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Stanford is popping to one in every of its arch rival’s former quarterbacks to assist revive its soccer program.
Sacramento State head coach and Cal grad Troy Taylor was formally employed by Stanford to interchange David Shaw on Saturday morning.
Shaw, the winningest coach in Stanford historical past and a two-time Rose Bowl winner, introduced his retirement shortly after midnight on Nov. 27 following the Cardinal’s season-ending loss to BYU.
Taylor, 54, has gained Massive Sky Coach of the Yr in all three full seasons answerable for the Hornets and has a 30-8 after Friday night time’s barn-burning 66-63 loss to Incarnate Phrase within the FCS quarterfinals.
Born in Southern California and raised within the Sacramento space, Taylor first got here to the Bay Space to play quarterback at Cal. He was a starter in all 4 years he was on campus (1986-1989) and went 1-2-1 towards the Cardinal within the Massive Sport. Taylor joins Jerod Haase (basketball) and David Esquer (baseball) as Stanford coaches with a Cal pedigree.
After a brief NFL profession, Taylor returned to Berkeley as an offensive coach from 1996-2000. Whereas Taylor left to educate highschool soccer, he returned a 3rd time to be the colour analyst for the Golden Bears’ radio broadcast alongside Joe Starkey. He gave that as much as turn out to be head coach on the powerhouse Folsom Excessive College outdoors of Sacramento for 4 years earlier than shifting again as much as the faculty ranks.
After one season as an offensive coordinator at Jap Washington and two seasons in the identical function at Utah, Sacramento State introduced Taylor again to Northern California to be the pinnacle coach of the Hornets.
Since taking up in 2019, he has helped convey a stage of success by no means earlier than seen in Sacramento, because the Hornets have gained at the least a share of the Massive Sky Convention championship in all three seasons (the Hornets didn’t play within the COVID-delayed spring 2021 FCS season) since being employed, with the Hornets ending every common season ranked within the Prime 4 in FCS.
Taylor’s last season in cost at Sacramento State has been questionably one of the best in program historical past. The Hornets gained double-digit wins for the second time in class historical past and first time since Sacramento State moved as much as Division I in 1993 whereas additionally selecting up their first FCS playoff win.
Hiring a coach with that stage of fast success on the FCS stage is precisely what Stanford did the final time it employed a coach from outdoors of this system in 2006, when the Cardinal employed Jim Harbaugh from San Diego. Harbaugh was coming off of back-to-back 11-1 seasons at San Diego, whereas the Cardinal went 1-11.
In Harbaugh’s 4 years, the Cardinal went 4-8 in 2007 (and upset No. 1 USC), 5-7 in 2008, 8-5 in 2009 and 12-1 in 2010, successful the Orange Bowl and ending ranked No. 4 within the nation. Harbaugh then left to take over the 49ers and the college promoted Shaw from offensive coordinator to the pinnacle teaching function.
Shaw, 50, left some massive sneakers – and many empty seats – to fill at Stanford. He gained three convention titles in his first 5 seasons and was named Pac-12 Coach of the Yr 4 occasions.
General, Shaw’s report was 96-54 in 12 seasons answerable for his alma mater.
However Stanford hasn’t performed in a bowl sport because the 2018 Solar Bowl, the final time the workforce gained at the least 4 video games. (The Cardinal was 4-2 through the COVID-19-shortened 2000 season)
The Cardinal had 3-9 data every of the previous two seasons and has misplaced 15 of its previous 18 Pac-12 video games.
When Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir spoke in regards to the job search final week, he mentioned the college wasn’t as involved about ties to the West Coast or Energy 5 head teaching expertise, however integrity and the way the candidate balanced teachers and athletics.
Muir’s candidate pool indicated such, with former Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett one of many finalists for the job. Garrett in the end elected to not take the job, posting on Twitter late Thursday night time that he was staying with NBC as a broadcaster.
The Cardinal additionally reportedly mentioned the job with former BYU and Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall and two former Stanford assistants: present Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman and Vic Fangio, former head coach of the Denver Broncos and 49ers assistant. San Jose State’s Brent Brennan’s identify additionally was linked to the opening.
However in the long run, Muir selected Taylor, even when he has no Energy 5 head teaching expertise. Taylor will likely be tasked with serving to the Cardinal work out learn how to navigate the brand new faculty sports activities panorama.
One benefit Taylor can have in trying to return Stanford to prominence is the use — in a small approach — of the switch portal. Taylor’s roster at Sacramento State is crammed with transfers from faculties on the FBS, FCS and junior faculty ranges.
Since 2020, Stanford has accepted one switch.
“We are able to’t construct a roster stuffed with transfers, however actually we will at the least hopefully dip our toe within the water there and see if there are the correct people that may be a part of this program,” Muir mentioned final month.
When Shaw introduced his choice, he mentioned he felt the core of Stanford’s workforce “could be very, superb” and that the Cardinal is “not that far-off.” However since that call was introduced, at the least a few of that core has dwindled.
Not less than 15 Stanford gamers have entered the switch portal to depart this system within the week since Monday, together with linebacker Levani Damuni, who this season was a workforce captain and led the workforce in tackles.
Moreover, two-year starter Tanner McKee introduced he would declare for the NFL Draft on Thursday, that means Taylor will likely be inserting a brand new quarterback when taking up. (Granted, Taylor could also be used to distinctive conditions on the place, as he alternated between two quarterbacks in video games all season lengthy).
Stanford has additionally misplaced two four-star commits since Shaw’s resignation: edge rusher Hunter Clegg (who switched his dedication to Utah) and tight finish Walker Lyons, although Lyons solely reopened his recruiting course of and didn’t rule out the Cardinal.
Lyons went to Folsom Excessive College, the place Taylor used to work and simply down the highway from his present job. It could make sense if one of many first issues Taylor did on the recruiting path for the Cardinal is to go again to his outdated stomping grounds and attempt to get Lyons’ dedication again.
Laurence Miedema and Jon Wilner contributed to this report.
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