Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - Printable Version
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Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - msqueri - 11-04-2025
Ok, tired of tweaking and eager to put it out in the universe and hear what Stanford fans think:
1) Matt’s Id’s Primal Scream: James Franklin! Nick Saban! Chip Kelly! Urban Meyer! Part of me really does believe that our death spiral is challenging enough and the landscape shifting enough that we really need a seismic splash to grab eyeballs and force our way into a new zip code in the attention economy. I think it would be a disservice to not at least see if Frankin, who has one of the best turnaround resume items in the sport with what he did at Vanderbilt and would be coming into the gig absolutely pissed off to prove his greatness, might have any interest. Saban’s splash would put all other splashes to shame and would supercharge the program like nothing else, and since I consider him a superior coach to Walsh or Belichick I don’t worry as much about the Walsh II type risk. Kelly is probably done as a head coach and I know isn’t everybody’s cup of tea but he would likely be a narrative boost and instant offense; the concern I’d have with several of the biggest splashes – CEO/alpha energy that could be a disastrous clash with Luck’s leadership role – might not apply to Kelly if he’s content with Luck doing most of the representational, fundraising, and recruiting work. In this category I am mainly just making the point that there may be nothing else we could do to resuscitate the patient quite like a jolt like this, not that any of these are realistic. Although Franklin may be different. We know he’s determined to come back to a Power Four job right away and if Luck thinks they could coexist….you never know.
2) Chris Klieman (Kansas State): This is a wish list so I’m going to include the guy who seems like arguably the most perfect Stanford candidate, but I don’t have any reason to think we’d have a prayer of prying him. Four FCS championships at North Dakota State and five 8+ win seasons at Kansas State is a mouth-watering resume, especially the latter showing sustainable relevance at a program where that’s not a given. And how he’s done it is through the simplicity, toughness, and physicality I crave. As a bonus he cares about academics and culture. As with the other Kansas guy I pine for below, the last three year trajectory has been at least somewhat concerning. But maybe that could create a desire to freshen things up in new scenery? Crazier things have happened, but it would be pretty crazy.
3) Lance Leipold (Kansas): When I hear Luck talk about what he wants in a coach it seems to be describing Leipold to an uncanny degree. Across Leipold’s stellar multi-school career (six Division III national championships at Wisconsin-Whitewater, phenomenal rebuilding of Buffalo, admirable bringing of Kansas to respectability despite high degree of difficulty), he has been the consummate teacher and developer, humble yet supremely confident in self, and sustainably focused on process and repetition. He’s everything we’d want, and might be a more logical fit to pair with Luck than bigger names. We’d have to pay a significant buyout as we would with any Power Four coach in good standing and I would have at least some worry that the Kansas trajectory the last few years has been going in the wrong direction and the Kansas success may have a lot to do with happening to have a good QB, but I’m a really big fan. My wife would be pissed though.
4) Dave Doeren (NC State): I wouldn’t let him go if I were his employer but you never know. Sometimes people get tired of too much of a good but not great thing and do something they regret. Or maybe we could make an aggressive financial play for him or another good Power Four coach. I used to think Doeren and NC State were boring but now that he’s had so much staying power and we play in their conference I appreciate him as so freaking rock solid. Just the absolute epitome of consistency (this will be his 11th bowl in the last 12 years and he could make it the 10th 7+ win season in that stretch).
5) Jedd Fisch (Washington): Similar story here where I think Washington would be foolish to let him go but if the rumors are going to persist I’d be interested in making a run at it. I think he’s a really good coach and his teacher energy vibes strike me as one of the best fits in the nation for what Luck says he is looking for in a coach. My one concern is that I would prefer a coach whose identity is good hard-nosed blocking and Fisch’s teams have merely been effective, not dominant, up front. This probably only makes sense if it’s mutual and Washington wants to move on.
6) Matt Campbell (Iowa State): Campbell has been one of my dreams going back over a decade to his Toledo years and he continues to show he can have Iowa State competing at a level beyond what that program deserves. If the NFL and big-time college programs couldn’t get him all these years I’d be shocked if we could, plus the buyout for a coach in good standing would be tough, but fundamentally I don’t feel like I know for certain the level we’ll be operating at with this coaching hire and don’t want to self-censor on coaches I like. Campbell’s teams’ blocking hasn’t been as good as one would think given his OL background but I still like his teams’ identity and like him a lot as somebody who can win at a program without many advantages.
7) Bob Chesney (James Madison): Excellent multi-stop success that is often a hallmark of the most underrated coaches in the sport (23-9 at Salve Regina, 44-16 at Assumption with three ranked Division II playoff teams, 44-21 at Holy Cross with four ranked FCS teams in a row, and now succeeding at FBS James Madison including 9 wins last year and a team this year slightly better than the already high baseline he inherited from Cignetti). Very good culture fit for Stanford, though we would be banking on competence more than the sexiness, boat-rocking, and intensity I think it's possible we need to jolt ourselves out of this. No Power Four experience in any capacity is scary. It also should be noted that the James Madison Cignetti created was spectacular, so it’s not like the current success was building. But the multi-stop success alleviates the concern he can’t build, and I think this is a wonderful fit for the teacher energy Luck will probably want.
