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STANFORD, Calif. — It’s not hard for Troy Taylor to envision a parallel universe in which he would be home, outside of Sacramento, a high school teacher enjoying summer break. He would probably be scribbling plays in a yellow notebook, preparing for Folsom High’s upcoming football season and life would be good.

That was his reality seven years ago. He was the co-head coach at one of the most dominant football programs in the state and the architect of one of the most explosive offenses ever seen at the high school level.

“I could have been very happy being at Folsom High School for the rest of my life,” Taylor said.

A record-breaking quarterback at Cal who spent two years with the New York Jets after being picked in the fourth round of the 1990 NFL draft, Taylor spent five seasons as an assistant at his alma mater before deciding to go the high school route. At the time, the idea of bouncing around, trying to climb the college coaching ladder didn’t mesh well with his idea of how to be a good father and husband.

Folsom became his laboratory. One season the team never punted. In another, his quarterback, current Cincinnati Bengals backup Jake Browning, tied the single-season national record with 91 touchdowns. After 14 years, off and on, there was a special body of work, but finally it hit him: “I need a new challenge.”

Taylor had developed a relationship with then-Washington coach Chris Petersen — initially through Browning’s recruiting process — and after the 2015 season he told Petersen he was flirting with the idea of getting back into college coaching. The conversation began a series of events that led to Taylor being named Stanford football coach in December.

He’s tasked with turning around a program that is just a few years removed from the most successful period in its 130-year history but is coming off a dismal two-year run in which it won just three conference games. Stanford faces significant short- and long-term challenges in the face of the changing world of college football.


SOMETIME AFTER TAYLOR let Petersen know about his college coaching ambitions, his phone rang. On the other end was then-Eastern Washington head coach Beau Baldwin, who was in the market for a new offensive coordinator.

“He told me, ‘Hey, Coach Pete said I should interview you and when Coach Pete tells me to do something, I listen,'” Taylor said.

Petersen had developed an immense amount of respect for Taylor over the years and that was relayed to Baldwin.

Plus, Petersen knew Taylor and Baldwin had similar styles and thought they would make a good match. He was right.

On his way back from the national coaching convention, Baldwin stopped in Sacramento to meet with Taylor. They discussed football concepts and theory, and the conversation ended with Baldwin offering Taylor the job. From a football standpoint, it was the exact type of gig he was looking for: an opportunity to apply his offensive concoction at a higher level and see where it might go.

From a family and life standpoint, though, this was not a no-brainer. The $63,000 salary was a pay cut from his teaching job (which included a $2,000 stipend he got to coach football) and meant he and his wife, Tracey, would have to uproot their three kids — then ages 7, 10 and 15 — to Cheney, Washington.

“If my wife would have said no, that would have been it,” Taylor said. “It was totally in her hands. But she’s like, ‘All right. I believe in you. Let’s do it.'”

Taylor didn’t plan to remain a coordinator for long. He wanted to be a head coach. As much as he obsessed over X’s and O’s, being able to set the culture of a team was just as important and he knew it would never happen from the OC chair.

“I was going to give myself five years to become a head coach at the college level,” he said. “I didn’t want to travel all over the country for the rest of this deal, but let’s give it five years. I could always come back and I’ve got my teaching credential and all that.

“People were wondering if the offense was going to work at the college level. So was I. So, let’s give it a shot.”


YES, THE OFFENSE worked. At Eastern Washington, quarterback Gage Gubrud set the FCS single-season passing record (5,160 yards), the Eagles went 12-2, ranked second nationally in total offense and third in scoring. Having future Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp at receiver certainly helped, but any possible doubt about Taylor’s transition from high school was gone.

After the season, he was named the offensive coordinator at Utah and this time when he leveled up, it came with roughly a half-million-dollar raise.

The results were mixed. Utah won its first Pac-12 division title in his second season (2018), but the Utes ranked in the bottom half of the conference offensively in his two years in Salt Lake City. Taylor’s pass-heavy offense clashed with what Utah had done traditionally and has done since.

Still, the three years in college football were validating and led Sacramento State to offer Taylor its head coaching gig after the 2018 season. It meant another pay cut — this time measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars — but for Taylor, that was but a footnote. He was doing exactly what he set out to do: become a head coach in college football and do it in his hometown.

“People were shocked when I left Utah,” Taylor said. “‘What’s he doing? Why would he leave for less money and go to Sacramento State to be the head coach?’ … And I said, ‘This isn’t about money. This is about running a program.'”

