David Shaw is comfortable. And why shouldn't he be? By any measurement his tenure as head football coach at Stanford has been the most impressive in school history. His teams have won three Pac-12 championships and two Rose Bowls, he's been named Pac-12 Coach of the Year a record four times, and no active coach in the conference can match his ninety wins, which is also a Stanford record.
Shaw's confidence, however, likely doesn't come only from those records and accolades, but from a life spent in the game. The son of a football coach who grew up to play wide receiver at Stanford, Shaw worked on various staffs in college and the NFL before taking the head coaching job at his alma mater just a little over ten years ago. His early success led to annual speculation about a future at the next level, and most observers assumed he would use the Stanford job as a stepping stone to greater glory at the next level. He certainly had opportunities to leave, but the rumors which were once rampant every time the NFL coaching carousel began to spin have slowed to a trickle. It seems that the football world has finally started believing Shaw's claim that the Stanford job is the only one he ever really wanted.
Perhaps the biggest personal benefit of running this site for the past eleven years has been the opportunity to attend Media Day every year and to sit down with a group of reporters to chat with Shaw. During the season, he's necessarily closed off with the media. He guards his secrets carefully, and he often bristles at hints of criticism in the postgame pressroom. He's like most every coach in America.
But as he sits at lunch in Los Angeles on a sunny afternoon in the third week of July, all defenses are down. He's a storyteller, and it's not hard to imagine him tending the grill at a background barbecue or catching up with dorm mates at his class reunion. On those days he's like any of us, save for the fact that his funny work stories are about the 2007 upset over USC, and ours are about the time the copier broke down on the day of the big presentation.
I'm not a reporter, and I've never claimed to be objective about Stanford football, so it shouldn't be a surprise that I lost my objectivity regarding Shaw long ago. There's no one I would prefer to be head coach of Stanford football, and that's not just because of the ninety wins and the three trips to the Rose Bowl. I like him. Even when he chooses to punt from inside the opponent's 30 yard line, he's still the person I want representing my school. Honest.
So when I arrived at Media Day last month and discovered that the Pac-12 had responded to concerns about Covid-19 with plans to keep the players and coaches separate from the media during lunch, I was disappointed. The questions I'd planned on asking would have to sit until next summer, but I still wanted to wish him well, so I found him soon after he stepped down from the main stage. I said hello and expressed my disappointment that lunch interviews had been cancelled, but he quickly cut me off and asked, "Why don't we just sit down after lunch?"
It was completely unexpected, but we spent twenty minutes or so chatting. We covered a lot of ground as we looked back at last season and looked forwarded to this fall. Enjoy...
GMC:
So at Media Day in 2019, I asked you to look back at the 2018 season, and I asked if you had ever been around the number of injuries that you had in 2018, and you said no. And then 2019 came, and it was so much worse. This seems like an easy and obvious question, but if we just look at the offensive line, how much of a difference was last year -- the health of last year's offensive line?
Shaw:
It changes the season. Two years ago, we were low on our depth, and we were injured. So at any given time we had three freshmen out there, who are now juniors and really good football players, but three to four freshmen out there at a time learning how to play college football in games that count, not in practice. That was hard. This past year, it was one of the strengths of our football team. The consistency of our offensive line, both in running the ball and pass protection, was great. And I think we're only going to be that much better with these guys as juniors really taking that next step.
GMC:
So what's it like to be back at an event like this?
Shaw:
It's funny. All the coaches have been talking about it. It's one of those things that not everybody looks forward to but we know it's part of it. But most of us this year are really looking forward to it. Just kind of being able to come and talk about our program, talk about our guys.
GMC:
As fans we have a tendency to look back at a season and we look at this "what ifs," but we don't often look at the things that broke in our favor. So Thomas Booker's block in Big Game, the extra point. Going into that game, externally, there were lots of questions swirling. People were wondering, "Is this team gonna win a game?" How big was that moment?
Shaw:
It was huge, because obviously we were talented. Obviously we were really good. We had every excuse in the world not to play well that year -- starting late, starting outside of our county, having to practice at a high school, first game of the year our starting quarterback gets a false positive, right? So every day I walked in, I thought, "These guys are great, but how many times can they bounce back. How many times can they be resilient." I'd ask them, but at any given time they could've just said, "You know, Coach, we just can't do this anymore."
GMC:
That's what I wondered about at the time. That win, any win at that point, but a Big Game win -- how much did that carry the team forward, just in terms of energy?
Shaw:
We just needed a spark. The second half against Colorado, we were really different. First half, you know, Davis Mills wasn't all the way back to being Davis Mills yet, and we weren't ourselves. That Oregon loss really hurt, because we thought that we were better than we had played. And then coming back to Cal and playing pretty well against Cal, not great, but pretty well against Cal and battling -- had the lead and really had a chance to put it away and couldn't. But then that block, that energy, that passion, the guys picking up the Axe and running around the stadium and having juice and energy... There's no question that that propelled us the rest of the year.
