So many elements.
It is almost good that Taylor has not been winning a lot. If he was winning a bunch then the narrative would become Stanford accepted this behavior because the football coach was winning games, selling tickets, etc. To stay with a losing coach makes it seem like the retention path was independent of the win-loss record and/or football ticket sales.
This is a disaster for recruiting. I can't imagine this story impresses the Stanford mom types that usually are essential to landing top recruits. Sounds like Taylor does not treat everyone well and is likely not the role model (second dad) that the Stanford mom types expect.
It is also a disaster for current players seeking coaching stability. It was already hard to imagine Taylor would be the Stanford coach for 4-5 more years. Now, I am wondering if he will be the coach in April. I can only imagine that the best Stanford players are already getting fresh reminders about their NIL potential at other places.
I always understood that the coach after Shaw would likely be a step down. That first coach after Shaw would have to endure a wave of talent jumping to portal that happens at every school AND would not really get to use the portal to bring in players. Therefore it would take years to get back to the 2017-2020 level of Stanford football even if the new coach could instantly master the complexities of Stanford recruiting. Not much in the first two years gave me a lot of confidence we would see that 2017-2020 level anytime soon, and we would not see that 2011-2015 level under Taylor. We are unlikely to ever see that 2011-2015 level again, but that's a different story.
While some on this board don't see Shaw as a coaching legend, the numbers (winningest coach in school history, multiple Pac-12 coach of the year awards, first African American to win a BCS bowl, multiple conference titles) suggest he was legendary by Stanford football standards. The conventional wisdom is that you should not be the first coach after a legend leaves. Better to be the second coach.
I am now expecting Stanford will have that second coach after the legend before August 2025 and that Luck will be responsible for that hiring effort since Muir agreed to this awful Taylor retention plan and is leaving soon.
It is almost good that Taylor has not been winning a lot. If he was winning a bunch then the narrative would become Stanford accepted this behavior because the football coach was winning games, selling tickets, etc. To stay with a losing coach makes it seem like the retention path was independent of the win-loss record and/or football ticket sales.
This is a disaster for recruiting. I can't imagine this story impresses the Stanford mom types that usually are essential to landing top recruits. Sounds like Taylor does not treat everyone well and is likely not the role model (second dad) that the Stanford mom types expect.
It is also a disaster for current players seeking coaching stability. It was already hard to imagine Taylor would be the Stanford coach for 4-5 more years. Now, I am wondering if he will be the coach in April. I can only imagine that the best Stanford players are already getting fresh reminders about their NIL potential at other places.
I always understood that the coach after Shaw would likely be a step down. That first coach after Shaw would have to endure a wave of talent jumping to portal that happens at every school AND would not really get to use the portal to bring in players. Therefore it would take years to get back to the 2017-2020 level of Stanford football even if the new coach could instantly master the complexities of Stanford recruiting. Not much in the first two years gave me a lot of confidence we would see that 2017-2020 level anytime soon, and we would not see that 2011-2015 level under Taylor. We are unlikely to ever see that 2011-2015 level again, but that's a different story.
While some on this board don't see Shaw as a coaching legend, the numbers (winningest coach in school history, multiple Pac-12 coach of the year awards, first African American to win a BCS bowl, multiple conference titles) suggest he was legendary by Stanford football standards. The conventional wisdom is that you should not be the first coach after a legend leaves. Better to be the second coach.
I am now expecting Stanford will have that second coach after the legend before August 2025 and that Luck will be responsible for that hiring effort since Muir agreed to this awful Taylor retention plan and is leaving soon.