Stanford Football Head Coaching Hot Board: Nov. 30th
Ok, it is time for me to cook up my first Stanford football head coaching hot board. I’m time stamping this November 30th in case I cook up another one or want to add any other names to a future list. I need to stress that the names on the list are the names I’m seeing being talked about the most. These names are not coming up based on any inside information on what direction Stanford is planning to go. It’s entirely possible Stanford goes with someone not on this list. As has been in my experience with coaching searches, the end result can often be quite surprising. But with that being said, let’s dive in!
#1. Chris Petersen: The name that seems to be coming up the most frequently in connection with the Stanford head coaching vacancy is former Boise State and Washington head coach Chris Petersen. During his time at Boise State, Petersen lead the Broncos to two Fiesta Bowl championships (2006 & 2009), an overall record of 92-12 and a WAC/Mountain West record of 57-6.
At Washington, he went 55-26 overall and 34-20 in the Pac-12, guiding the Huskies to the Fiesta Bowl in 2017 and the Rose Bowl in 2018. Under his leadership, the Huskies were one of the top teams in the Pac-12. The only reason he’s no longer coaching is because he burned out and wanted a break. He’s got a pretty nice gig at Fox and he may enjoy the life of analyst too much to get back into the game, but everyone I’ve talked to thinks that if he was willing to take the job, he’d be the top choice for sure. He’s got a great coaching resume and also seems like a guy who would really embrace what Stanford is about.
If he were to be hired, one would think it would happen soon. So, the longer this search goes on, the more likely it is that Petersen has said thanks, but no thanks.
#2. Troy Taylor: Another name that is popping up almost as frequently if not as frequently as Chris Petersen is Troy Taylor, head coach at Sacramento State. After a brief career as an NFL quarterback following a strong collegiate career at Cal, Taylor has risen up the coaching ranks. He spent some time at Cal as a wide receivers and quarterbacks coach from 1996-98, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Utah from 2017-18 and now head coach at Sacramento State from 2019 to the present day.
During his time at Sacramento State, Taylor has guided the Hornets to an impressive 29-7 overall record and a ridiculous 23-1 record in the Big Sky. The past two seasons the Hornets have been undefeated in the Big Sky. The only real knock on his time at Sacramento State is his teams have not gotten past the second round of the NCAA tournament, but his overall body of work is still impressive. Especially since he’s doing this at Sacramento State, who historically is not very good.
If Petersen is not willing to take the job or do an interview, Taylor should be number two on Stanford’s list. One would have to think that if he is offered the position, Taylor would have a hard time turning it down. The only reason that would make any sense for him to not take the Stanford job is if he was highly confident that the Cal job will be his in the near future. But with Justin Wilcox under contract at Cal through 2027, it’s hard seeing Taylor being willing to wait around for a few more years to see that come through. But hey, maybe he bleeds blue and gold really hardcore and just can’t fathom crossing enemy lines.
#3. Bronco Mendenhall: Probably the third name I’ve seen pop up the most is former BYU/Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall. At BYU, Mendenhall guided the Cougars to an impressive 99-43 record and a 39-9 record in the Mountain West before switching to independent status in 2011. The Cougars made a bowl game in each of his 11 seasons, winning six of the first eight. The Cougars also won 10+ games in five of those 11 seasons. The last three seasons, BYU lost in their bowl games, so things cooled down a bit, but his tenure at BYU was still really impressive.
At Virginia, Mendenhall did not have the same kind of sustained success as he did at BYU, though he did have some good seasons. Mendenhall guided the Cavaliers to a 36-38 overall record and a 22-27 record in the ACC. His best season was in 2019 in which Virginia went 9-5 overall and 6-2 in the ACC, reaching the Orange Bowl.
What makes Mendenhall an interesting option for Stanford is he’s proven he can have success at institutions that aren’t traditionally the easiest of jobs. BYU and Virginia are both good academic schools that present their own unique challenges. BYU being a religious school with an honor code and a predominantly Latter-Day Saint student body and then Virginia being a topflight academic school that has real academic standards.
