[Goose]

Only post here to say that any Athletic Director worth a damn would have a running, up-to-date short list of coaching candidates for every sport the school cares about - which at Stanford is a lot, and certainly the majors.

Totally agree. It is always wise to have an idea who is out there you would want to hire and also an idea on the probability of attracting those coaches. Even if you like your current coach, stuff happens.

In other words, in football and basketball, the argument supporting the status quo based on "who else are you going to hire?" strikes me as weak.  And lazy.

Not clear to me how your premise supports your conclusion. If the AD is doing the job well and has such a list, it is entirely possible the top candidates on said list are a step down in the opinion of the AD. You seem to be assuming the candidates on that list are better than the current coach and are obtainable. If they aren't, it is the AD's fault. That may be so, but it is unclear to me how we know that is so.

AD's should make decisions on the merits of the current coach and how he or she is doing at upholding program/school goals and priorities.  If they're meeting the goals/priorities, they stay.  If not, find someone else who will (and you should have that list handy to help you do that).

I think the concept of "meets the goals and priorities" isn't actually binary. It is a matter of degree and a matter of "compared to what alternatives". The list gives you the alternatives. If you don't think there is an obvious upgrade, you have to think real hard before you go there. If the current coach meets some of the goals and priorities, but falls short on others to some degree, you may not want to take a flyer on a change that may actually turn out meeting fewer goals and/or falling way short in some areas.
There seems to be an implicit assumption that there is a better choice out there and if the AD can't find that guy, get a new AD. Eventually, if you repeat that process enough times you undoubtedly will find a "better" AD who hires a "better" coach. May take a while though.

[Goose]

Only post here to say that any Athletic Director worth a damn would have a running, up-to-date short list of coaching candidates for every sport the school cares about - which at Stanford is a lot, and certainly the majors.

Totally agree. It is always wise to have an idea who is out there you would want to hire and also an idea on the probability of attracting those coaches. Even if you like your current coach, stuff happens.

In other words, in football and basketball, the argument supporting the status quo based on "who else are you going to hire?" strikes me as weak.  And lazy.

Not clear to me how your premise supports your conclusion. If the AD is doing the job well and has such a list, it is entirely possible the top candidates on said list are a step down in the opinion of the AD. You seem to be assuming the candidates on that list are better than the current coach and are obtainable. If they aren't, it is the AD's fault. That may be so, but it is unclear to me how we know that is so.

AD's should make decisions on the merits of the current coach and how he or she is doing at upholding program/school goals and priorities.  If they're meeting the goals/priorities, they stay.  If not, find someone else who will (and you should have that list handy to help you do that).

I think the concept of "meets the goals and priorities" isn't actually binary. It is a matter of degree and a matter of "compared to what alternatives". The list gives you the alternatives. If you don't think there is an obvious upgrade, you have to think real hard before you go there. If the current coach meets some of the goals and priorities, but falls short on others to some degree, you may not want to take a flyer on a change that may actually turn out meeting fewer goals and/or falling way short in some areas.
There seems to be an implicit assumption that there is a better choice out there and if the AD can't find that guy, get a new AD. Eventually, if you repeat that process enough times you undoubtedly will find a "better" AD who hires a "better" coach. May take a while though.