There have been rumblings about this happening for a while, but now it’s official. USC/UCLA are the two programs that have popped up as the most likely destinations. NIL a major factor here.

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Written as/before Taylor was being fired and posting here for discussion per @Jamesy2 request:

I don’t know if Troy Taylor is in his last week at Stanford, his last nine months, or has us over such a barrel financially that the Taylor era could endure further still. But there is so little hope or enthusiasm around the program that my mind keeps coming back to wanting there to be a coaching search and turning the page. I’ll throw out some thoughts in the hope of eliciting reactions/seeing what others think/hopefully hearing a few inspiring names bandied about.

If we jettisoned Taylor before or during the 2025 season, the in-house options are sparse. The two most experienced leaders on the staff, Gregory and D’Onofrio, are now gone. April has a pedigree but is light on experience. He is probably the most stable option as it would maintain as much continuity as possible while elevating the part of the staff that evidently has not alienated the team.

No matter who an interim coach is, it’s hard not to shudder at the fate of the offense. Taylor has made himself literally indispensable to the offense. (A sad comment considering we have sucked on offense during his tenure) Absent a miracle a Taylor-less 2025 offense would potentially contend for one of the worst in power football history. I am having trouble even envisioning who could be in charge. I think we’d be so desperate that having a brilliant amateur like Andrew Luck or Todd Husak step in would have to be in the realm of discussion.

If we moved to fill the position more permanently, there are of course fewer options now than there would be in November or December. The first place one would think to look would be unemployed coaches. I started to post that Luck might be inclined to consider us a mutually beneficial option for his ally/mentor/confidant Pep Hamilton (not saying I’d recommend this) but then I remembered Hamilton just returned to coaching with the offensive coordinator job at Maryland. Nonetheless, I would not be surprised if that’s a call whenever the job comes open. Among the currently unemployed (at least as coaches), the mind first races to shock the world pipedreams like Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, and Chris Petersen. I’d make the calls if I were Luck but that’s almost surely day dreaming.

Something that strikes me as more realistic would be offering to be career reclamation/a path back to a power job for somebody like Jimbo Fisher, Gary Patterson, Pat Fitzgerald, Paul Chryst, or Justin Fuente. This might be one of the flashier things we could do. I realize there are baggage with some and likelihood of mediocrity with others (I’d bet Chryst or Fuente would be pretty mediocre at Stanford but I’d take it at this point) but I don’t think we should be dissuaded from considering one of the better combinations of safe/splashy potentially out there for us.

if we wait until the end of the season our options would presumably open up more. One route I can’t get out of my head is the possibility we could buy low when a better program gives up on their head coach. It is possible one or more of the following could get their walking papers or otherwise find themselves under too much pressure to be fun: Kalen DeBoer, Mike Norvell, Mike Gundy, Mark Stoops, Luke Fickell, Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley, Billy Napier, Hugh Freeze. I realize some would be non-starters and most would probably not consider slumming to our level but this is a caliber of coach that if I were Luck I’d strain every ligament sprinting to the airport.

The other splashy route I can’t get out of my head is the former NFL head coach route. The combination of that route’s empirical success, connection to the zeitgeist/professionalization of college football, and Luck’s Rolodex makes that intriguing. The first name that pops to mind for me is Matt Eberflus. I would be intrigued by the Cowboys DC/former Bears head man. Luck also has close ties with Rob Chudzinski, though he was only an NFL head coach for a year. Luck’s network is of course broader than who he shared locker rooms with but there aren’t a ton of options that jump out to me (Brandon Staley maybe, and I have written in the past about Jerod Mayo’s unique and appealing fit).

Luck could also look to his network to elevate someone to a first time head coach role. At first blush Kentucky DC Brad White and Tavita Pritchard strike me as the rising stars. But again, nothing to say it has to be somebody who shared the same locker room.

Looking beyond Luck’s network, my ambition for us is always that we could strive for a proven baller college coach. We never do this and it would require money, plus a hell of a sales job to convince somebody to leave a better program. But I will just say for the record that poaching somebody like Matt Campbell, Lance Leipold, Chris Klieman, Sonny Dykes, Bret Bielema, Curt Cignetti, PJ Fleck, Dave Aranda, or Jamey Chadwell would be the fastest way to my heart.

I am cognizant that my ambition may exceed Stanford’s grasp. A pretty conventional path for a Power Four coach is a Group of Five coach who has succeeded. We should keep an eye this fall on how the following (and others) do: Bob Chesney, Jon Sumrall, Jeff Monken, GJ Kinne, Chuck Martin, Tim Albin, KC Keeler, Eric Morris, Mike Uremovich, Butch Jones, Clay Helton, Bronco Mendenhall.

A lot of those guys aren’t good geographic fits (which I hope we wouldn’t consider a deal breaker but they might). The same is true for rising star coordinators, which, given the success of blue blood coordinators moving up in recent years, we might want to kick some tires on. I have to think Glenn Schumann, for instance, has a big job in his future. I’d be shocked if he picked us, but you don’t make shots you don’t take.

