Jordan HammThe connection between college football coaches runs deep.
That’s the case for ASU offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin and Stanford head coach Troy Taylor.
In 2016, Baldwin was overseeing one of the most explosive offenses in the country as head coach of Eastern Washington. He was interviewing five candidates to fill a co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach position in 2016. One of those candidates was Taylor, who held various roles at Cal but hadn’t coached at the collegiate level since 2000. He had been a broadcaster and recently coached at the prep level before joining Baldwin’s staff.
The two had only spent a year together at Eastern Washington, but both paths eventually led back to the Pac-12. Baldwin would move on to Cal to be an offensive coordinator before becoming head coach at Cal Poly. Taylor then went to Utah to serve as offensive coordinator before leading the Sacramento State program for four seasons. He was hired as Stanford’s head coach this offseason.
Here’s where the connection really gets interesting.
While Taylor was building the program at Sacramento State, he came across a running back who tallied over 6,000 rushing yards and 69 touchdowns in three seasons. Despite the production, Sacramento State would be this player’s only offer.
Much like Baldwin gave Taylor an opportunity to get back into college coaching, Taylor did the same with this player.
That running back was Cameron Skattebo, who became the 2022 Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year while playing for Taylor.
With success brought new opportunities. Taylor took the job at Stanford this offseason, and Skattebo entered the transfer portal. His production that was overlooked in high school was not this time around when looking for a new collegiate home.
Baldwin – now the offensive coordinator at Arizona State – saw firsthand what Skattebo could do. When Cal Poly and Sacramento State played last year, Skattebo totaled 100 total yards and three touchdowns in a 49-21 win.
It was not a tough pitch for Baldwin when talking to the rest of the Arizona State staff about this new running back, and Skattebo has made his impact on and off the field in his first offseason with the Sun Devils.
You never know how paths will cross and what that may lead to down the road.
If not for Beau Baldwin, maybe Troy Taylor doesn’t jump back into college coaching. Maybe he doesn’t come across a diamond in the rough at a Sacramento State camp. Maybe Cameron Skattebo doesn’t make his way to Tempe, now playing under Baldwin.
But all those dominoes fell, and all three now find themselves in the Pac-12.