I would argue that Stanford is actually an easier job than both BYU and Virginia if they have the right head coach, so maybe Mendenhall would have a renaissance on The Farm. Mendenhall is also an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Stanford has had a lot of success with that recruiting pool, so he could also help keep that pipeline going as well. The only concern I have with Mendenhall is things flattening out over time under him, but his overall body of work still makes him a legit candidate.
#4. P.J. Fleck: Another name that’s been tossed around is P.J. Fleck, the current head coach at Minnesota. Fleck had a standout career as a wide receiver at Northern Illinois that landed him a brief stint with the San Francisco 49ers from 2004-05. Before being head coach at Minnesota, Fleck was the head coach at Western Michigan, guiding the Broncos to an impressive 30-22 overall record and 21-11 record in the MAC.
Fleck’s first year at Western Michigan (2013) was rough as they went 1-11 overall and 1-7 in the MAC, but in his final year (2016), they went 13-1 overall and 8-0 in the MAC, reaching the Cotton Bowl. So, he has shown an ability to turn programs around.
At Minnesota, Fleck has guided the Gophers to a 73-49 overall record and a 26-26 record in the Big Ten. His best season at Minnesota was in 2019 in which the Gophers went 11-2 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten. They finished the season ranked #10 in both the AP and Coaches polls, winning the Outback Bowl in the process.
Fleck has proven he can win and he’s done so at schools that historically aren’t the easiest of jobs. I would also argue that Minnesota is a tougher job than Stanford. It’s kind of the Cal of the Big Ten. Great academics, but not the best academic school in the conference and then also having a history of being solid but not amazing. If given the Stanford job, like Mendenhall, Fleck could have his most productive seasons ever.
#5. Brent Brennan: If Stanford wants to stick with a Bay Area head coach, Brent Brennan at San Jose State would be an interesting option. Brennan has coached at San Jose State for six seasons, guiding the Spartans to a 27-41 overall record and a 19-28 record in the Mountain West. The overall body of work doesn’t seem impressive, but he’s had a couple of really good seasons at San Jose State that make him a worthy candidate. In 2020, San Jose State went 7-1 overall and 7-0 in the Mountain West, finishing #24 in the AP and Coaches polls. This season, the Spartans went 7-4 overall and 5-3 in the Mountain West.
San Jose State is one of the hardest jobs in the nation. Anyone who can win there should be trusted to be able to win anywhere. While not the academic powerhouse that Stanford is, San Jose State is a well-respected academic institution that takes academics seriously. So the academic side is something that he should be able to embrace.
Brennan also has roots right in Stanford’s backyard, growing up in nearby Redwood City and playing his high school ball at St. Francis in Mountain View. He knows the area well and would have a smooth adjustment in that standpoint.
#6. Derek Mason: Derek Mason is one other name I’ve heard tossed around as a possible option. He spent some time on The Farm as a defensive backs coach under Jim Harbaugh during the 2010 season and later associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator under David Shaw from 2011 to 2013.
Mason left Stanford to be head coach at Vanderbilt from 2014 to 2020. Vanderbilt went 27-55 and 10-46 in the SEC during his time there. His best seasons was the 2016 and 2018 seasons in which Vanderbilt went 6-7 overall and 3-5 in the SEC, losing in their bowl games. He was fired before the end of the 2020 season after Vanderbilt got off to an 0-8 start.
Mason was part of the glory years of the late Harbaugh/early Shaw era and would certainly be a throwback to better days. He knows Stanford and might have better success being at a school that has more to offer while also not being in as tough of a conference as Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt I would argue is a tougher job than Stanford. If given all the resources the Stanford has to offer and the branding of the top power-five university in the nation, Mason could find real success at Stanford. I guess the only reason to doubt his candidacy and it’s a really good one is that Vanderbilt as a whole was pretty bad under him. It’s tough to justify hiring a coach who failed at their last job.