GMC:
Continuing from there, a lot of times in basketball and baseball, you'll hear about teams that are kind of going through a rough spot, and they'll say, "We needed this roadtrip to focus, to come together, unity-wise." Was there in any way a positive to that crazy trip, that time in the desert wandering around?
Shaw:
The positive, and we asked some of our guys, especially the guys that graduated... It was hard, but they also said it was kind of fun. It's kind of fun being with your guys on the road, staying in a hotel. They had some freedom, some ability to get out and walk around. We had finished school so they didn't have a lot of academic responsibility, so as difficult as some of the day to day stuff was, they were like, "Coach, that was a lot of fun. I just spent three weeks on the road with my best friends." So that positive of being able to have something to look back on and enjoy the process, but also then actually play well and win. Four games in a row, but three games truly travelling on the road. I think we did a good job of trying to make sure we found things -- we weren't just trying to get them with all the rules -- what else can they do? Let's see how the mall is looking. "Hey, guys, let's go to the mall! You guys can walk around the mall and get some ice cream." Down in Santa Barbara, "We got some beaches for you guys to walk on!" We were finding things for them to do that they hadn't been able to do before, so we were able to find those positives. Playing well, once again, is a big positive, too, but the guys took it the right way.
GMC:
So, that famous walkthrough that ended up in the park. Did you know that Thomas Booker went through that barefoot?
Shaw:
There were quite a few guys.
GMC:
He was telling us that he was planning for the parking lot, so he was wearing his Jordan 1s.
Shaw:
Yes, so you had a lot of guys that had really nice shoes, and we were just going across the street to the parking lot. We got booted out of the parking lot, and I was teasing a bunch of the guys -- because we're talking about a bunch of Stanford guys -- "You guys have never been kicked out of anyplace before in your life, have you? This is what it feels like to get kicked out." So we were going to the park and the park was a little wet, there's a little mud in spots, and we had some guys that didn't want to get their shoes dirty so they kicked 'em off, and did it in their bare feet. Ducks were kind of waddling through the walk through, but it was good.
GMC:
I want to ask you about the UCLA game. I don't know that I've ever seen a team look so good, and then have everything go away, and then look so good again. Have you been around a swing like that?
Shaw:
Never. Never. Not how drastic that was. Because at the beginning of the game, we were on fire. Offensively -- running, throwing everything was great, defensively we got stops. The starting quarterback gets hurt for them, who is just a dangerous guy. And we played even better. And then for some reason we couldn't stop the run. And Chip, of course, does a great job, and has always been good against us, found a couple of things that were working for 'em and exploited a couple of things. And offensively we hadn't turned the ball over much all year and then to turn it over three times and one for a pick six. But then right at the end again, turn it around. Get a big time defensive stop to get the ball back, march down to get the game-tying score, and then overtime, just being brave. So many guys stepped up to big time plays, Dalyn Wade-Perry getting the fumble recovery. Stephon Herron making that play to force the fumble and then the play at the end of the game to come down -- we hadn't stopped the run for two quarters, and he makes the biggest run stop of the game. Those guys stepping up in those big critical moments were huge.
GMC:
As a coach, I would assume, it's maybe easier for you to stay in the moment and not be thinking about how we were playing so well but now we're not. But what about the team? What was the mood, how were they able to just not fold up?
Shaw:
I will take zero credit for that. I think the pandemic gets credit for that. I heard Tara VanDerveer's group say very similar things as our group, which is when you're kicked out and you're on the road and just day to day waiting to see what's going to happen next, there's a natural resilience that gets built up, and that game -- we were so good, and so bad, and so good again. But our guys never got too high and they never got too low. They had been through so much for the previous month. Whatever that game threw at us, our guys were gonna be fine. We're gonna find a way to fight back. And so that's what I attribute that to. The last couple months had been so hard. They knew this was the last game, they knew they were pouring everything into it. They knew they weren't going to be perfect and they weren't perfect, but they were going to find a way to come out on top.
GMC:
I know you can't talk to me specifically about any recruits who may or may not be showing up. But we've always talked about the importance of the University as a big recruiter. Are you feeling that difference this year?
Shaw:
Yeah, I mean, last year was tough, and I commend our class that's coming in as freshmen this year. They weren't able to truly have the recruiting experience that so many of our guys are used to. This year -- and it's bearing itself out -- our phrase is "get 'em to campus." We get the right guys to campus, they can't picture themselves going anyplace else. So this group that's coming in, this group that we're finishing up the class, they just got a chance to come on campus. Being around our guys, being able to get into the dorms, being able to meet the professors, as you know, is a difference maker. It's a huge difference maker. And we can pound our chest, we're great recruiters... But it's just getting 'em to campus, and being around Stanford people, and they start to feel it. And it's been great for us, too, as coaches, to feel that again because we haven't felt it either because people haven't been on campus. Now let's have a luncheon with the professors again. It's so fun and exciting and unique to be in this environment with so many bright people, so many high achieving people. Our student athletes again, just listening to them tell these recruits why they came to Stanford. "Here's what I'm doing now, here's what I want to do. Here's what I want to do in football, here's what I want to do out of football, and this is the one place I knew I could do it all." That's been huge, and I think that's the reason why we've picked up a lot of steam this year in recruiting.
