David Shaw Resigns as Stanford Head Coach
David Shaw has resigned from his role as Stanford’s head coach after 12 seasons, according to 247Sports. Stanford has had an underwhelming 2022 season as the school has gone 3-9 for the second year in a row.
“A week ago, 10 days ago, I was gung-ho to be the person to lead us there, and over the last few days I realized it was time,” Shaw said. “It was time for me to step aside, time for the next group to come in, and hopefully whoever they hire next wins more games than I do. That would be awesome.” Quote via 247Sports.
Even though Shaw’s tenure with Stanford ended in disappointment, it started in an impressive fashion. Upon entry, he won 10 games in five of his first six years. In total Shaw finished with a 96-59 record, which makes him the winningest coach in Stanford football history. Shaw also tallied a 5-3 record in bowl games. This was headlined by Rose Bowl victories in 2012 and 2015.
The problems for Shaw started in 2019 when the Cardinals finished 4-8. It appeared like they would get back on track in 2020, but the shortened COVID season ruined those hopes as Stanford finished 4-2. Things went even further downhill in 2021 and 2022 as Shaw led the Cardinals to a 3-9 finish in both years.
It will be interesting to see who Stanford looks to replace Shaw with. There are a lot of intriguing names circling around power five schools. Matt Rhule has already been picked up by Nebraska though. Regardless, there are plenty of interesting names in the coaching carousel.
For Shaw, he could take a couple of different paths in the future. On one hand, he is only 50, so he can work his way back to another elite school. Despite his recent struggles at Stanford, there are certainly worse coaching options than Shaw. At the same time, Shaw has had experience working in media as he has done draft coverage for NFL Network. Shaw could opt to pursue that route as well.