8) Ryan Silverfield (Memphis): Successful Group of Five coach who shoots up my list because his model – following a varied career involving sizable stretches in high school, NFL, and college – focuses on player development and, specifically, his teams are elite at offensive line play. He’s had two top 25 teams at Memphis and this year looks like it might be a third. Wish he had more time working under good college coaches (the highlight being several years with Mike Norvell and one year with Matt Campbell) but I am really head over heels in love with what Memphis has done under him in terms of blocking dominance. I don’t think he’s a great fit or a terrible fit for Stanford as an institution. Only having done it as head coach at one school is a red flag, especially since Memphis was great when he got there, but I would gladly take at this point what Fuente and Norvell gave Virginia Tech and Florida State.
9) Scott Satterfield (Cincinnati): He fits a profile I have found to work time and time again in difficult turnaround situations, which is a multi-stop proven solid guy who was at least credible as a Power Four coach, which Satterfield has been at Louisville and now Cincinnati following his more obvious success at Appalachian State. Not sexy and would be an odd geographic fit for us but a good coach (especially appealing that his teams have tended to block really well) we could do a lot worse than.
10) Jon Sumrall (Tulane): Attractive as somebody who has succeeded at two FBS programs – two of the three best years in Troy’s 24 years in FBS and now two good teams in a row at Tulane, albeit after inheriting a very good program – and has fiery, energetic traits that are attractive for a rebuild. Seems obvious that he would wait for an SEC opportunity so not worth getting our hopes up too much.
11) Todd Monken (Baltimore Ravens OC): Could be really attractive for a brain trust inclined toward the NFL, as he has been a good coordinator in the Harbaugh orbit and also has excellent college and recruiting bona fides as the coordinator of back-to-back national champion Georgia teams. For my analytical purposes, the trajectory he managed as head coach at Southern Miss was exciting proof of concept that he was equipped to be a really good college head coach, even before the resume items he’s now famous for. Working for Harbaugh, Kirby Smart, and Mike Gundy scores well on the mentor/exemplar scale. Only having the three years as a head coach before volunteering off that carousel and not hopping back on raises some questions.
12) Dave Clawson (unemployed): The former Wake Forest coach, who was great there before the transfer portal and NIL sucked the life out of him and he bowed out at least somewhat gracefully on a faster and more self-aware timeline than what we saw with Shaw, is one of my absolute archetypes of multi-school program-building success at places that aren’t easy to succeed, He would be catnip to Stanford administrators as somebody who cares about the right things and does things the right way. His track record at Wake, Bowling Green, Richmond, and Fordham is great. But obviously having eventually flamed out in the ACC is a red flag, and Stanford fans may not be eager to see the slow mesh make its return. When I think of something we could do that is a realistic pick to get a Stanford-aligned, sustainable over-achiever who could mesh (ugh, sorry) with Luck in a division of responsibilities, this is way high up on my list.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - msqueri - 11-04-2025
13) Alex Golesh (South Florida): One of the hot names on the market given his excellent trajectory at USF. I adore his mentors, Matt Campbell and Josh Heupel. It’s dangerous to try to replicate the sui generis Harbaugh but Golesh’s trademark intensity and high expectations could be just what we need. Some risk that the offensive chops are overrated and owed more to Heupel and I also wonder how the intensity model plays when the head coach doesn’t run the program. I also don’t love that his teams don’t rely on good OL play as I’m kind of set on exorcising that demon.
14) Brian Kelly (unemployed): I really struggled with where to put him. I think he ranks with Saban and Harbaugh as one of the true all-time greats. If anything, I think he gets far too little credit from the masses because he’s such a dick. I also understand how apoplectic many Stanford people would be given the deaths on his watch and, yeah, the general dickishness. But he’s basically as good as it gets and may still have gas in the tank. Of course it’s well-known that he’s one of the winningest coaches ever, tied with Saban. He’s been a really good coach at five programs and even though he’s coached at big programs has Power Four turnaround chops – both LSU and Notre Dame were pretty dumpy immediately before him. Just truly one of the greats. But I know he’s distasteful to most and it’s not happening.
15) Chris Petersen (tv commentator): The former Washington and Boise State coach may be, for the purposes of this exercise, what happens when Dave Clawson and Brian Kelly have a baby – uber alignment with Stanford and uber head coaching chops. So why isn’t he higher? I think it’s possible somebody could be away for coaching for six years and be good (in fact I can tell you some examples in the past it's happened) but in this day and age of a very new competitive landscape, that is awfully daunting. I just wouldn’t feel as confident in this as you’d think with one of the great West Coast coaches of my lifetime.