GMC:
Michael Wilson said something that I've heard you say before. I asked him about the locker room being the draw during recruiting, and he said, "When you see a Stanford football player, even if he doesn't have something that says Stanford on, you know it's a Stanford football player."
Shaw:
The strength of our locker is the reason why we win football games. That UCLA game. The guys are so tight together. I tell recruits all the time. "You go on all these other visits" -- which I encourage -- "take all these visits, see all these places, meet all these people. While you're on those visits, you'll meet the other guys on those visits, and you'll be able to say, 'Oh, I bet Stanford is recruiting that guy.' You'll be able to self-select." And that's a big draw for those guys to come be in a locker room with guys that are like them. They want to be great football players, but they also want to do well in school. They also want to do things outside of football. That group of interesting, highly-motivated individuals, they find each other. That's been happening so often, and so many guys who come to visit say, 'Wow, I have more in common with guys on your team than I have in my own high school.'
GMC:
Everybody is obviously interested in the quarterback competition. I'm not asking you to predict it, but what does the competition look like for you -- not this specific one -- but when you've got two guys battling. What's the process?
Shaw:
"The process for us is always to make sure it's as balanced as possible and then let the film make the decision. No dark room, quiet conversations, it's really point blank. When you believe in competition, you have to let the competition take its course. If it's really, really tight then I have to make the call, but more often than not, once we have enough film, we let the film make the decision, which is the reason why we've had a lot of guys say, 'Okay, I understand why I didn't win the competition, because I'm watching it.' And we're very open with them. The quarterback competition is, of course, unique, but at the other positions we still play a lot of guys. Because if one guy doesn't win the left guard competition, he's still going to play someplace. He's still going to have an opportunity. We're going to play anywhere between three and five running backs. We're going to play four to seven receivers. We're going to play four tight ends. Even if you don't get a chance to start, you're going to get an opportunity to help this team win.
GMC:
Do you have a date on the calendar -- I'm gonna make this decision by this day -- or is it okay for it to be when you release the first depth chart?
Shaw:
I don't like playing games with the media. I don't like when coaches say, "We don't know who's gonna start until the game starts." That's all crap. I would like to name a starting quarterback at the latest at the beginning of prep week, the Monday before we play Kansas State. It may happen sooner, but it's whenever the film truly tells us that there's a clear separation. If that's two weeks into camp, hey, that's when it happens. I'm not gonna keep secrets, we'll make the announcement. We'll tell the guys first, let them tell their families first, and then we'll move on.
GMC:
So, the schedule?
Shaw [Laughing]:
You're asking why?
GMC:
Let me ask you a different question. Is there a temptation to do what we see other conferences do? Is there a temptation to schedule three non-conference home games that you're gonna win by 30 points? I mean, there are benefits to that, and there are obviously benefits to a schedule like this year's.
Shaw:
I'm just gonna blurt a bunch of things out here.
GMC:
Go!
Shaw:
There's absolutely a temptation. When we made the decision to become the Pac-12 and have a nine-game conference schedule, a lot of that was predicated on a belief that this is where things were going.
GMC:
As a nation? As a sport?
Shaw:
All the conferences. The Big Ten followed suit with a nine-game schedule. The ACC and SEC in particular, laughed. "We're not doing that." It's basically been proven that their way of doing things has been more advantageous. So, yeah, as we have discussions going forward, you know, eight-game vs. nine-game, how does that impact the playoffs? Are we going to a twelve-team playoff? Are we following that model? Are we doing something else? But that's still kind of in flux. But there is a temptation to do that because our way has not worked. We beat each other up, and there have been, off the top of my head, three times, probably three times for sure, where the eventual Pac-12 champion stumbles week eight, nine, or ten because it's the fourth conference game in a row, or three with Notre Dame. Our 2015 team -- you couldn't tell me we weren't one of the best four teams in America...
GMC:
I agree.
Shaw:
We ran out of gas against a really good Oregon team and just couldn't finish that game because that was on the end of what? Five games in a row. I watched it happen to Oregon. I watched it happen to SC. It's happened to us at least twice. And that doesn't happen with other conferences because they don't have that same slate of games. They have those strategically placed byes, strategically placed FBS opponents, so they don't have those long hauls. It's all gonna be up for discussion as we go forward. We may stay with nine. I personally think if we don't have an automatic bid to whatever playoff system, I think we should go to eight league games. If we have an automatic bid, now we don't have to. If we don't have an automatic bid, we've seen what's gonna happen. Those other conferences will continue to get more teams in the playoffs than we do, and we'll continue to beat each other up. Because I don't care what anybody says, we're still the deepest conference there is, and the only conference where you can make a legitimate case for seven or eight teams to win the conference at the beginning of the year. You just can't do that in other conferences.
