A couple weeks back, Scott Ostler of The San Francisco Chronicle wrote a piece that asked the following question: “Time for Stanford to punt on football?” It was a ridiculous question to ask, but sadly there are others who have bought into the foolish narrative that Stanford can no longer compete on the gridiron. It’s a topic I frequently get asked about whenever I hop on a radio show or podcast. While it’s no secret that Stanford football has fallen from where they once were, it is ludicrous to suggest that they are doomed for failure and that they can’t compete in this modern age. As one who covers Stanford athletics closer than anybody, let me explain why.
RELATED: Stanford battles hard in loss to #9 Oregon
The first reason why it’s preposterous to suggest Stanford can’t compete in football anymore is the simple fact that we’ve seen Stanford rise from the ashes before. In 2006, Stanford went 1-11 under head coach Walt Harris in his second season. At this point, I’m sure there were many who wondered whether or not Stanford could still compete in football or whether or not this was the best they could do.
After firing Harris, Stanford hired Jim Harbaugh to turn the program around and boy did he deliver the goods. After a couple of mediocre seasons in 2007 and 2008, Harbaugh guided the Cardinal to an 8-5 overall season in 2009 and a 12-1 season in 2010 that included an Orange Bowl championship. The Cardinal finished the 2010 season ranked #4 in the nation.
From 2011 to 2018 under head coach David Shaw, the Cardinal made a bowl game every season, four of which were BCS bowl games: 0-1 in the Fiesta Bowl and 2-1 in the Rose Bowl. Overall, Stanford went 5-3 in the bowl games they played in. While many who have followed the program closely will tell you that the warnings signs of Stanford’s eventually decline came before the 2018 season, the 2019 season was the first season in which the on field results truly reflected the decline that others were fearing. Stanford went 4-8 overall that season and lost the Big Game against Cal for the first time since 2009. At this point, it was clear to many that Shaw had lost his touch and that things needed to change if he were to continue on as head coach.
After hanging on to Shaw through the 2022 season, Stanford and Shaw eventually came to a mutual parting of ways as Stanford finished the season 3-9 for the second straight season. The program was down and in about as depressing of a state as it ever had been. Many players who graduated entered the transfer portal, seeking greener pastures for their final season of NCAA eligibility. This left new head coach Troy Taylor with not much to work with in his first season.
As a result, the Cardinal now find themselves in a position where they are 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the Pac-12. It’s a situation very similar to what Harbaugh inherited in 2007. There are some challenges that Taylor has in front of him that Harbaugh didn’t have to deal with like a much more flexible transfer portal, but if Harbaugh could find a way to dig Stanford out of the mess they were in, there’s no reason to doubt Taylor’s ability to do the same. Especially since Taylor has turned around a program before.
When Taylor first came to Sacramento State in 2019, they were coming off a 2-8 season in which they went winless in the Big Sky. He was able to turn them into an FCS powerhouse instantly as they went 9-4 overall in his first season and became co-champions of the Big Sky. Since then, the Hornets have sustained a high level of success all thanks to Taylor and the way he was able to turn them around.
The second reason why it’s absurd to write off Stanford’s ability to succeed in football is the fact that they are becoming more open to accepting transfers and early enrollees. Given how things have gone on that front in the past couple of seasons, all signs indicate that admissions wants to be as cooperative as possible. Towards the end of the Shaw era, they started opening things up a lot more with early enrollees and back in the spring/winter, they were able to get multiple transfers admitted. Even baseball and softball added transfers over the summer. If admissions is working with those sports, you know they’re going to be working with football, too.
This isn’t to say Stanford will ever become a program that takes in 20+ transfers a season, but given how much the academic side sells itself, they’re likely to not need to rely on such an influx of transfers anyways. The transfer portal frequently gets used as a reason for why Stanford is doomed to fail, but the truth is admissions is becoming more flexible and eager to help out as much as they can.
One other thing I should add is the element of NIL. Stanford has put together a collective called Lifetime Cardinal LLC. With each passing season, that collective is expected to strengthen. So on top of getting support from the admissions side, there is also going to be more support from the alumni side to build up that collective.
The third reason why Stanford can get back to football prominence is the fact that they have a strong 2024 class coming in. At the moment, Stanford has 26 recruits committed for 2024 and a recruiting class that is ranked #22 in the latest Rivals team recruiting rankings. As the late Jerry Sloan said, you can’t win the Kentucky Derby with a jackass. You need some thoroughbreds and Stanford has some thoroughbreds coming in.
If Stanford was doomed for failure in football, they wouldn’t have such a strong class committed. It’s clear that even with their recent struggles on the field, the value and weight of a Stanford degree combined with a beautiful campus and perfect weather helps a lot on the recruiting trail. That and the fact that they can point to all the successful teams they’ve had over the seasons. Stanford is a place where you can win. That shouldn’t be hard to sell.
The fourth reason why writing off Stanford is a mistake is the fact that contrary to what some are saying, the university does care about football and more broadly athletics. 12% of Stanford undergraduate students are athletes. That’s more than 1 in 10. If you walk around campus, you will see many athletes either walking or biking around. They’re easy to spot by their backpacks and name tags that attach on the back. Not only that, but across campus you see a lot of reminders of the excellence that Stanford has in athletics. Pictures of different teams, banners that list all the NCAA championships, etc.
Success in athletics is a huge part of Stanford’s identity. It’s a big part of what separates them from the traditional Ivy League schools on the East Coast. They take tremendous pride in excelling in athletics AND academics. They want to be competitive in athletics and they know how important a competitive football team is to the overall health of their athletic program. That’s why they are opening things up with the transfer portal and trying to be as flexible and accommodating as possible on the admissions side.
Finally, Stanford has a home in a major conference. While it took longer than they would have liked, Stanford does have a home for the 2024 season and beyond in the ACC. The ACC is a power conference that perfectly aligns with Stanford’s athletic and academic goals. If they didn’t have a power conference or were wandering into the wilderness of independence, there would be a lot more to be concerned about. But given that they have a home and it’s in a major conference, that more than anything should give Stanford hope for a brighter future.
To wrap this all up, the combination of their world class academics, athletic tradition, and membership in a power conference gives Stanford plenty of ammunition to work with in terms of turning their football program around. The 2024 class is already strong and with admissions doing all they can to be of help to the program, it’s clear that the path to building strong classes in 2025 and beyond is there. Troy Taylor’s work is certainly cut out for him and he knows that. But to count him out and say the program is doomed for failure? That’s a laughable argument that nobody should take seriously.
CardinalSportsReport.com on Facebook & Twitter: @StanfordRivals
Ben Parker on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter: @slamdunk406
Email: slamdunk406@yahoo.com
