Athletic director Bernard Muir insisted Monday that Stanford is committed to competing for Pac-12 championships in football after coach David Shaw’s resignation, even if it means loosening restrictions that make it harder for the school to compete in a changing college football landscape.

Specifically, Muir said the school is willing to admit more transfer students, provided they meet the academic qualifications to be admitted.

“We can’t build a roster full of transfers, but certainly we can at least hopefully dip our toe in the water there and see if there are the right individuals that can join this program,” Muir said.

According to the 247Sports database, Stanford has had 22 scholarship players transfer out of the program since 2020. Only one student, safety Patrick Fields from Oklahoma, transferred in during that period.

Depth has been a major issue for the Cardinal in recent years – Mitch Leigber, who ended this season as the team’s only healthy running back, had to switch positions from safety midway through the season.

Muir said that the school is also discussing how to utilize name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities for athletes.

“We are going to continue to evaluate NIL and find appropriate balance as to how we can provide the education for our student-athletes to thrive in that space,” Muir said. “We know others are more aggressive in that space right now, and we just have to find what is right for Stanford.”

Muir was speaking at the final official press conference for Shaw, Stanford’s all-time winningest coach, who resigned late Saturday night after his 12th season.

Shaw led Stanford to three Rose Bowls and a Fiesta Bowl in his first five years but is leaving after back-to-back 3-9 seasons. He announced his retirement at a postgame news conference at 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning following the team’s 35-26 loss to visiting BYU.

Muir got home at 2 a.m. that night and received a call from a search firm two hours later – an indication of how quickly coaching searches move. The Cardinal already had a high-profile decommitment early Monday from four-star tight end Walker Lyons, a Folsom native who had committed over the summer.

Current players can enter the transfer portal starting Dec. 5, while most top high school seniors will sign Dec. 21 on early signing day.

But this is still Stanford, so Muir said he will be forming a committee of undisclosed members from the Cardinal community and would be deliberate in its search.

Muir said he didn’t have a set list of criteria, such as Power Five head coaching experience or ties to the West Coast. Instead, he’s looking for someone who values the balance between academics and athletics and has integrity.

Those qualities certainly applied to Shaw, who spent half of his 50 years affiliated with Stanford – as the son of football assistant Willie Shaw, as a wide receiver under Dennis Green and Bill Walsh, as an assistant coach under Jim Harbaugh and finally as head coach since 2011.

Shaw said he finalized his decision to step down over the Thanksgiving holiday and is at peace with the choice. He doesn’t have any concrete plans, other than to spend time with his family.

“I’m going to take my time,” Shaw said. “And when the right thing presents itself, whether it’s in the near future or down the road, I’ll know. We’ll pray about it and think about it and make the right decision at the right time. But for right now, proud to be a Stanford fan. That’s my big occupation right now, outside of time with my family.”

After going 82-26 in his first eight seasons, with five finishes at No. 12 or higher in the AP poll, Shaw went 14-28 in his last four seasons.

He wasn’t interested Monday in delving into what changed or could have been done differently during Stanford’s recent downturn. Instead, he said his entire tenure at Stanford could be summed up by one word: magical.

“For me, I look at this as an entirety and not first part versus second part,” Shaw said. “I’m proud of everything we did. I’m proud of this staff. I’m proud of every single student-athlete that stepped on the field for us.”

It’s now up to Muir to find a replacement for Shaw that can bring Sanford back to its former greatness.

“We have the moniker ‘home of champions’ for a reason, and I think people will be attracted to be a part of that,” Muir said. “We have to support them. We understand that, as we talked about, navigating this landscape can be challenging, but it’s a heck of an opportunity for someone.”