“As an offensive coordinator, you can make a lot of money, but you’re never going to be able to really drive the culture.”

Like Stanford is now, Sac State was in a tough spot. In 2018, it went winless in the Big Sky Conference (0-7) and was 2-8 overall. Going into Taylor’s first season, the Hornets were picked to come in 12th place in the 13-team league.

The turnaround was immediate. Sac State went 9-4 overall and 7-1 in the conference and earned two historic firsts: a share of the Big Sky football championship and a berth in the FCS playoffs. After not playing in the 2020 Covid season, Taylor took the Hornets to new heights. They went undefeated in conference play in 2021 and 2022, rose to as high as No. 2 in the FCS rankings and won their first-ever playoff game.

The day after Sac State was eliminated from the FCS playoffs in December, Taylor was officially named Stanford’s head coach.


STANFORD ATHLETIC DIRECTOR Bernard Muir is not expecting the same kind of instant revival on the Farm. Not in what has the potential to be a very strong year in the Pac-12 and not with what Stanford has been through.

“I know it’s going to take some time to get us back to where we want to be just because our numbers are a bit down, but he’s not making excuses and he’s trying to get better every day,” Muir said. “And that’s exactly the energy and enthusiasm we’re going to need.”

A bit down sells things a bit short.

The Cardinal lost 12 starters and 17 players to the transfer portal and the school’s stringent admission and transfer requirements precluded the possibility of using the portal to completely replenish the roster for this season in the way most other schools could have. Taylor said he expects to have about 75 of the allotted 85 scholarship players this season.

Those departures combined with Stanford’s downturn are why the Cardinal were picked to finish in last place by the media in a poll released at Pac-12 media day Friday. Muir and Taylor both theorized, however, that the mass exodus was more a product of unusual circumstances — extra year of Covid eligibility, staff change, lack of success, etc. — than something they expect to turn into a trend.

“In this day and age where schools bring in 30 new transfers, we’re not going to live in that world,” Taylor said. “I don’t want to live in that world. I want to build culture and you only build culture when you have people for a duration. You can’t bring in new players every year and think you’re going to develop a great culture.

“I like the idea of building it with high school athletes and then if you’re smart enough to choose Stanford, you’re probably smart enough to stay in school until you get your undergraduate degree.”

Of the 17 players who left, 16 did so with degrees. The extra season of eligibility from Covid resulted in more graduates with remaining eligibility than will usually be the case.

It’s nearly impossible to measure progress while a new coach is 0-0, but three players who spoke with ESPN last week were enthusiastic about the job Taylor has done injecting new energy and belief into the program.

“He’s everything we heard about him times 10,” tight end Benjamin Yurosek said. “He’s competitive, he’s intense, he loves the game of football.”

“Coach Taylor’s big philosophy is love and that’s obviously been prevalent in Stanford, but just understanding what that means, not that golden retriever type of love or anything, but loving your brother enough to tell him what he doesn’t want to hear or push him in all those types of ways.”

What Yurosek laid out reflects the kind of culture Taylor has always felt was vital to building a successful football program. It was that way in Folsom, just as it was at Sac State. In both places, unprecedented success followed. At Stanford, that’s a tougher bar to clear.

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Buffs coach: Stars ‘should be going 1-2’ in draft

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Buffs coach: Stars 'should be going 1-2' in draft

BOULDER, Colo. — For the horde of NFL talent evaluators and some bleachers full of fans, Colorado coach Deion Sanders said Friday that they all got to see the top two players available in this year’s NFL draft.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter were among the 16 Colorado players who took part in the school’s showcase event for scouts, coaches and personnel executives from every NFL team. And Deion Sanders said the two marquee players confirmed what he has known for a long time.

“It’s tremendous,” Sanders said. “… They should be going 1-2 [in the draft], that’s the way I feel about it. They are the two best players in this draft. … The surest bets in this draft are those two young men, and I didn’t stutter or stammer when I said that.”

Neither Shedeur Sanders nor Hunter took part in most of the position drills or physical testing, but Sanders had a throwing session for just under an hour and Hunter was one of the wide receivers who participated. Neither player worked out at the scouting combine earlier this year, so it was the first time Sanders had thrown in such a setting since the end of the season. He showed some full seven-step drops and play-action from the shotgun and under center.

“I think I did pretty good, to my expectations,” said Sanders, who set the career FBS accuracy mark in his two years at Colorado (71.8%) to go with his 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns last season. “I know I did the best in college football right now, for sure.”