16) Dabo Swinney (Clemson): On the one hand, the coach I have thought for many years would be the dream big kahuna fit for Stanford could finally become available because he’s worn out his welcome in his current job. On the other hand….it’s because he’s worn out his welcome. The luster has faded dramatically for Swinney and I do not have nearly the confidence he would have the fire I am assuming for Franklin, so Swinney goes from #1 on my post-Shaw list to much lower. But there is real value in the big splash if he doesn’t go full Belichick.
17) Billy Napier (unemployed): The fired Florida coach had the level of Power Four success that can work out with retreads and his process-driven builder mentality could jibe with where Stanford has tried to go post-Shaw. I like his Swinney/Saban pedigree and that his teams tend to block well. That he took assistant gigs at Colorado State and Arizona State could indicate more geographic flexibility than some might assume. His star has dimmed for me as it’s pretty rough to join Ron Zook as the only Florida coaches in 65 years not to have a nine win season.
18) Doug Marrone (New England Patriots OL coach): I am not hearing anybody else mention the former Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach and I very well may be the one missing something/the boat entirely, but to me he’s fascinating as an OL-oriented, proven college turnaround artist (Syracuse) who has spent a lot of successful time in college (which has seemed important in the past to separate out which NFL guys are most likely to translate back to college), including post-pandemic stints at Alabama and Boston College. Not having been a head coach at all post-pandemic is a red flag as it may indicate lack of drive and/or that he’s in a different season of life but he checks a lot of boxes for me for a guy who’s not in a very high-profile job right now.
19) Brian Daboll (New York Giants): Only plausible if he gets fired and even then timing is awkward but he would be a good candidate for the kind of coach who would translate well from the NFL to college. His year of college coordinating experience was under Saban and between that and his years under Belichick and McDermott he has been a part of a lot of good football teams. I don’t shy from NFL retreads and somebody who has won NFL Coach of the Year and Assistant of the Year and has five Super Bowl rings is pretty attractive as far as NFL to college transitions go. He’s young enough that I could see a solid translation/fire for the college game.
20) Jonathan Smith (Michigan State): One of the West Coast’s top coaches may soon flame out in the Big 10 and if so I think that would be a rash move by the Spartans (Smith has them #67 in just his second year after inheriting a scandal stunned program) and the timing could be right for us to pounce. He’s had good blocking teams and I think is a good coach but it would be at least a bit scary to bank on a just-fired Power Four coach.
21) Doug Pederson (unemployed): The former Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach is not the obvious college pedigree as he’s spent no time in college since he was playing and no time in FBS ever, but he doesn’t currently have a job and Reich is part of his coaching tree, so this could something appealing that comes our way via the Luck-Reich NFL preference pipeline.
22) Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State): I am not as sold as some that he’s the next legend but I’m still pretty into him. To have two top 40 teams in his last two years after picking up Herm Edwards’ scandal wreckage the year before is a nice start to his head coaching career. The energy and vigor would be fun, though the personality and approach seem opposite to the process/structure/teaching vibe I’ve tended toward in some selections out of my sense of where Luck would want to go and what would fit with what we think we’re building. It also seems like an unlikely marriage that would only happen if we threw money around to make him spurn the alma mater.
23) Greg Roman (Los Angeles Chargers OC): This would be a play to obtain instant offense and scheme advantage, relative to college, while the program slogs through a several year process to field a more competitive roster. In the meantime, we would have a better shot at establishing competence in the trenches and advancing Luck’s vision for the identity of the team than under virtually any other coach. We would run the risk of an untested head coach. Long-time NFL coordinator but not a head coach is not a model I’m familiar working a lot in college. But we are in a different era and it’s easy to daydream a scenario where this is great.
24) Luke Fickell (Wisconsin): I imagine many here will be interested if he gets fired as expected. I do not think a progressively declining trajectory in his Power Four break is the recipe for success we need, but he’s coached a lot of top 50 teams (at Cincinnati numerous top 25 teams) and that in itself is a pedigree some guys I’m contemplating here can only hope they’re able to accomplish some day. He also could be a very good culture fit.
25) Dave Aranda (Baylor): A California boy and a nerd at heart who has been stuck in the heart of Texas for years and at times in the past has been mentioned as interested in the Stanford job. Having losing seasons as often as winning seasons as Baylor has dramatically lessened appeal nationally and he’s now just a mediocre Power Four guy working to keep his job each year. But if you dig in to computer rankings his five year median is #30 and his three year median is #48. Either way, it’s a level of play that reaches the level my past research has shown is an attractive level for an established Power Four coach if you’re looking for somebody from another program who could be a good bet for a turnaround in a new environment. This is reminiscent in some ways of Mendenhall prior to Virginia, Graham prior to Arizona State, Cutcliffe prior to Duke (an especially attractive comparison given the depth of rebuild we need), Kiffin prior to Ole Miss, Dykes prior to TCU, and Brohm prior to Louisville. Couple that with a supposed personality/institution fit, California ties, and the potential convenience of bringing on the OG Wisconsin defense architect if we want to retain some of our defensive concepts/personality, and this doesn’t strike me as the worst idea.