One name arguably stands alone in how enticing it would be: Chip Kelly would be a fun way to turn the page on this era of Stanford football.

This is all just idle day dreaming and, ultimately, Stanford’s financial and institutional constraints will play a big role. There are issues related to fit that will loom large that I haven’t dwelled on here. But if we are moving on from Taylor now or at the end of the year I would love to know who folks would want. It doesn’t seem to me there is currently an obvious route.

This was also expected. Wide receiver Mudia Reuben has entered the transfer portal. He and Troy Taylor really didn’t get along. Like David Bailey, he’ll be getting his degree.

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Postgame shoutout to CBS audience, to his coach's & mentors, Kyle Smith & Randy Bennett, being there to support him & cheer on Florida at last night's game. Smith was an assistant to Bennett at St Mary's when they recruited and coached Golden as the St Mary's point guard. Then Golden was an assistant coach to Smith at Columbia and followed him to USF. When Smith took the WAzzu job, Golden became USF coach succeeding Smith.
Now their young mentee turns Florida around into becoming a #1 seed.

Nusi Taumoepeau decommits:

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David Bailey to the portal:

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Mudia Reuben to the portal:

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Read that here.

Read that here.

Read that here.

I have not seen any news of any guys on the current roster going into the portal. Are we going to keep everyone?

Any news about Smith going after anyone who is in the portal? I know we have the Latvian kid joining next year, but I would think Smith would be targeting another big man in the portal or from Europe? Anyone heard anything?

Has decommitted as a result of Taylor’s firing.

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Thoughts from this presser:

-Smith said the team didn't have the right "mindset" coming into the game -- that showed, I'd love to know what he meant by that

-Sellers sounds like a really special guy, having been getting harrassed by recruiters the past few weeks and sticking at Stanford

-Smith was asked to reflect on his first year. He said it checks all the boxes but didnt totally glow about things and said there are still uniquely Stanford challenges like money limitations. He did not say "this is a place you can win big and were going to do it"

-He seemed to make the point that travel might not be as bad next year with road games this year being home next year, but we will still be traveling out to the Virginia schools, Florida schools, etc. which came to us this year -- Boston College as well

-Smith sounds bullish on Okpara continuing to improve. Its going to be Okpara and Sellers show next year, in addition to transfers that come in

-At the very end Sellers jokes that hes only going to take a day off after the season. Maxime interjects and says he needs to take at least a week. Sounded to me like Max indicating how long of a season its been. I really do think the guys were gassed after all the travel, 2 Cal matchups in a short span, ACC Tournament, the wild L'Ville game, etc. -- I frankly don't blame them for being a little sluggish in the NIT

Let's kick off the carousel!

Using this first post as a contact tracker, same as last year.

Confirmed Contact:

• Nevada F/C Nick Davidson
• Southern Utah G Dominique Ford
• South Dakota G Chase Forte
• Long Beach State G Devin Askew
• South Dakota State C Oscar Cluff (likely - prior relationship)
• Valparaiso F/C Cooper Schwieger
• Iowa State C Dishon Jackson (likely - prior relationship)
• Syracuse W Chris Bell
• Utah C Lawson Lovering
• Loyola (MD) F/C Milos Ilic
• UMass-Lowell G Martin Somerville
• UVA F/C Anthony Robinson
• Texas A&M-CC G Isaac Williams
• Indiana G Myles Rice (likely - prior relationship)
• CSUN W/F Marcus Adams
• North Florida W/F Josh Harris
• Cornell F AK Okereke

Official announcement coming.

Todd Golden, Kyle Smith’s assistant coach at Columbia and USF is coaching his Florida team in the Sweet Sixteen
And Kevin Hovde also an assistant coach under Smith at both Columbia and USF has just been named head coach at Columbia

Welcome to the football recruiting notes thread for the month of March. If you missed anything from February, click here.


The main thing that we are watching right now is who is taking official visits in the spring. A bunch of visits have been reported in the February thread and subsequently marked in the database. For a full list of official visits, click here. And then of course, if you have missed any offers, click here. The database should be up to date. I always make sure to add them as they come in/get brought to my attention.


At this point, the following 4-star guys are lined up to take official visits this spring: 4-star OT Kannon Smith, 4-star WR Aljour Miles, 4-star WR Connor Salmin, 4-star RB/APB Ryelan Morris, 4-star S Lasiah Jackson, 4-star OL Pulelei'ite Primus, and 4-star OLB/DE Storm Miller. No 5-stars and then the rest are 3-star/non-rated.

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Also, two guys are already committed for 2026 in 3-star edge Chase Cahoon and 3-star wide receiver Langdon Horace. Horace will be on an unofficial visit on Friday.