Asked after the throwing session whether he believed he was the best quarterback in the draft, Sanders said: “I feel like I’m the No. 1 quarterback, and that’s what I know. But at the end of the day, I’m not stuck on that because it’s about the situation, so whatever situation, whatever franchise believes in me, I’m excited to go. … I’m comfortable in any situation.”

Players Hunter, who did not speak to the media after the workout, and Sanders met with the Cleveland Browns contingent, including team co-owner Jimmy Haslam, on Thursday night in Boulder.

“They got me really full,” Sanders said. “I definitely needed to go to the sauna after that. … It was a good vibe.”

Said Deion Sanders said: “[I] spoke to the owner, truly delightful. He was engaging. … I think one of those guys is going to be there [at No. 2].”

Hunter, the No. 1 player on Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board, did not do any defensive drills Friday, but he ran a full assortment of routes.

Colorado safety Shilo Sanders, Shedeur’s brother, offered plenty of encouragement, shouting commentary and clapping after each throw, including “not a lot of quarterbacks can make that throw” after one deep completion.

The highly attended event — by NFL representatives as well as fans packing small bleachers — had a festive atmosphere. Deion Sanders named it the “We Ain’t Hard 2 Find Showcase,” complete with a large lighted “The Showcase” sign next to the drills.

Hunter, who has said he wants to play offense and defense in the NFL, won the Chuck Bednarik (top defensive player) and Fred Biletnikoff (top receiver) awards in addition to the Heisman. He said whether he will primarily be a wide receiver or a cornerback in the NFL depends “on the team that picks me.”

On Friday, Deion Sanders said “ain’t nobody like Travis.”

Hunter had 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver last season to go with 35 tackles, 11 pass breakups and 4 interceptions at cornerback. In the Buffaloes’ regular-season finale against Oklahoma State, he became the only FBS player in the past 25 years with three scrimmage touchdowns on offense and an interception in the same game, according to ESPN Research.

He played 1,380 total snaps in Colorado’s 12 regular-season games: 670 on offense, 686 on defense and 24 on special teams. He played 1,007 total snaps in 2023.

Shilo Sanders, who hoped to show teams more speed than expected, ran a 4.52 40-yard dash after he measured in at 5-foot-11⅞, 196 pounds. He did not participate in the jumps or bench press that opened the workout, citing a right shoulder injury.

With all NFL eyes on the Colorado campus to see Shedeur Sanders throw, one player who made the most of it was wide receiver Will Sheppard. Sheppard, who measured 6-2¼, 196 pounds, ran the 40 in 4.56 and 4.54 to go with a 40½-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-11 broad jump.

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O’s Henderson off IL; will make ’25 debut vs. KC

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O's Henderson off IL; will make '25 debut vs. KC

Baltimore Orioles All-Star shortstop Gunnar Henderson was activated from the 10-day injured list and will make his season debut Friday night against the Kansas City Royals.

Henderson has been sidelined with a right intercostal strain and missed the first seven games of the big league campaign.

The 23-year-old Henderson will lead off and play shortstop against the host Royals.

Henderson was injured during a spring training game Feb. 27. He was fourth in American League MVP voting last season when he batted .281 and racked up career bests of 37 homers and 92 RBIs.

Henderson completed a five-game rehab stint at Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday. He batted .263 (5-for-19) with two homers and four RBIs and played four games at shortstop and one as the designated hitter. He did commit three errors.

“I think everybody’s looking forward to having Gunnar back on the team,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said Thursday. “The rehab went really, really well. I talked to him a couple days ago, he feels great swinging the bat. The timing came, especially the last few days. He just had to get out there and get some reps defensively and get some games in, and it all went well.”

Baltimore optioned outfielder Dylan Carlson to Triple-A Norfolk to open up a roster spot. The 26-year-old was 0-for-4 with a run and RBI in two games this season.

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Life after OMG: Can 2025 Mets replicate their 2024 vibes?

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Life after OMG: Can 2025 Mets replicate their 2024 vibes?

When New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns attempted to assemble the best possible roster for the 2025 season this winter, the top priority was signing outfielder Juan Soto. Next was the need to replenish the starting rotation and bolster the bullpen. Then, days before pitchers and catchers reported for spring training, the lineup received one final significant reinforcement when first baseman Pete Alonso re-signed.

Acquiring a player with a singing career on the side didn’t make the cut.

“No, that is not on the list,” Stearns said with a smile.