26) Bronco Mendenhall (Utah State): The most pre-Levin Stanford thing we could possibly do. A good man and good coach who is primarily about values and personal development and doing things the right way. If we decided the institutional traffic couldn’t bear further selling out, giving it a go with a coach who didn’t require us to sacrifice any high ground and packing it up if it didn’t work out would be the most Stanford thing ever. While this isn’t sexy and lacks ambition, there is something to be said for just getting a good coach. Mendenhall had tremendous success at BYU (five 10+ win teams), turned Virginia around with two 8+ win seasons including an Orange Bowl (and my research shows that coaches who have already turned a program around have a skill set that can make it happen again), and had a sole 5-7 season at New Mexico that was their most wins in eight years, though so far at Utah State in his first year he hasn’t done anything special. Just a solid coach and a good fit for Stanford.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - msqueri - 11-04-2025
27) Mark Stoops (Kentucky): I had earlier talked myself into having Stoops much higher in the likely event he gets fired from Kentucky, largely because I think a competent SEC coach can be a boon and because I like the Stoops family, especially for turnaround situations. On reflection I’m not sure I’m feeling it for Stanford. But we could do a lot worse.
28) Charles Huff (Southern Miss): Energetic, motivational culture builder with bona fides from two FBS head coach jobs plus a great network of mentors. First year at Southern Miss has been spectacular so far, an insane 109 spots better than he inherited and 64 spots better than the five year median, which follows 32-20 at Marshall including two 9+ win seasons including ten wins his last year. Love that he’s worked for Nick Saban, James Franklin, PJ Fleck, and Ralph Friedgen. I am somewhat chastened by somebody I trust throwing some cold water on my enthusiasm about the fit and how impressed I am, rightly pointing out that these G5 schools have been able to succeed in the past and are not the hardest jobs.
29) Mike Norvell (Florida State): Another program’s trash could be our treasure. I loved what he had going on at Florida State until the undefeated team got spurned and it messed with the vibes and they never recovered. That the program lacked resilience under his watch is not good. But even this year he’s got a fringe top 30 team and somebody who has consistently been at that level at both Memphis and Florida State has some chops. Scares me that he’s been in such a different environment relying on such a different model than what he’d need to do at Stanford.
30) Brent Brennan (Arizona): I’m not as big a fan as I once was as he’s proven more methodical than supernova at both San Jose State and Arizona, but he’s managed very positive trajectories at both. Bona fide Bay Area native coaching prospects don’t grow on trees. Having Arizona as respectable as he has them this year has my attention.
31) Jake Dickert (Wake Forest): The former Washington State coach already having the Demon Deacons with more wins this year than either of the last two has my attention. Three year inherited median of #87 and now in the first year is #66. Not world-beating, but I don’t think Wazzu or Wake in recent years are the easiest places and he’s managed a winning record.
32) Sean Lewis (San Diego State): This is my pick for the geographically obvious, likely gettable, underrated option so much better than his record suggests. I would dig it more than you’d think for a 34-41 Group of Five coach. It’s hard to call him a diamond in the rough since San Diego State is one of the better Group of Five jobs, but I feel like he’s really going under the radar. At 39 he’s still young and hungry and I think the two jobs that didn’t work out were more feathers in the cap than black marks – as head coach at Kent State he had two of their five 7+ win seasons in 50 years and as an assistant at Colorado it seemed like Prime scapegoated him but even getting picked for that all-star staff was a nice nod. Now at San Diego State he’s got them one of the top ten non-Power Four programs in the country. He’s probably not elite though and this is more a backup plan than something to be excited about.
33) Eric Morris (North Texas): I am not inclined to think either deep Texas ties guys or Washington State spread offense guys are a fit for us and I’m not really here either, but I’d be remiss not to mention a guy with at least some multi-school success (a ranked Incarnate Word team) and an impressive steadily-improving trajectory in his current G5 role. Having North Texas on the cusp of top 50 this year is spectacular. An upward trajectory like that is something I feel like I can’t ignore as it was a lower level coaching hallmark for Jeff Brohm, PJ Fleck, Dave Clawson, and Jim Harbaugh. A really good sign. I feel pretty confident Morris, like Golesh above, will be a good coach for somebody with this hallmark.
34) Jason Eck (New Mexico): So far so good at New Mexico (17 spots better than what he inherited and 45 spots higher than the five year median) and if that continues it couples with his progressively improving FCS playoff seasons at Idaho to paint a picture of one of the West’s more competent coaches. He’s a culture and offensive line specialist, two of the more attractive profiles for us, but compared to some others who have established themselves more in FBS I think it’s risky to give him too much credit in those dimensions before proving himself more. Generally speaking, if we were to hire a Group of Five coach I’d want somebody who’d coached a few top 60 teams, not merely someone doing well relative to their school’s historical norm.
