David Shaw began his 2016 on the most positive of notes. He lead his Cardinal team to a 45 - 16 blowout victory over Iowa in the Rose Bowl. He proved once again why Stanford should be considered a national power house.

He is also a hot commodity for NFL teams looking for an upgrade at head coach. For Stanford fans, the thing that should be a bit frightening is the fact that around this time of year, you can never fully take a coach at their word. A smart coach will always give the media a cookie-cutter, generic answer that we have all heard when the tough question about moving on comes up. It usually sounds something like "I am fully committed to these kids and this team. I teach these players to take things one day at a time, and I like to do the same thing."

While he hasn't yet been bombarded with questions about a move to the NFL publicly, there has been plenty of speculation. The day Chip Kelly was fired there were rumors mounting that Shaw could be the next man up. Of course, the Eagles aren't the only team looking for a changing of the guard. And what makes coach Shaw so desirable is his no gimmicks, traditional style of coaching. He doesn't run trick plays too often, he always seems in control, and it helps that he was the offensive coordinator during Jim Harbaugh's tenure.

Keep your ears to the ground over the next few weeks. This is a story that's in it's infancy, but will surely develop quickly. With any luck, David Shaw will remain at Stanford, and the good times will continue to roll.

#Stanford coach David Shaw is a top college coaches coveted by @NFL teams. He plans to stay & openings in SF & (likely) Indy won't change it

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 4, 2026