticism for having a "down" year at 10-2. In his defense, the team does not have the caliber of weapons fans are used to and it hinders what can be called on offense. I'm not sure how much of the blame for their struggles can be assigned to him or just not having the same elite talent. I do know that he would be a good coach for Stanford to pursue should he want the job.

Grade: B+

Paul Chryst, Former Wisconsin HC

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Paul Chryst being on the market is honestly a surprise to many, as he went 67-26 at Wisconsin before shockingly being fired in October. During his time there he helped the Badgers reach three New Year's Six bowls, and four AP Top 25 finishes. The belief is that the relationship between the two sides just fizzled out, and that Wisconsin needed to bring in a new voice. 

I think a chance of scenery could really help Chryst, who has some Pac-12 ties thanks to two stints as Oregon State's offensive coordinator. He is a coach who embraced NIL, and will certainly be able to help guide Stanford into the modern age of football off the field. On the field, the biggest concern is that he is a play caller that struggled with relinquishing play calling duties. His offenses have not ranked well over the past few years, and he really hasn't had much success developing the quarterback. This is what concerns me about him, but if he is willing to bring in a more modern play caller I think he could be good hire. 

Grade: B-