Pep Hamilton, Stanford Cardinal Offensive Coordinator

David Shaw has made his first staffing move as Stanford Cardinal head coach by finding someone to occupy his previous position at offensive coordinator. The Cardinal Report (Stanford's Rivals site) tweets that current wide receivers coach Pep Hamilton will move into handling playcalling duties. It'll be the first time Hamilton has been an offensive coordinator since 1999-2001, when he was OC and quarterbacks coach at Howard University.

Hamilton has spent over a decade floating around the NFL. He was an intern with the Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and the Baltimore Ravens. He then spent another half-decade as quarterbacks coach with other teams like the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears, tutoring players like Quincy Carter, Alex Smith, Rex Grossman (he was the quarterbacks coach when the Bears went to the Super Bowl), Kyle Orton, and Jay Cutler.

You'd have to imagine that if Shaw was a popular hire in the locker room, then Hamilton must have also had a good voice inside as well. It has to be given that his relationship with Andrew Luck must be solid. However, with Luck's three primary targets (Doug Baldwin, Ryan Whalen and Chase Beeler) all departing, can Hamilton utilize the remaining stars like Chris Owusu and Griff Whalen properly and help Luck adapt to tougher circumstances?

Watch David Shaw Press Conference, Stanford Head Coach Announcement Live

For those who want to watch David Shaw take over for Jim Harbaugh as the Stanford Cardinal head coach, Comcast Sports Net is showing this both on TV (at CSN Bay Area) and online. The feed is below, click here to watch it live!

Here is the official announcement from Comcast Sports Net:

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 13, 2011) Comcast SportsNet, the home of "Authentic Bay Area Sports," will present live coverage of Stanford University’s press conference introducing new head coach David Shaw from Kissick Auditorium. Coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. PT.

The press conference will be available on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, streamed live on CSNBayArea.com, and on Comcast Digital Cable’s ON DEMAND Channel 1.

For extended coverage on Shaw and this developing story, tune in to Comcast SportsNet Bay Area’s Chronicle Live at 5:00 p.m. and SportsNet Central at 6:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., and read Comcast SportsNet anchor/reporter Scott Reiss’ analysis at CSNBayArea.com.

Stanford Football Promotes David Shaw To Head Coach Position

As expected, the Stanford Cardinal have reportedly decided on former Harbaugh assistant coach and offensive coordinator David Shaw to be the next head coach of Stanford football. The move was expected by most and the inevitable has finally happened. Rule of Tree had a few comments about the hiring and will have plenty more in the coming days and weeks:

Shaw, a former wide receiver at Stanford, coached for one year under Harbaugh at the University of San Diego before following him to the Farm in 2007. Receiver Doug Baldwin told the Mercury News that Shaw was the players’ choice to replace Harbaugh, though Wilner has since stated that the players would have been happy with any of the three internal candidates.

This is the first of what should be several coaching dominos in the Bay Area. Now that Shaw is in place, Vic Fangio and Greg Roman are no longer candidates for that position. Roman has interviewed with the 49ers as a potential offensive coordinator candidate. Fangio is widely expected to end up as the 49ers defensive coordinator, but recently interviewed with the Cowboys for the same role.

Now that Shaw is in place, recruiting can move to the front-burner, even without the rest of the coaching staff in place. Jim Harbaugh is expected to pluck some of the coaching staff, but I’d imagine several will remain with the Cardinal. Head over to Rule of Tree for more information on this developing story.

Mike Riley Current Long Shot Coaching Candidate For Stanford Cardinal

The Stanford Cardinal head coaching search continues, and a new and prominent candidate has emerged from within the Pac-10. Mike Riley of the Oregon St. Beavers is apparently being pursued according to Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News.

Riley has restored Oregon State to relevance, being in the hunt for the Rose Bowl in 2008 and 2009. Although the Beavers finished 2010 5-7, the success of Riley in Corvallis (four straight finishes in the top three of the conference) seems to resonate well with Cardinal boosters. In terms of the Big Game rivalry, Riley would send chills through the minds of Cal fans--Jeff Tedford has lost his last four matchups against the Beavers.

However, Cardinal fans might just be praying with this one. Last year, Riley had to assure his athletic director that he would not be taking the vacant USC job with the departure of Pete Carroll, indicating he's probably committed to finishing out his coaching career at Oregon State. Current athletic director Bob De Carolis seems to be denying the idea that Riley has looked at the job.  Stanford might have to keep on looking.

Chris Petersen Remaining Boise State Head Coach; No Big Splash For Stanford

Chris Petersen isn't leaving Boise. Despite speculation he might take the Stanford Cardinal job, Petersen firmly committed back to Boise St. Broncos yesterday, leaving the job wide open for a number of candidates to take a look at.

We can only speculate at this moment as to why Petersen didn't take the job. We'll guess that as the years pass and the winning keeps on piling up for Petersen, it's hard to imagine him ever leaving the Broncos for a decent but not strong team, even one as big as Stanford. Also, he's probably seen what departing coaches like Dan Hawkins and Dirk Koetter have done on the bigger stage, and figured it wouldn't be worth the resulting fall out if he comes up short.

Also, the interest in Stanford could have been a way Petersen to leverage his contract with Boise. Remember, Stanford is hardly an attractive site due to the lack of relative fan support, so don't count that out of the decision-making process. In Boise, Petersen is beloved; in Palo Alto, he'd be appreciated but hardly adored. In the end, the Cardinal are left searching for another coaching candidate.

David Shaw: Stanford Cardinal Head Coach Favorite

You might not have heard of David Shaw before I wrote his name in this sentence, but he is very much in the running to take over for Jim Harbaugh as head coach of the Stanford Cardinal. According to Elliott Almond of the San Jose Mercury News, the former offensive coordinator is supposedly winning his case with the most important people when considering a new coaching candidate--the players in the Cardinal locker room. Tim Kawakami is also reporting that Shaw is the favorite.