#7. Mike Bloomgren: Mike Bloomgren is the head coach at Rice. Under his leadership, the Owls have gone 16-38 overall and 12-25 in Conference USA. 2022 is the best season he’s had at Rice as the Owls went 5-7 overall and 3-5 in Conference USA.
What makes Bloomgren a candidate is he was at Stanford from 2011-2017 as run game coordinator and offensive line coach from 2011-12, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in 2013, and associate head coach/offensive coordinator/offensive line coach from 2014-17. He knows Stanford well and now has head coaching experience at another top academic school.
The problem with Bloomgren is Rice has not been very good under him. They’ve been in the really bad to mediocre bad range under him. He would make sense because of his Stanford ties, but in a lot of ways would be a pretty uninspiring hire.
#8. Greg Roman: Greg Roman is the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, a role he has had since 2019. The Ravens have been a good team during Roman’s time as offensive coordinator, going 14-2 in 2019 in which Roman was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.
Roman also has Stanford ties as he was the tight end and offensive tackles coach during the 2009-10 seasons. So he’s familiar with Stanford and how it operates. He also has worked with both Jim Harbaugh at Stanford and John Harbaugh with the Ravens, so having their stamp approval will be something in his favor if he wants this job.
My main concern about Roman is he’s never been a head coach before and the NFL and college game are very different. He’s really more of an NFL guy and Stanford might be better served going with someone who is more of a college guy. But if they’re looking for a guy with an NFL background, Roman is probably their best option if he would take the job.
#9. Jim Leonhard: Jim Leonhard is the interim head coach at Wisconsin, taking over for Paul Chryst, whom the Badgers fired earlier this season. Leonhard has a 4-3 record as a head coach, all Big Ten games, so he’s shown he has an ability to coach and do so in a competitive league.
After a 10 year career as a safety in the NFL, Leonard came on board the Wisconsin Badgers’ coaching staff as an assistant. He was defensive backs coach in 2016 and defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach from 2017 to the present day where he is now interim head coach.
Leonhard certainly is an interesting option for the Cardinal to consider. He’s shown he can coach and likely will get picked up for some head coaching role after the season. However, he might first be looking to see if he can take over the Wisconsin job permanently and he also doesn’t have any ties to Stanford or any Pac-2 program. Wisconsin is his alma mater and he’s likely a better fit either at Wisconsin or somewhere else in the Big Ten.
#10. Jonathan Smith: Jonathan Smith is the current head coach at Oregon State. He’s coached the Beavers to a 25-31 overall record and an 18-25 record in the Pac-12. Not super impressive, but in 2022 they did go 9-3 overall and 6-3 in the Pac-12. Oregon State is a tough job and if he can succeed there, one has to think he could succeed at Stanford.
The biggest reason why it’s unlikely Smith takes the Stanford job is because he’s an Oregon State alum and is just starting to find his groove. I just don’t see him leaving behind his alma mater for a rebuild at Stanford.
#11. Vic Fangio: Taking this list to 11, Vic Fangio is one whose name has bounced around. He was head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2019-21, where they went 19-30 overall, never making the playoffs. His current role is defensive consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The reason why Fangio’s name comes up is he was defensive coordinator for Stanford during the 2010 season before leaving to take the same job with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14. Stanford had a really good defense during his time on The Farm.
The main reason I would question Fangio being a good candidate is simply the fact that he’s more of an NFL guy and during his time as an NFL head coach, the Broncos weren’t very good. But, maybe with a second crack at the bat as a head coach at Stanford he could turn a new leaf.
Publisher’s choice: There are three additional names that I’m adding to the list as a separate “Publisher’s choice” category. Not because I’ve heard their names come up, but because I personally think they would make sense for Stanford to consider.
#1. Kalani Sitake: A coach who I think would be a great fit for Stanford if he wanted the job is BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. Sitake took over for Bronco Mendenhall at BYU and has done a wonderful job navigating BYU’s time as an independent. BYU has gone 55-34 overall during his time as head coach and in 2020 and 2021, BYU won 10+ games.
