CBS Sports releases first Stanford coaching hot board following David Shaw stepping down

After going 3-9 for the second consecutive season, Stanford head football coach David Shaw stepped down on Sunday. Now, a search for Stanford’s new coach is underway.

Shaw’s tenure at Stanford began on a high note, with bowl appearances in each of his first eight seasons. The eighth and final bowl appearance came in 2018, though, and the Cardinal have not won more than four games in a season since then.

Overall, Shaw finished his time at Stanford with a record of 96-54, which includes a 5-3 record in bowl games.

Stanford’s search for a new head coach could go a number of ways, and CBS Sports unveiled their initial hot board with some interesting names included in the list of candidates. That list includes some rather intriguing names, while some familiar coordinators have appeared again, just as they have in most other searches across the nation.

Stanford coaching candidates, via CBS Sports

Former Washington head coach Chris Peterson
Former Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall
Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien
Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Derek Mason
Duke head coach Mike Elko
Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren
Sacramento State head coach Troy Taylor

The list of candidates from CBS Sports begins with a pair of former head coaches in Chris Petersen and Bronco Mendenhall. Petersen has 14 years of experience as a head coach, with eight years at Boise State and six at Washington. In his career, he has compiled an impressive record of 147-38 and has made a bowl game in 13 of his 14 seasons. Petersen last coached in 2019, and is currently an analyst with FOX. Mendenhall has 17 years of experience, with 11 at BYU and six at Virginia. He last coached in 2021, and has a career record of 135-81 with 14 bowl appearances.

Next on the list of candidates for Stanford’s next head coach are a pair of high-profile coordinators. Bill O’Brien has popped up in virtually every coaching search over the past couple of years. He is currently Alabama’s offensive coordinator, and he was a head coach at Penn State from 2012-2013 and with the Houston Texans from 2014-2020. At Penn State, he led the Nittany Lions to a 15-9 record in two seasons.

Derek Mason has experience at Stanford, as he spent 2010-2013 as an assistant on the Cardinal staff. He was Vanderbilt‘s head coach from 2014-2020, and he was Auburn‘s defensive coordinator in 2021 before taking the same position at Oklahoma State prior to this season.

The inclusion of Mike Elko is an interesting one, as he just wrapped up his first season as Duke’s head coach. He led the Blue Devils to an 8-4 record this season, an incredible turnaround. He also has experience at multiple spots around the country as an assistant, including Wake Forest, Notre Dame and Texas A&M.

Mike Bloomgren is another former Stanford assistant that could have a shot as Shaw’s replacement. He coached the offensive line at Stanford from 2011-2017, and he also has multiple years of experience as an assistant in the NFL. Rice is 16-38 since 2018 under his watch, though the program has improved each year.

Troy Taylor has extensive experience all over the west coast as an assistant, and he has done an incredible job at Sacramento State as the program’s head coach. Since 2019, they are 29-7 which includes a perfect 11-0 mark this season. Taylor could be one of the top coaches in line to take over at a Power 5 job, and Stanford could potentially be the right fit for him.