Stanford head coach David Shaw has resigned after 12 seasons at the helm of his alma mater.

Shaw announced the decision to step down, effective immediately, in the aftermath of the Cardinal’s 36-25 loss to BYU Saturday night to close out the year 3-9. It’s the second straight 3-9 campaign for Stanford under Shaw, and the third consecutive full season with a losing record. (Stanford managed a 4-2 record during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but finished 4-8 or worse in 2019, 2021, and 2022.)

“This is a decision that was really made this week. Two weeks ago, I never would have thought we’d be having this conversation right now. But, really, the last three, four days, a lot of prayer, conversations with my wife Kori, and this one phrase just kept coming to me: it’s time,” Shaw said after the game Saturday.

Shaw, 50, departs as the program’s all-time winningest head coach (96-54). He won the 2017 Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year award and led Stanford to three Pac-12 titles with two Rose Bowl victories in 12 seasons.

Shaw is the only four-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year. His 96 overall wins rank ninth in Pac-12 history and his 65 conference victories rank fifth. Under Shaw’s stewardship, Stanford won 29 games against ranked opponents (the eighth-most during his time at Stanford), 11 against top-10 teams, and five against top-five opponents.

But the product on the field hasn’t looked the same in several years. Injuries once again dealt Shaw and his coaching staff a difficult hand this season. Stanford looked to modify its offense, introducing a slow-mesh RPO game, but the Cardinal lost tailback after tailback to injury and the offense suffered.

Stanford closed out the 2022 season ranked 109th in the FBS in scoring, averaging just 21 points a game.

Shaw says he is not burnt out and he is not stepping away to take another coaching job.

“That’s not what this is about,” he said. “I’m going to spend a lot more time with my family. Got some other things I would love to do.

“It’s been a great run. There are a lot of people that think this program is down. That’s what our record says,” Shaw said. “But I look at the components. I look at the people here, the support that I’m hearing coming from our athletic director, from our university president, the people that are behind the scenes. We’re not that far away.”

“There are a lot of people that think this program is down. That’s what our record says,” said Shaw, who finished with a 96-54 record at Stanford. “But I look at the components. I look at the people here, the support that I’m hearing coming from our athletic director, from our university president, the people that are behind the scenes. We’re not that far away.”

A receiver for Stanford in the 90s, Shaw has been on the Cardinal coaching staff in some capacity since 2007. He touched on how difficult the shifting college football landscape — the explosion of NIL and the opening of the transfer portal — has been for Stanford.

“Stanford historically doesn’t change quickly,” he said. “It’s been difficult, but it’s been difficult for everybody.”

He said the transfer portal will be “very enticing” for current Stanford players with his stepping down. But he was asked if Stanford can get back to the success it enjoyed in the mid-to-late 2010s. His answer was short and simple: “Yes.”

“Growth,” Shaw said when asked what it will take to do so. “And it’s not going to be immediate. We’ve proven that we can recruit at a high level here.”

Stanford has stated a national search for Shaw’s successor will begin immediately.