Cardinal Rule on Defense in 2014 Could Belong to Oregon

Dec 27, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal defensive coordinator Derek Mason at press conference for the 2013 Rose Bowl at the L.A. Hotel Downtown. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this week Oregon named a new Defensive Coordinator after losing Nick Allioti to retirement. Another team in the Pac-12 Conference may soon be looking to replace not only a Defensive Coordinator, but also a good part of it’s Defense. The Stanford Cardinal  earlier this month had rumors of Head Coach David Shaw jumping to the NFL, but that did not happen. Now reality sets in for the Pac-12 Champion.

The Cardinal will lose close to a dozen defenders, nearly half for entry into the NFL Draft, others due to no longer being eligible. Shane Skov and Trent Murphy are at the top of the list of those departing. On the other hand all the cards appear to be in the fold for Oregon with 10 of 11 offensive starters returning, as well as  a key member of the Defense in Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.

Aside from losing players the Cardinal may also be losing their Defensive Coordinator Derek Mason to become the new head coach of Vanderbilt, which was left open when James Franklin left to become the next head coach of Penn State.

The loss of Mason would be huge for a team that held teams to under 30 points in 22 games. Even if he stays, the landscape of the Pac-12 will change next year.

Of course, we won’t know the full effect until November 1st.

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