Harbaugh, forever haranguing, had taken his whistle and closet full of pleated khaki pants to the 49ers' team facilities by then. David Shaw, the offensive coordinator under Harbaugh, ascended to be head coach. In 15 spring practices in 2012, Nottingham failed to distinguish himself from his competition, Josh Nunes. Nunes, a little better with his legs, was named the starter in August, and Nottingham only played in two games that year. Nottingham eyed the exits, looking at a number of Ivy League programs, probing depth charts and anticipating roadblocks. He considered several schools, but found none that combined his desire to play immediately and maintain an academic level similar to Stanford. Mangurian, a former NFL assistant under head coaches Dan Reeves and Bill Belichick, was in the market for a quarterback. He reviewed Nottingham's game film and believed that he had professional potential, blessed with a 6-foot-4, 217-pound build and the ability to make any throw, from back-shoulder targets to Bang 8 routes. Mangurian flew west to meet the family within 48 hours of making contact. Nottingham didn't say much during a talk at a coffee shop. His mother piped up when he went to the bathroom.