When Stanford announced the hiring of former UC Davis head coach Ron Gould as running backs coach, the addition of one of the premier teachers and evaluators of the position was well received among the Cardinal players.
One quick look at Gould’s success across the bay at rival Cal -- where he was an assistant from the spring of 1997 through the 2012 season -- was all the Stanford running backs and fullbacks needed to know to be excited, said head coach David Shaw.
“It’s a great group of guys who want to work,” Shaw said. “They look at themselves as a unit. Ron has come in and reinforced that culture that we’re going to work really well as a unit. Ron is one of those guys who is a positive motivator and day one they’ve appreciated his energy, his attention to detail and the fact that he loves it here and is excited to be here. Combine that with his track record and all these great running backs that he’s coached, and what they’ve said about him, it makes for an excited running backs room.”
Gould was let go by Aggies after his fourth season and the timing lined up almost perfectly for Stanford. Former Cardinal running backs coach Lance Taylor left to coach wide receivers for the Carolina Panthers, and Shaw, and the remaining staff, identified Gould as a top candidate from the start.
"I’ve known so many guys who have such respect for him," Shaw said. "Pete Alamar worked with him at Cal. He’s known him for years and always talked about him as a high caliber person. In the coaching circles he has a great reputation as a guy first and and second of all as a really, really good running backs coach."
If there is any conflict coaching players in cardinal and white after so many years at Cal, Gould gives no sign of it.
"It’s been a dream come true to be a part of this staff and be with Coach Shaw," he said after practice Saturday. "These men over here are exceptional. No messing around -- Coach Shaw wanted me, the staff wanted me. They made an offer to me and I’m so honored to be here. My wife (Teresa) and I, we feel like we’ve died and gone to heaven by being here at Stanford."
It's probably not a heavenly feeling for fans of the Golden Bears. Many of whom may now cringe as they remember what Gould helped build at Cal, and what that could mean for Stanford.
A quick reminder of Gould’s time at Cal: For 11 seasons he was the running backs coach, and then in 2008 he also was named associate head coach. He held those titles for two seasons, and then for his final two years in Berkeley he also was listed as the run-game coordinator.
His most famous pupils are Marshawn Lynch, Jahvid Best, Shane Vereen, Justin Forsett, and CJ Anderson. He also coached Adimchinobe Echemandu (Houston Texans) and fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou (Jacksonville Jaguars) at Cal.
Of course, coaching any position well in college requires identifying the right talent when they are in high school. Some might consider it easy to succeed with Lynch, Best and Vereen.
Lynch was nearly a five star at No. 28 overall in 2004 and Best was No. 94 in 2007, according to Rivals. Vereen (No. 175) also was a top recruit. But Forsett was a two star and Anderson a three star, and neither had another Pac-10 offer.
When he was the run-game coordinator at Cal the Golden Bears produced the following seasons:
2011: Isi Sofele (5-foot-8, 200 pounds, No. 34 Rivals running back) had 1,322 yards, 5.2 YPC and 10 touchdowns. Anderson (5-foot-11, 210) rushed for 345 yards, 4.8 YPC, eight touchdowns. He also had seven receptions for 186 yards and two more touchdowns.
2012: Sofele rushed for 757 yards, 5.2 YPC and four touchdowns. Anderson rushed for 790 yards, 6.3 YPC and four touchdowns. He caught 15 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown. Brendan Bigelow rushed for 431 yards, 9.8 YPC and three touchdowns. He caught seven passes for 92 yards and another touchdown.
The physical skills of the running backs Gould evaluated and brought into Cal vary throughout that list. But his eye for talent allowed him to see which recruits could fit into what was at one time a rushing attack machine at Cal.
"The No. 1 thing I look for is toughness," he said. "If I got a guy that is a tough hombre, that’s where it starts. Is he going to be a great fit for us? That is his character. And then you talk about him as a student and then his ability. But No. 1 is toughness. If the kid is tough, a kid has great character and a great student -- this is one of the preeminent universities in the world. You have to have guys who want to be CEOs of companies, graduate from a great university and also you want guys who aspire to help us win championships."
And whether he has been a head coach or assistant, his mindset about recruiting hasn't changed.
"The biggest thing is it doesn’t matter where you are, you have to understand what you have, the product you have at your university," he said. "If you can say unequivocally you know what you want in guys and you hold true to that (you will be successful)."
Gould has only worked with the Stanford running backs for one week on the practice field and in meetings. Projected starters at running back, Bryce Love, and fullback, Daniel Marx, are out with injuries. Love may practice in the second session of spring while Marx is scheduled to be back in the fall.
Fullback Reagan Williams and running backs Cameron Scarlett, Trevor Speights and Dorian Maddox are the focus of Gould's on-field teaching at the moment.
"These guys have an opportunity to grow exponentially taking the reps that they’re taking," he said. "We talk about seizing every moment. Every rep is the most important. I think the guys are doing a pretty good job."
When asked specifically about Scarlett and Speights -- who appeared to be in the top two spots in the live team sessions Saturday -- Gould offered his early evaluations:
"Trevor has good feet. It’s understanding his balance. Sometimes he can be a little bit out of control. Understand the balance he needs to have and the reads, the schemes if you will. When I talk about reads I’m talking about the schemes. Him understanding the schemes from a conceptual standpoint will allow him to take advantage of his athleticism."
"(Scarlett) has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He has a great grasp of the totality of our playbook. I’ve been very, very pleased with that. He has started to become a more vocal leader. He’s a quiet guy by nature. He, too, has a long way to go, but I’m very pleased with where he’s at."