35) KC Keeler (Temple): People will think I’m crazy including somebody who will be 67 before next season and only has a few years of FBS experience but this guy is an awesome coach (winningest coach in football now that Brian Kelly isn't active) and I think would be a good fit. After seeing Cignetti’s success at Indiana I don’t want to be ageist. Keeler is flat-out just an awesome coach, 88-21-1 in Division III a very long time ago at Rowan with a brutal/amazing five national runner-up finishes and two other semifinals, 86-52 at Delaware with an FCS (then I-AA) national championship and two more runner-up finishes, 97-39 at Sam Houston with another FCS national championship and five other top six teams as well as shepherding their move up to FBS where he had them with 9 wins and a bowl appearance last year, and now at Temple has them Sagarin top 120 after inheriting a five year median of #155. Just a really good coach with a focus on toughness, accountability, and establishing the run game that fits with Luck’s vision. Sometimes we overthink things. Getting somebody who hasn’t established more at competitive levels of major college football would make me nervous though, and with the age/profile this is probably only a candidate in my mind. Other older guys I’m affectionate about include Jerry Kill and Willie Fritz.
36) GJ Kinne (Texas State): I’ve had my eye on him as the potential next big thing but don’t think it’s a sure thing and I don’t see a Stanford fit. Third in FCS in his sole year at Incarnate Word and now at Texas State has done well but is having a trajectory problem this year. He could be the offensive innovator many always pine for. That Texas State does it with good offensive line play avoids my post-Taylor concern about a lower-level coach with innovative offense despite of rather than because of play up front. But ultimately I don’t see a Stanford fit and don’t think Kinne is so great to shoot up higher on my list despite the lack of fit.
37) Will Stein (Oregon OC): A hotshot supernova assistant who has learned from very good coaches (Lanning and Traylor), and fans love offense so there’s a special appeal to being the hottest coordinator in the sport the last few years. It would be bold and somewhat desperate to go for somebody with so little seasoning.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - msqueri - 11-04-2025
38) Jim L. Mora (Connecticut): I like him and think he’s done an underrated job at Connecticut, after not doing a terrible job at UCLA (though my view on that may have something to do with my derision for UCLA) and especially like how awesome his teams block. But ultimately he just hasn’t succeeded in college at the level I think it would be a good bet.
39) Dan Mullen (UNLV): I wrestle with this. I don’t think anybody is asking for it and the Stanford fit seems laughable given the personality and drama but I think Mullen is a pretty good coach. He already succeeded with a turnaround at Mississippi State and he has the pretty impressive distinction of doing a pretty good job at two different SEC schools (six ranked teams including two New Year’s Six teams), a higher degree of difficulty than even what we’d ask him to do. He ended up not lasting because Florida expectations are super high, but he is good. His mentor, Urban Meyer, is not only one of the greatest coaches ever but swears by him. It would be a shocking, bizarre fit but dude is a good coach so maybe? I would be more interested if his return to coaching at UNLV were going better (he’s 6-2 but I’m not impressed by the computer ranking).
40) Jimmy Rogers (Washington State): I don’t feel like I have a good read of him but he was spectacular at South Dakota State and if Luck’s heard good things I’m open-minded.
41) Glenn Schumann (Georgia DC): Sparkling resume having been on the best defensive staff in the sport for the last decade and in charge of it for the last several years. Hotshot 30-something coordinators can be supernovas to bet on when they radiate competence and learn at the feet of the masters, and in Schumann’s case he has spent the last decade and a half soaking up Saban and Smart’s brilliance. He’s never run the show himself, which is always a risk, and his environments have been very incomparable to Stanford, but he’s a star and it would be interesting to see if he could follow in Lanning’s shoes doing big things out West.
42) Tavita Pritchard (Washington Commanders QB coach): He may be the perfect person for the job some day but I don’t think this is the time to hire somebody who has never been a head coach or real (playcalling) coordinator at any level. He fits with the institution but not with what we need right now. There needs to be urgency around this hire and we can’t afford white flags, political correctness, or on the job training. This could be where we’re going and if so I think there is a theory of the case for why it could work, but as you can see above there are plenty of people I’d be more excited about. I have discussed pros and cons on him at length on the Talking Trees podcast and on the boards so will just leave it there.
43) Matt Entz (Fresno State): A coach doing an ok job at an FBS program so close to us who has been spectacularly successful in FCS (two national championships and a runner-up at North Dakota State) is going to be in the conversation. I like the idea of having a defensive-oriented coach who will feed into the tough identity we aspire to. But something about this doesn’t feel right to me.
44) Ricky Rahne (Old Dominion): Thin resume and it took him a while to get Old Dominion going but his trajectory has been impressive. Learned under James Franklin and Bill Snyder and has solid offensive Xs and Os chops. I think this could be a good coach for somebody else but I don’t see it for Stanford.
45) Ken Niumatalolo (San Jose State): I feel like he will be mentioned often enough and is so close by that we have to address but to be honest that’s the only reason I’m mentioning him. He did enough at Navy (109-83 with 11 bowl appearances and two ranked teams) that administrators would point to pride at a track record of winning the right way, and so far at San Jose State he has been competent. There is nothing that would excite me about this.