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And then a key name to keep an eye on in the 2026 class is 4-star quarterback Luke Fahey. Apparently there have been rumors that Stanford is in a good spot to get him, so it'll obviously be key to see when/if he takes his official visit. The 2026 class isn't off to a bad start. I think both guys they landed are fine, but they obviously gotta start landing some real studs. Especially on the offensive line. Should be interesting to see what other visits we learn about over the next month! Right now the main visiting weekends are April 25th, May 16th, May 30th, June 6th, and June 30th. That's when they are looking to get most guys in, but of course, if a guy can only make it work on a different week, they'll accommodate as best they can.


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Read that here.

If we’re able to fire him for cause and get out from under the absurd extension, let’s jump on the opportunity.

Adam Gorney has a prediction in for 2026 4-star quarterback Luke Fahey to Stanford. I have a Future Cast in for him as well. Even with the coaching change, Stanford seems to be in a good spot. Content piece is here.


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Maxime profile https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/articl...port-maxime-raynaud-f-stanford-163430295.html

Mock draft link https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/draft/mock/ scroll to #28 to see him picked in 1st round by Celtics!!!

Welcome to the Stanford men's basketball recruiting notes for February. Been long overdue to have a new recruiting notes thread for men's hoops, so here it is! If you missed any of the action from the previous recruiting notes thread, click here.



First of all, Stanford has two commits for the 2025 class. Lativan forward Kristers Skrinda and Brewster academy point guard Ebuka Okorie. It's important to note that Okorie has not yet officially signed. Stanford hasn't announced him yet. The regular signing period is April 16-May 21, so we'll have to wait until that window for him to officially sign. Both guys address important needs. Skrinda is expected to take on the role that Maxime Raynaud had as the primary big and then Okorie will bring point guard depth, which will be important as Jaylen Blakes will be moving on after this season as well.

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If anyone has any questions on scholarship count for next season, I addressed that on page two of the most recent recruiting notes thread, so click here to check that out in case you missed that.


As for the 2026 class, Stanford already has a commit in 3-star shooting guard Myles Jones out of Modesto Christian in Modesto. So things are off to a good start there. For a list of the 2026 offers, click here. And then for the 2027 class, click here.

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Imagine (approximately) one year ago, in early March of 2024, I told you the following things about the upcoming 12 months:

1. Jerod Haase is GONE

2. Kyle Smith is going to take over MBB and win 20+ games, 3 of them being vs. Cal and one at North Carolina

3. Maxime Raynaud is going to set program records, be on the mid-season Wooden Award Watchlist and be an All-American honorable mention

4. Bernard Muir is GONE

5. Troy Taylor is GONE

6. Jonathan Levin is named school president and cares deeply about Athletics

7. Andrew Luck has agreed to take over every aspect of the Stanford Football program as General Manager

I mean, come on. Let that sink in. That is a HELLUVA 12 months

After making NCAA Div 1 tournament, Pennsylvania's St Francis College has announced it will be dropping to Div 3...

Sad. But Understandable. Many more to come I think.

Read that here.

High profile searches such as one for a D1 major conference Football HC involve many moving pieces several of which are due diligence items. The recruiting firm does their own work, then the client , Muir, follows up on any red flag issues. Looks like he whiffed big time. These are big misses from our ex AD folks.

2025 Winter NCAA Championships that take place March-April
Completed

• D1 Indoor Track & Field March 14-15 Women Ranked 4th going into the championship meet and finished 13th.

Yet to come

• D1 Women’s Swimming & Diving March 19-22 Women ranked 3rd
• NC Fencing March 20-23 Both teams were ranked around 10th. The following were selected for the championships: Men’s Foil- Renzo Fukuda, Sanjay Kasi; Men’s Sabre – Jared Hammerstrom; Women’s Foil – Arianna Cao, Crystal Qian; Women’s Sabre -Sophia Chin, Zhiyin Lin. No epee fencers for either the men or women. NCAA fencing is combined scores for both men and women so slim odds with only 7 qualifiers.
• D1 Men’s Swimming & Diving March 26-29 Men ranked 8th
• D1 Men’s Wrestling March 20-22 Team is ranked 18th and 8 wrestlers are going to nationals, with 4 automatic qualifiers and 4 at-large selections.
• Artistic Swimming March 27-29- Not an NCAA sport, but still a National Championship with a small field. Last year Stanford finished 2nd but was without three stars who swam for USA at the Paris Olympics winning Silver. the country's first medal in 20 years. US Artistic Swimming shows 13 colleges with artistic swimming with 5 of them at the varsity level, but for schools looking for women's sports to comply with Title IX, this could be a good one. Like Men's and Women's gymnastics, a lot of the sport is done at the club level.
• WBIT March 31 & April 2 Stanford gets a 2-seed and will face Portland in the first round on March 20.
• NIT April 1 & 3 Stanford received the #2 seed in the San Francisco region. University of San Francisco to the #1 seed, Kyle Smith’s old team.
• NC Women’s Gymnastics April 17-19 Stanford ranked 14th
• NC Men’s Gymnastics April 18-19 Stanford still ranked #2 with the MPSF championships on deck – April 5th. The men haven't performed with a full team due to a combination of factors. Let's hope Coach Gliemi has them ready for the NCAAs and increase the streak to 49 years.