Of all the head coaching jobs in all of college football, there is none more challenging than Stanford.

Academic requirements that rival NASA’s. Transfer restrictions that render the portal merely mortal. A lack of institutional support at a school that values political prowess more than pigskin performance and advancements in science more than advancing the football.

Former Sacramento State head coach Troy Taylor, announced on Saturday as the 32nd head coach in Stanford history, has his work cut out for him. Can the local boy follow David Shaw and take the program to new heights? Or will the Cardinal continue to regress, as they have in this new era of college football?

It’s hard to consider Shaw’s run as Stanford head coach as anything but a rousing success.

  • A 96-54 overall record
  • Eight winning seasons in 12 years
  • Seven seasons of 9 or more wins and 5 years with 10-plus wins
  • Five top-12 finishes
  • Five bowl wins, including 2 Rose Bowls and two Sun Bowls
  • More than 40 future NFL draft picks.

Shaw got the gig in 2011 after Jim Harbaugh, who lifted the program off life support, left to coach the NFL’s nearby San Francisco 49ers. Before Harbaugh, Stanford went 16-40 during a 5-year stretch. Harbaugh instilled a level of toughness and offensive firepower to a team that had neither, going 29-21 in 4 years after the Cardinal won just 1 game the year prior to his hiring.

And as Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator, Shaw helped the team redefine its image.

As head coach, he further crafted the Cardinal in his image — no-nonsense, authoritative, steadfast. For 8 years under Shaw, Stanford boasted one of the best running games in college football, recruited top offensive linemen like few other programs in the country and excelled at a play-action passing game that Pac-12 programs struggled to contain.

But in 2019, the Cardinal showed cracks in the foundation that exploded over the last few years. That year, the Cardinal fell to 4-8, losing 6 games my two or more touchdowns.

While it was Shaw’s decision to step aside — with his record, prestige and status, he was not going to be fired unless the wheels completely came off — it was clear a change was needed for Stanford to get back to where it once was.

Is Taylor the one to get them there? Stanford’s search committee — which included former star quarterback Andrew Luck and former United States Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice — seems to think so.

A two-time Big Sky Conference coach of the year (2019, ’21) with the Hornets, Taylor’s rise to prominence was simultaneously quick and slow. A graduate of rival Cal, Taylor got his collegiate coaching start in 1996 as a wide receivers coach for his alma mater. He’s had several college and high-school gigs but was never a head coach at the collegiate level until 2019, and he’s never been a head coach in the FBS. Moving from Folsom High co-head coach from 2012-15 to Shaw’s successor now is quite the jump.

But Taylor put the success in successor, going 30-8 in 3 seasons at Sac State.

“I am excited to welcome Troy and his family to Stanford,” director of athletics Bernard Muir said in a statement. “Troy is a proven winner who has experienced success at many levels of football. Throughout our visits together he demonstrated an understanding of what makes Stanford special, and a deep desire to capitalize on our unique strengths. He possesses an incredible football mind and has a long history of caring deeply for the student-athletes he leads. I am excited for the next chapter of Cardinal football and eager for our student-athletes to experience Troy’s passion, wisdom and leadership.”

Taylor appears to covet the ability to lead top-flight football players who excel in the classroom, even if it may prove challenging to get them. The sad reality is Stanford might have to change its standards — lessen them, really — for Taylor to make an impact.

“I am thrilled to be the new head football coach at Stanford University,” Taylor said in a statement. “The opportunity to lead the finest student-athletes in the country is truly a dream come true, and I would like to thank President Tessier-Lavigne, Provost Drell and Bernard Muir. I believe that Stanford Football is perfectly positioned to become champions on the football field while maintaining our world-class reputation for academic excellence.”