46) Jeff Traylor (UTSA): Oft-mentioned G5 guy who will make more sense for other jobs and I don’t see making any sense for us. He’s on such a stark declining trajectory over multiple years that I am now starting to wonder if he’s overrated (including by me previously).
47) Jerod Mayo (unemployed): Former NFL head coach but only one year (4-13) so doesn’t have the full package of coaching knowhow, name recognition, organizational ability, network, etc. NFL superstar player, coaching protege of Belichick, and former health care industry (VP of Business Development for UnitedHealth Group's Optum division) and tech industry angel investor who in many ways is out-of-central casting for the Stanford milieu but doesn’t have coaching chops.
48) Kelvin Sheppard (Detroit Lions DC): I was today years old when my research uncovered that a former teammate of Andrew Luck’s in Indianapolis (albeit for only one year, but we know one year with the Colts can lead to working with Luck at Stanford) is the defensive coordinator of one of the top teams in the NFL. Sheppard’s college ties are all LSU, including a year as their director of player development in between his NFL career and his Lions coaching, but this playing connection with Luck is intriguing to me and I wonder if a conversation with the Lions' passing game coordinator would make this more or less likely.
49) Lance Taylor (Western Michigan): I don’t think we should hire a 15-19 one-stop G5 coach but Taylor does have three hallmarks that mean a lot to me. He’s got the trajectory thing going on where each year has been an improvement. His teams tend to block well. And he has apprenticed for quite an assortment of bosses in Nick Saban, Jerry Moore (Hall of Fame FCS coach for those who don't know), Rex Ryan, Ron Rivera, David Shaw, and Brian Kelly. Taylor is not ready for a Power Four job but maybe some day.
50) Jeff Monken (Army): He gets mentioned all the time because Army is Army and people love to fetishize a supposed synergy between service academy experience and coaching Stanford Men, but this does nothing more for me than Niumatalolo. This is the third time in four years Army is a squarely .500 team. This is not who I would hire.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - tcufrog - 11-04-2025
Just amazing! I appreciate the time, energy, and thought involved in preparation of your list and comments.
Totally off the topic, but somewhat related: Would you have hired Gary Patterson as your head coach in 2000?
Thanks again!
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - Bruce Wang - 11-04-2025
With a list that long and that well thought out (Thanks!), I'm surprised Dolphins soon to get fired HC Mike McDaniel didn't make it. He did play football at Yale so familiar with college football in an elite academic setting.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - BigJohn043 - 11-04-2025
Mullen is a great coach IMO. May not be a good fit but I think he is an awesome coach. Similarly Brian Kelly is a great coach.
The greatest coach in Stanford history was a complete ass. I wonder if that is what we need....
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - PVTree - 11-04-2025
I don't have anywhere close to the knowledge Matt possesses to create that list, but mine would include a wish list pick of Kingsbury in the top 5 (he can bring Tavita as his OC).
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - Mick - 11-04-2025
Just for fun, I took Msqueri's assessments, along with my evaluation of Stanford's head coaching situation and asked ChatGPT, Grok, Perplexity and Gemini to rank the 50 candidates. Here's the Top Five of each, in order:
Gemini: Daboll, Monken, Marrone, Clawson and Petersen.
ChatGPT: Aranda, Clawson, Lewis, Brennan, Monken
Grok: Clawson, Chesney, Monken, Leipold, Klieman
Perplexity: Pritchard, Mendenhall, Clawson, Brennan, Niumatalolo
I also ordered the Top 50 by averaging their position with each survey. Here's the results, from top to bottom. . It's more than 50, a few of them suggested additional candidates:
Dave Clawson
Dave Aranda
Bronco Mendenhall
Todd Monken
Brent Brennan
Bob Chesney
Scott Satterfield
Jon Sumrall
Jake Dickert
Lance Leipold
Ryan Silverfield
Sean Lewis
Chris Klieman
Dave Doeren
Alex Golesh
Greg Roman
Matt Campbell
Charles Huff
Chris Petersen
Doug Marrone
Jason Eck
Jedd Fisch
Jonathan Smith
Eric Morris
Brian Daboll
Mark Stoops
Mora
James Franklin
Luke Fickell
Kenny Dillingham
Matt Entz
Ricky Rahne
GJ Kinne
Dan Mullen
Will Stein
KC Keeler
Glenn Schumann
Billy Napier
Tavita Pritchard
Jeff Monken
Kelvin Sheppard
Ken Niumatalolo
Jimmy Rogers
Mike Norvell
Lance Taylor
Brian Kelly
Dabo Swinney
Doug Pederson
Jim L. Mora (Connecticut)
Chip Kelly
Jeff Traylor
Jerod Mayo
Urban Meyer
Nick Saban
Troy Taylor (Placeholder - Disqualified)
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - msqueri - 11-04-2025
(11-04-2025, 08:53 AM)tcufrog Wrote: Just amazing! I appreciate the time, energy, and thought involved in preparation of your list and comments.
