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Stanford Hires Alumnus Tavita Pritchard as Head Football Coach

The hire follows an Andrew Luck–run search modeled on an NFL front office.

Overview

  • Pritchard will leave the Washington Commanders after Sunday night’s game against the Denver Broncos and begin at Stanford immediately.
  • Interim coach Frank Reich transitions to a senior advisor role to support the handover.
  • A former Stanford quarterback (2006–09) and longtime assistant, Pritchard previously served as the Cardinal’s offensive coordinator before coaching NFL quarterbacks in Washington.
  • He helped develop Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels during his 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl season.
  • Stanford selected Pritchard from a pool of more than 30 candidates with input from athletic director John Donahoe, Condoleezza Rice and President Jonathan Levin, seeking a turnaround after no winning seasons since 2020 and no bowl appearances since 2018.