With the Stanford football team opening its first spring practice session on Monday afternoon, head coach David Shaw sat down with the media on Thursday to discuss some of the major changes for the Cardinal this offseason, most notably on the coaching staff.
First, Shaw addressed the defensive side of the ball, where co-defensive coordinator Derek Mason will assume the role of defensive coordinator.
“We’re going to hire a new defensive coach, but Derek Mason will be the defensive coordinator,” Shaw said. “There will not be another co-coordinator situation.”
Mason, who is in his third year on the Cardinal coaching staff after being hired away from the Minnesota Vikings in 2010, earned the promotion after co-defensive coordinator Jason Tarver left to take over as defensive coordinator for theOakland Raiders. Together, the two led a Cardinal defense that finished the season ranked either first or second in the Pac-12 in eight categories, including first in total defense and rushing defense.
Shaw specifically noted that the Cardinal is looking to hire a new inside linebackers coach to replace Tarver, and he expects to have that position filled by next week.
Shaw will also hire a new special teams coordinator to replace Brian Polian, who left to take over the special teams at Texas A&M this offseason.
The Cardinal is expected to hire former Fresno State special teams coordinator Pete Alamar to fill Polian’s shoes, but Shaw said the official announcement would not be made until Monday.
Alamar spent the last two seasons working as the special teams and tight ends coach at Fresno State. Prior to his time in Fresno, the 51-year old Alamar spent seven seasons as Cal’s special teams coordinator and tight ends coach before he was fired in 2009.
While Alamar did tutor players like All-American punt returner DeSean Jackson, who led the nation in punt return average in 2006, the end of his tenure at Cal was marked by a 2009 season where the Bears finished ninth in the Pac-10 in kickoffs and last in the conference in field goal percentage.
Second-year coach Ron Crook will continue to coach the Cardinal tight ends, and under his tutelage the trio of Coby Fleener, Levine Toilolo and Zach Ertz combined to catch 86 passes for 1,356 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2011.
Finally, Shaw also addressed running backs coach Mike Sanford, who was promoted to the role of recruiting coordinator on Monday.
“Mike’s always been one of those guys, even when he was an intern here when I first got here, that I knew he was going to have a bright future in this profession,” Shaw said. “He’s extremely personable, he’s great to talk to; he bonds with people very quickly…You look down that list of guys we signed this year, and a lot of those guys were his recruits. And those guys would run through a wall for him. It was only natural for me to elevate him to that position.”
Shaw did say that outside linebackers coach Lance Anderson, who was named Scout.com’s National Recruiter of the Year, would still play a major role in recruiting and act as the football team’s liaison to the admissions department.
The Cardinal will open up its first session of spring practice on Monday, February 27. The first spring session will end on March 10th in anticipation of finals and spring break. The Cardinal will resume workouts on April 2nd and wrap up the spring on April 14th in the annual Cardinal-White Spring Game at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.