Could Jason Garrett Enter the College Football Ranks?

Jason Garrett is primarily thought of as an NFL figure. He used to coach the Dallas Cowboys, he spent time before and after as an offensive coordinator. And he used to play in the NFL as well as a quarterback.

However, according to The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel, Garrett is currently a finalist for Stanford’s head coaching job. If hired, it would be the first college job for the former Cowboys coach. It would be the first head coaching job for Garrett since being let go by Dallas after 2019.

Former Cowboys HC Jason Garrett has emerged as a finalist for the Stanford job, multiple sources have told @TheAthletic.https://t.co/rrSQ0J59MP

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 8, 2022

Jason Garrett took over as the head coach of the Cowboys in 2010 in an interim role. After being promoted after the 2010 season, he coached the team until 2019. Overall, he went 85-67 in Dallas with three playoff appearances and three NFC East championships.

Afterward, he served as the New York Giants’ offensive coordinator from 2020 until being fired mid-season in 2021. He has since served as an analyst for both NBC’s coverage of Notre Dame football and Sunday Night Football.

The Stanford Rebuilding Job

Garrett is one of two finalists for the position along with Troy Taylor, the current head coach at FCS’ Sacramento State. The final candidate will take over for David Shaw, who stepped down after the season in November.

Shaw was Stanford’s coach for the last 12 seasons and became the winningest coach in the program’s history. He went 96-54, going 5-3 in bowl games, including two Rose Bowl victories in 2012 and 2015. In addition, the Cardinal won three Pac-12 Championships under Shaw in 2012, 2013, and 2015.

However, Stanford’s program has been declining throughout the 2020s. They have finished below .500 in three of the last four years, with the shortened 2020 season being the exception. Shaw’s last two seasons in Palo Alto each finished with only three wins. The program finished second worst in the Pac-12 in conference play after both seasons.

Stanford finished 109th in the FBS in scoring offense with 21.3 points per game. At the same time, they finished 111th in scoring defense, allowing 32.1 per contest.