Sitake would bring a lot of energy and passion to The Farm and seems like a guy who would really embrace all that Stanford has to offer if he were given the position. He would also help keep the pipeline of Latter-Day Saints to the program.
The reason why I don’t see this one happening is BYU is moving to the Big XII next season and he’s worked really hard to help make that happen. One has to think he’s going to want to coach in the new Big XII era of BYU football, but that doesn’t mean Stanford shouldn’t at least give him a ring and force him to say no.
#2. Jay Hill: If Stanford wants to try another Big Sky head coach, Jay Hill at Weber State could be an interesting option for them to consider. Hill has guided the Wildcats to a 67-38 overall record and a 50-19 record in the Big Sky. The Wildcats made back-to-back quarterfinal appearances in the 2017 and 2018 NCAA tournaments. In truth, he’s had a more impressive body of work than Troy Taylor at Sacramento State and it’s not like Weber State is the easiest of jobs, either. He consistently has the Wildcats ranked in the top ten in the FCS rankings and at 47 years of age, he feels like a guy who is due for a chance to be the head coach at a power five school.
An added bonus is with Weber State being located in Utah, Hill could help keep the Utah/LDS recruiting pipeline going. He’s obviously not the only candidate on this list who could do that but given how that has been a good source of talent for Stanford, it’s certainly something he has going for him.
#3. Tony Reno: I’m personally a fan of Stanford looking at the Ivy League to see if there’s any good candidates. Right now, there is a legit option in Yale head coach Tony Reno. Reno has led the Bulldogs to a 60-40 overall record and a 40-30 record in the Ivy League during his time in New Heaven. Reno has been the head coach of Yale since 2012, so he has plenty of experience and he’s also helped guide the Bulldogs to some really strong seasons.
This year, the Bulldogs went 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the Ivy League, which was good enough for first place. In 2017 and 2019, Reno led the Bulldogs to a 9-1 overall record and a 6-1 record in the Ivy League. 2017 being a first place finish and 2019 being tied for first place. So that’s three Ivy League championships/co-championships.
Reno has shown that he can coach and also shown a willingness to coach at one of the top academic institutions in the world. If given the chance to coach at Stanford, he could end up having a lot of success.
Best in-house promotion: Sometimes programs go the route of promoting someone on staff to the position of head coach. I don’t think that would be the right move for Stanford, but if they were to promote anyone to head coach, Lance Anderson would be the guy. He’s been at Stanford for 16 seasons and spent nine seasons as defensive coordinator. There is a possibility that he could have success if he got new coordinators and embraced much more of a CEO type of role that others wanted David Shaw to have.
Anderson knows how to recruit to Stanford, he could keep the LDS pipeline going since he’s a member of the church, and the top young talent on this team are on defense: David Bailey and R.J. Cooper. Both those guys came to Stanford in no small part to be coached by Anderson. So, giving him a chance to coach them could be cool.
That all said, Anderson might be best served staying on staff under the new head coach in a different capacity. He would be a perfect recruiting director and serving in more of an administrative role.
Everyone on my site is saying NO: There’s one guy who everyone on my site is saying Stanford should not hire: Pep Hamilton. We actually have a thread on our message boards called NO PEP HAMILTON, so I feel obliged to put this out there.
Hamilton is the current offensive coordinator of the Houston Texans, who are 1-9 and have the second lowest scoring offense in the NFL. The Texans clearly need to clean house and Hamilton is among the people who need to go.
The reason why Hamilton’s name has come up is because he was at Stanford from 2010-12 as wide receiver’s coach and offensive coordinator while also working with Andrew Luck again with the Indianapolis Colts as offensive coordinator from 2013-15. His only head coaching experience is in the XFL where he went 3-2 with the DC Defenders in 2020.
Just looking at his body of work, he seems to be a pretty weak candidate and one who Stanford would be wise to not consider for their head coaching job. He does know Stanford, but that’s really the only thing he has going for him. If he had more success with the Texans, that would be different, but it’s hard to justify hiring a guy to be head coach who is the offensive coordinator for one of the weakest offenses in the NFL.
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