Stearns’ decision not to re-sign Jose Iglesias, the infielder behind the mic for the viral 2024 Mets anthem “OMG,” was attributed to creating more roster flexibility. But it also hammered home a reality: The scrappy 2024 Mets, authors of a magical summer in Queens, are a thing of the past. The 2025 Mets, who will report to Citi Field for their home opener Friday, have much of the same core but also some prominent new faces — and the new, outsized expectations that come with falling two wins short of the World Series, then signing Soto to the richest contract in professional sports history.

But there’s a question surrounding this year’s team that you can’t put a price tag on: Can these Mets rekindle the magic — the vibes, the memes, the feel-good underdog story — that seemed to come out of nowhere to help carry them to Game 6 of the National League Championship Series last season?

“Last year the culture was created,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “It’s a matter of continuing it.”

For all the success Stearns has engineered — his small-market Milwaukee Brewers teams reached the postseason five times in eight seasons after he became the youngest general manager in history in 2015 — the 40-year-old Harvard grad, like the rest of his front office peers knows there’s no precise recipe for clubhouse chemistry. There is no culture projection system. No Vibes Above Replacement.

“Culture is very important,” Stearns said last weekend in the visiting dugout at Daikin Park before his club completed an opening-weekend series against the Houston Astros. “Culture is also very difficult to predict.”

Still, it seems the Mets’ 2024 season will be all but impossible to recreate.

There was Grimace, the purple McDonald’s blob who spontaneously became the franchise’s unofficial mascot after throwing out a first pitch in June. “OMG,” performed under Iglesias’ stage name, Candelita, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Digital Songs chart, before a remix featuring Pitbull was released in October. Citi Field became a karaoke bar whenever Lindor stepped into the batter’s box with The Temptations’ “My Girl” as his walk-up song. Alonso unveiled a lucky pumpkin in October. They were gimmicks that might have felt forced if they hadn’t felt so right.

“I don’t know if what we did last year could be replicated because it was such a chaos-filled group,” Mets reliever Ryne Stanek said. “I don’t know if that’s replicable because there’s just too many things going on. I don’t know if that’s a sustainable model. But I think the expectation of winning is really important. I think establishing what we did last year and coming into this year where people are like, ‘Oh, no, that’s what we’re expecting to do,’ makes it different. It’s always a different vibe whenever you feel like you’re the hunter versus being the hunted.”

For the first two months last season, the Mets were terrible hunters. Lindor was relentlessly booed at Citi Field during another slow start. The bullpen got crushed. The losses piled up. The Mets began the season 0-5 and sunk to rock bottom on May 29 when reliever Jorge Lopez threw his glove into the stands during a 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers that dropped the team to 22-33.

That night, the Mets held a players-only meeting. From there, perhaps coincidentally, everything changed. The Mets won the next day, and 67 of their final 107 games.

This year, to avoid an early malaise and to better incorporate new faces like Soto and Opening Day starter Clay Holmes, players made it a point to hold meetings during spring training to lay a strong foundation.

“At the end of the day, we know who we are and that’s the beauty of our club,” Alonso said. “Not just who we are talent-wise, but who each individual is as a man and a personality. For us, our major, major strength is our collective identity as a unit.”

Organizationally, the Mets are attempting a dual-track makeover: Becoming perennial World Series contenders while not taking themselves too seriously.

The commemorative purple Grimace seat installed at Citi Field in September — Section 302, Row 6, Seat 12 in right field — remains there as part of a two-year contract. Last week, the franchise announced it will feature a New York-city themed “Five Borough” race at every home game — with a different mascot competing to represent each borough. For a third straight season, USA Today readers voted Citi Field — home of the rainbow cookie egg roll, among many other innovative treats — as having the best ballpark food in baseball.

In the clubhouse, their identity is evolving.

“I’m very much in the camp that you can’t force things,” Mets starter Sean Manaea said. “I mean, you can, but you don’t really end up with good results. And if you wait for things to happen organically, then sometimes it can take too long. So, there’s like a nudging of sorts. It’s like, ‘Let’s kind of come up with something, but not force it.’ So there’s a fine balance there and you just got to wait and see what happens.”

Stearns believes it starts with what the Mets can control: bringing positive energy every day and fostering a family atmosphere. It’s hard to quantify, but vibes undoubtedly helped fuel the Mets’ 2024 success. It’ll be a tough act to follow.

“It’s fluid,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I like where guys are at as far as the team chemistry goes and things like that and the connections and the relationships. But it’ll continue to take some time. And winning helps, clearly.”

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