On3's expectations for Troy Taylor in year one

There are infinite questions about Stanford at the moment as we were expecting to learn whether or not they would be joining the ACC by now, but that meeting was called off.

People in college football also have curiosity as to where Stanford fits in this modern era of college football. David Shaw is no longer at the helm following a tenure that saw him lead the programs to new heights, but also saw the program become out of touch in the last few seasons.

Now, with former Sacramento State head coach Troy Taylor at the helm, Stanford is hoping to return to prominence. However, On3's Jesse Simonton recently broke down the expectations for Taylor and every new Power 5 coach in year one, and for Taylor it appears there aren't many. To no fault of his own, but more because of what he inherited.

The Cardinal are in a similar situation to Arizona State and Colorado with Year 1 coaches, only unlike their two (current) Pac-12 counterparts, they’re still operating like it’s 2013 and not 2023. Taylor’s rebuild looks much different because Stanford doesn’t (or won’t) really utilize the transfer portal, but that door has very much swung the other way, as the roster was raided by Power 5 programs across the country this offseason. Taylor will field a team with fewer than 70 scholarship players — including just two returning starters on offense

Simonton did praise what Taylor accomplished at his previous stop, and also explained what could lift some spirits in Palo Alto.

He was a fantastic head coach at Sacramento State (30-8 with three Big Sky Championships) and was the brainchild of a high-octane, up-tempo offense that finished No. 4 in the FCS last season (43 points per game). Generate some excitement offensively for a unit that averaged just 21.2 points per and pull-off an upset over a rival (be it Cal, Notre Dame or UCLA) would provide some hope in Year 1 for a program facing an uncertain future.

The Cardinal's win total is currently at 3.5 for the 2023 season, and they do return the least amount of production in the Power 5. Taylor has found success everywhere he has been, but this may be his tallest task yet.