Totally off the topic, but somewhat related: Would you have hired Gary Patterson as your head coach in 2000?
Thanks again!
Thanks!
If I were TCU, absolutely. Continuity hire to keep a great thing going. It’s a different thing to hire for a turnaround, although I would have found Patterson attractive even then and all the more so as he built his TCU resume.
By the way, I considered whether to rank Patterson, Jimbo Fisher, Pat Fitzgerald, and Jon Gruden but decided to stick with guys I think Stanford is probably more likely to hire, and eventually I hit 50 and stopped.
(11-04-2025, 08:56 AM)Publius Wrote: With a list that long and that well thought out (Thanks!), I'm surprised Dolphins soon to get fired HC Mike McDaniel didn't make it. He did play football at Yale so familiar with college football in an elite academic setting.
I considered him. I think probably too much of a character for us and the lack of college experience makes it kind of random. I also think for many NFL guys working their way back to an NFL job will be more attractive than going the college route (which could bd an impediment for NFL guys I listed too). But it would be interesting and not crazy.
(11-04-2025, 09:22 AM)BigJohn043 Wrote: Mullen is a great coach IMO. May not be a good fit but I think he is an awesome coach. Similarly Brian Kelly is a great coach.
The greatest coach in Stanford history was a complete ass. I wonder if that is what we need....
I got about 90 percent through this when it dawned on me: my assumption that Luck wants a steady, low drama, process-oriented, teacher energy role model may either end up being wrong or, even if it’s where Luck ends up, may not end up being as good as a fiery motivator, ruthless tactician ass type.
I generally think we focus too much on Stanford fit and I further think we need to resist any impulse toward continuity and complacency. I am open to arguments my list is a little too Lucky-y and not enough Harbaugh-y.
(11-04-2025, 10:09 AM)PVTree Wrote: I don't have anywhere close to the knowledge Matt possesses to create that list, but mine would include a wish list pick of Kingsbury in the top 5 (he can bring Tavita as his OC).
I like it but am less clear on why it would appeal to Kingsbury. If he wants back in on head coaching that bad and doesn’t love his NFL prospects I think it’s a good suggestion.
(11-04-2025, 10:51 AM)Mick Wrote: Just for fun, I took Msqueri's assessments, along with my evaluation of Stanford's head coaching situation and asked ChatGPT, Grok, Perplexity and Gemini to rank the 50 candidates. Here's the Top Five of each, in order:
Gemini: Daboll, Monken, Marrone, Clawson and Petersen.
ChatGPT: Aranda, Clawson, Lewis, Brennan, Monken
Grok: Clawson, Chesney, Monken, Leipold, Klieman
Perplexity: Pritchard, Mendenhall, Clawson, Brennan, Niumatalolo
I also ordered the Top 50 by averaging their position with each survey. Here's the results, from top to bottom. . It's more than 50, a few of them suggested additional candidates:
Dave Clawson
Dave Aranda
Bronco Mendenhall
Todd Monken
Brent Brennan
Bob Chesney
Scott Satterfield
Jon Sumrall
Jake Dickert
Lance Leipold
Ryan Silverfield
Sean Lewis
Chris Klieman
Dave Doeren
Alex Golesh
Greg Roman
Matt Campbell
Charles Huff
Chris Petersen
Doug Marrone
Jason Eck
Jedd Fisch
Jonathan Smith
Eric Morris
Brian Daboll
Mark Stoops
Mora
James Franklin
Luke Fickell
Kenny Dillingham
Matt Entz
Ricky Rahne
GJ Kinne
Dan Mullen
Will Stein
KC Keeler
Glenn Schumann
Billy Napier
Tavita Pritchard
Jeff Monken
Kelvin Sheppard
Ken Niumatalolo
Jimmy Rogers
Mike Norvell
Lance Taylor
Brian Kelly
Dabo Swinney
Doug Pederson
Jim L. Mora (Connecticut)
Chip Kelly
Jeff Traylor
Jerod Mayo
Urban Meyer
Nick Saban
Troy Taylor (Placeholder - Disqualified)
Cool, appreciate getting this perspective! I tell you what, I keep coming back to Clawson. He’s who I highlighted on the most recent Talking Trees podcast as somebody I could see.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - ADPinWDC - 11-04-2025
Glad to see Pritchard down at #42
Clawson fits a lot of criteria, especially now that we are in ACC.
I like the Kansas State and Iowa State rationales also.
Plus Chesney at JMU. Look at what a quick difference Cignetti is making at Indiana (also out of JMU) -- WOW.
Bottle that.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - Mick - 11-04-2025
(11-04-2025, 11:08 AM)msqueri Wrote: Cool, appreciate getting this perspective! I tell you what, I keep coming back to Clawson. He’s who I highlighted on the most recent Talking Trees podcast as somebody I could see.
+1. Seems like a good, comfortable fit with a strong track record. Gets Stanford.
