[Austroturf]

Troy Taylor does appear to be the man.

Some positives:
1) knows the college came;
2) brought Sac State back from last place to first place, so there's a turnaround gene there;
3) seems to be a keen offensive mind;
4) knows the Cal/Bay Area environment;
5) appears to have lots of energy and passion.

Some concerns:
1) Actually, he's not that young: he's four years older than Shaw, who resigned after 12 years at the helm.  For his first shot at a P5 head-coaching job, Taylor is rather old.  
2) Not sure how defensive-minded he is.  Will Stanford once again become a team that can only win shoot-outs?  Let's see.  
3) His one-year stint at Utah is a bit of a concern: Whittingham appears to run a tight ship, and failing there is certainly not a good sign.
4) The assessment that he can be a "jerk" isn't encouraging, but concerns me less than points 1-3.  Shaw was the ultimate nice guy, and that didn't end well.  Harbaugh has been accused of being a "jerk", but gets things done wherever he lands.  I don't think the world of college football is a place where nice guys necessarily end up on top.  

Maybe he can bring some of his key players with him from Sac State (if they can qualify academically).  If Riley and Sanders can do it, why not Taylor?

[Austroturf]

Troy Taylor does appear to be the man.

Some positives:
1) knows the college came;
2) brought Sac State back from last place to first place, so there's a turnaround gene there;
3) seems to be a keen offensive mind;
4) knows the Cal/Bay Area environment;
5) appears to have lots of energy and passion.

Some concerns:
1) Actually, he's not that young: he's four years older than Shaw, who resigned after 12 years at the helm.  For his first shot at a P5 head-coaching job, Taylor is rather old.  
2) Not sure how defensive-minded he is.  Will Stanford once again become a team that can only win shoot-outs?  Let's see.  
3) His one-year stint at Utah is a bit of a concern: Whittingham appears to run a tight ship, and failing there is certainly not a good sign.
4) The assessment that he can be a "jerk" isn't encouraging, but concerns me less than points 1-3.  Shaw was the ultimate nice guy, and that didn't end well.  Harbaugh has been accused of being a "jerk", but gets things done wherever he lands.  I don't think the world of college football is a place where nice guys necessarily end up on top.  

Maybe he can bring some of his key players with him from Sac State (if they can qualify academically).  If Riley and Sanders can do it, why not Taylor?