For the first time in over a decade, Stanford is conducting a national search for its next head coach.

When David Shaw was named Stanford’s football coach back in 2011, replacing the NFL-bound Jim Harbaugh, he was already in-house. After four years as Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator, Shaw was “exactly the right person at the right time,” then-athletic director Bob Bowlsby said at the time.

And he was picked over a group of finalists that also included Stanford defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and Stanford associate head coach Greg Roman.

With Shaw stepping down after the team’s loss to BYU last Saturday, it seems Stanford is looking to go back to the well. According to The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel, the Cardinal has spoken with Roman — now the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens — about taking over the job.

Roman served on Harbaugh’s Stanford staff for two years (2009-2010) before following him to the San Francisco 49ers. Roman has been on Baltimore’s staff since 2017 and has been the offensive coordinator since 2019.

The Ravens went 14-2 during Roman’s first season as coordinator, setting the NFL single-season team rushing record (3,216 yards). Roman was named NFL Assistant Coach of the Year by the Associated Press following that season. Baltimore also had the league’s top rushing attack in 2020.

“Greg talked to me, said there’s been some contact there,” Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said this week. “I think it’s very preliminary right now. We have really great coaches, they’re going to have opportunities. We try to encourage that and support that any way we can.”

The Athletic has also reported that Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren (a Stanford assistant from 2011-17) could be in the mix, as could Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Derek Mason (a Stanford assistant from 2010-13), former Virginia and BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, and Fangio.