(11-04-2025, 11:42 AM)ADPinWDC Wrote: Glad to see Pritchard down at #42
Clawson fits a lot of criteria, especially now that we are in ACC.
I like the Kansas State and Iowa State rationales also.
Plus Chesney at JMU. Look at what a quick difference Cignetti is making at Indiana (also out of JMU) -- WOW.
Bottle that.
+1. Seven straight bowl games at a second-tier ACC school with a 5-2 record in Bowls. And his first two seasons he was 3-9...this feels like fate.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - BrevinsBest - 11-04-2025
While Pritchard is down on this list, one just needs to look at the Shayne Skov (and even Reich) hires to know that Luck is comfortable with people he’s worked/played with in the past. I’d move Pritchard up a bit because of this.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - msqueri - 11-04-2025
(11-04-2025, 01:09 PM)BrevinsBest Wrote: While Pritchard is down on this list, one just needs to look at the Shayne Skov (and even Reich) hires to know that Luck is comfortable with people he’s worked/played with in the past. I’d move Pritchard up a bit because of this.
This is my wish list, not a prediction. I think Pritchard is the single most likely person on the planet to get the job. There are 40+ people I think are reasonable to go after who I would rather have be our head coach.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - SkiBum80 - 11-04-2025
Appreciate the effort that went into the research for this coach list.
I just offer a brief comment on what I hope happens in our new coach search.
For one, I hope that we land on a new coach that is a win-win for Stanford and for them.
I know this can have a cliche overuse to the expression, but there's a fundamental point underneath it.
Ideal to find a new coach where coming to head-coach Stanford football is a Win for them in their life and their career.
Secondly, another important aspect of it is nothing that can be ascertained on paper at all, only in person.
And that is, their personal enthusiasm for taking on our head coach position.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - Mick - 11-04-2025
Incidentally, I have an excel spreadsheet produced by the AI tool with the following columns for all 50 candidates:
Rank
Candidate
Current Role
Estimated Compensation Tier
Buyout/Contract Friction
Admissions Fit
NIL/Portal Chops
West Coast Ties
Luck/GM Compatibility
Splash Factor
One sentence Rationale
PM me if you want the spreadsheet.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - Stanford67 - 11-04-2025
James Franklin has baggage in the past that could become an issue for a job like Stanford. You can search and view multiple articles online about the Vanderbilt rape allegation case involving his players. Keep in mind I am not sure what was proven or not but there was a lot of smoke in the news around Franklin. Accusations at the time had a witness stating that Franklin encouraged players to delete the footage (which he denied). Surveillance footage on campus also mysteriously had gaps. The part he did admit to was contacting the victim and asking for a meeting. Franklin had answers for everything but this all might be scrutinized if he ever became a serious candidate.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - Goose - 11-04-2025
(11-04-2025, 05:36 PM)Stanford67 Wrote: James Franklin has baggage in the past that could become an issue for a job like Stanford. You can search and view multiple articles online about the Vanderbilt rape allegation case involving his players. Keep in mind I am not sure what was proven or not but there was a lot of smoke in the news around Franklin. Accusations at the time had a witness stating that Franklin encouraged players to delete the footage (which he denied). Surveillance footage on campus also mysteriously had gaps. The part he did admit to was contacting the victim and asking for a meeting. Franklin had answers for everything but this all might be scrutinized if he ever became a serious candidate.IMO it is a bit more serious than the above indicates. Google "Vanderbilt rape allegation Franklin" The AI summary is as follows:
Quote:James Franklin was the head football coach at Vanderbilt University in 2013 during a high-profileThe players were guilty. Reading the surrounding data is worthwhile. Franklin wasn't charged with anything, but at a minimum his handling of the situation left quite a bit to be desired.
gang rape case involving four of his players, who were later convicted. Franklin himself was not charged with a crime but testified in the trials and faced scrutiny for his handling of the situation at the time.
More importantly, he recruited these players. One can say that the coach can't be responsible for his players conduct, but IMO it doesn't work like that The coach is expected to recruit players that are at least not criminals. This crime was a particularly reprehensible one. It wasn't a "mistake" that can be overlooked as "boys will be boys". It isn't driving a golf cart while intoxicated. The University trusts the coach's evaluation of the suitability of the athletes he recommends for preferential admission to the University. If the coach can't do that successfully, he has no business being the coach.
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - Mick - 11-04-2025
I put my spreadsheet on Google docs, anyone can look at it:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hiUwI-WBaQcBODDcUtlcEcrfBZBKjQE8fnefiTN05bM/edit?usp=sharing
RE: Squeri Coaching Hire Wish List 2025 - Stanford67 - 11-04-2025
Other than the obvious Pritchard, who do you think is actually on Luck’s top 10 list? And if he were to bring in an NFL position coach, do you believe Luck would want to retain the current Stanford staff, since a guy like Pritchard might be solo? (Unless he brings other coaches in the industry with him). Do you think they would announce such a hire before the NFL season is over if they go that route?