His resume is impressive but hardly earth-shattering; he has nine years of NFL experience as a position coordinator, with the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders. His most prominent work is with Rich Gannon and the Raiders as quarterbacks coach in 2001, leading them to a 10-6 record, AFC West title, and one Tuck Rule away from the AFC Championship.

With Shaw working as the offensive coordinator, the Cardinal offense has made drastic improvements, turning around from the dregs of the conference to becoming one of the top offenses in the Pac-10. It's hard to say how much of that was due to the incredible recruiting of Harbaugh and talents of playmakers like Andrew Luck and Toby Gerhart. Shaw might get his chance soon enough.

Vic Fangio One In-House Candidate For Stanford

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio might be finding his services in high demand between two teams, one college and one pro. Like his head coach before him, Fangio is considered to be a candidate for jobs with the San Francisco 49ers and the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford is potentially looking to him for their vacant head coaching position, while San Francisco are possibly looking to bring him in as defensive coordinator under Harbaugh.

The 49ers are interested, at least according to Adam Schefter, and appear to be moving on from Greg Manusky. The Cardinal though, consider Fangio as one of three in-house candidates next to David Shaw and Greg Roman and all three appear to be solid options to coach the suddenly very-attractive Cardnal team now that Andrew Luck is on his way back.

Fangio has at least one supporter in James McGillicuddy, who had this to say (per Elliott Almond):

I have no idea what will happen with Vic, think he is a MUST for the success of our team next year. A MUST    

Strong words, and seeing a how Vic already has extensive experience in the NFL as a defensive coordinator, he might not feel the same lure that Harbaugh felt himslf. Fangio might have head coaching aspirations, and where better to start than at the college level with a team that went 12-1 with Andrew Luck at quarterback? 

Chris Petersen, Boise State Head Coach: Pros And Cons Of Moving To Stanford Cardinal

All in all, Boise St. Broncos head coach Chris Petersen would be a pretty good replacement for the departed Jim Harbaugh. Tom Dienhart of Yahoo Sports reports the Cardinal have been talking to Petersen during a recruiting trip to California.

Petersen has brought Boise to unprecedented heights. He's recorded three undefeated seasons, two of them leading to BCS berths and Fiesta Bowl victories, and would have had them on the verge of a third BCS bowl if Kyle Brotzman had nailed a field goal in Reno. Petersen is at the peak of his powers, and it'd make sense for him to cash out while his stock is at his high, lest he gets stuck in Boise.

So what should give Stanford pause when hiring him?

• Recruiting at Boise is a lot easier than recruiting at Stanford due to the high academic standards that must be met for its recruits. Boise, by contrast, can sweep through California and Texas and find all the players that the major schools passed over and take most of them unencumbered, regardless of their academic ability.
• Two names: Dirk Koetter and Dan Hawkins. Koetter took Boise to two Big West Titles, but only achieved middling results in six seasons as the Arizona St. Sun Devils head coach, going 40-34 and a 21-28 record in the Pac-10. Hawkins is the more precautionary tale--he was the coach Petersen replaced at Boise, and he went 53-11, but was an abject failure as the Colorado Buffaloes, with only one bowl appearance, going 19-39 and a 10-27 record in the Big 12. There is a history of successful coaches at Boise trying to hang with the big boys and getting burnt.
  
• Will Andrew Luck appreciate the hire? It's only a one year thing, but a Heisman-contending quarterback not getting along with his head coach could be a public relations disaster. Petersen does run the pro-style offense with the Broncos and his own Heisman-contender in Kellen Moore, but all pro-styles are a little different.
  

Stanford will have a tough decision on their hands. Going with the big game will gain them instant credibility, but it's uncertain how well Petersen would translate from the Smurf Turf of Idaho to the perpetual warmth of Palo Alto.

Stanford Cardinal Football Coaching Watch: Chris Petersen Targeted

The Stanford Cardinal have suddenly realized how important a successful football team can be to their team. Although the departure of Jim Harbaugh and return of Andrew Luck probably generated more interest from fans than the actual run of success and an incredible 12-1 2011 campaign, the Cardinal will probably go strong at hiring a candidate who will try and sustain the level of success Harbaugh plateaued the football program at this season.

Here are the candidates currently being circulated:

Chris Petersen: Current head coach at Boise State, he's led the Broncos to two BCS victories in the Fiesta Bowl (both undefeated seasons) and a 61-5 record in five seasons. Petersen is the only current FBS coach being considered for the job.

David Shaw: Cardinal offensive coordinator under Harbaugh for four seasons, the Stanford offense has soared to second best in the conference behind only Pac-10 champions Oregon. Shaw was the wide receivers coach the first three seasons and helped develop Ryan Whalen, then was the running backs coach this year and managed an impressive five back rotation featuring Stepfan Taylor, Anthony Wilkerson, Tyler Gaffney, Jeremy Stewart,  and Usua Amanam to complement Luck and the passing game.

Greg Roman: Roman is primarily known for developing the impressive Cardinal cadre of tight ends the past two seasons, including Coby Fleener, Konrad Reuland and Zach Ertz. He also works with the offensive tackles, a group that has given up a total of FOURTEEN SACKS the past two seasons.

Vic Fangio: The Cardinal defensive coordinator has had 24 years of coaching experience in the NFL, and immediately revamped a mediocre Stanford defense (particularly with regards with the pass) to become one of the better squads in the conference. The Cardinal racked up 36 sacks and were an upper tier run and pass defense squad behind Fangio's 3-4 scheme.

This is your official storystream to follow any new updates on the coaching search down in Palo Alto. For more coverage on the team, head over to Rule of Tree.