5 candidates to replace Ron Rivera as Panthers head coach

1. David Shaw, Stanford Head Coach

Shaw has consistently turned down overtures from the NFL, as he has had fostered a lot of success at Stanford since taking over for Jim Harbaugh in 2011 (86-32 record). But the Cardinal is in the midst of a down/rebuilding season amid a litany of injuries, with some one-sided losses on the way to a 4-6 record and wins needed over Cal and Notre Dame to simply earn bowl eligibility. But if there was a time to Shaw to really consider making the jump, there’s an argument for now to be that time.

From 1997-2005, Shaw was an assistant coach in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Ravens. So he comes into the idea of leaving his alma mater with that on his resume, which has obviously helped fuel the virtually annual speculation on him as a head coaching candidate.

Shaw may actually hesitate to leave Stanford this year more than any other before, on the idea of not leaving the program on a down note coming off a disappointing season. But that shouldn’t stop Carolina from having interest, even it yields being rejected immediately on the initial overture. As much as it might matter Shaw would have an assumed player endorser in Panthers’ running  back Christian McCaffrey, who of course played at Stanford under him. A reunion with McCaffrey might appeal to Shaw?

Perhaps before Rivera is even fired, or surely as a coaching search is presumably launched, gauging Shaw’s interest feels like a prerequisite for Tepper and whoever else may be involved in the process for Carolina.