Stanford names ex-QB Pritchard new head coach

Stanford has hired Tavita Pritchard as the school’s next head coach, the school announced on Friday.

Pritchard is a former Stanford quarterback, assistant coach and coordinator. He is the Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach, a job he took in 2023 after various roles on the Stanford staff from 2010 to 2022.

Pritchard has received permission to leave the Commanders to join the Stanford staff after Washington plays Denver on Sunday night.

Pritchard emerged from a pool of more than 30 candidates in a process run by general manager Andrew Luck that included new athletic director John Donahoe, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Stanford president Jonathan Levin. Stanford’s pool included strong interest from both the college and NFL world.

“Tavita Pritchard is exactly the right head coach at the right time to help us build on the foundation of this season and lead Stanford football to its next great era,” Luck said in a statement. “Coach Pritchard is a culture builder, a teacher of football of the highest caliber, and a humble yet determined servant leader who is committed to the success of Stanford’s student-athletes. I could not be more excited to welcome Tavita, Caroline and their family back to campus.”

It’s the first signature full-time hire for Luck, who was hired a year ago. It’s also the biggest early move of Donahoe’s tenure after being hired in the athletic director chair on July 31. Pritchard and Luck have a long relationship, as Pritchard was Stanford’s starting quarterback in 2008 before getting beat out by Luck in 2009.

Pritchard will replace interim coach Frank Reich, who came in for the 2025 season. Stanford is 4-7 heading into the season finale at home against No. 9 Notre Dame on Saturday. Reich led Stanford to an upset of rival Cal last week, snapping a four-year losing streak.

Pritchard brings extensive experience on the offensive side of the ball, as he coached Jayden Daniels in his Offensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl season in 2024.

Pritchard developed a reputation as a noted quarterback tutor at Stanford, as he started as he began coaching quarterbacks — along with wide receivers — in 2014. He coached quarterbacks as a position job until through his promotion offensive coordinator in 2018, and he held those jobs until 2022.

Over that period of time, he coached notable quarterbacks, a group that includes Kevin Hogan, Davis Mills and Tanner McKee. He played a big role in recruiting both Mills and McKee.

Other standout players Pritchard coached while coordinator at Stanford included tailback Bryce Love, tackle Walter Little and receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.

His return comes at a significant crossroads for Stanford, which has struggled adjusting to the modern realities of college football. Stanford hasn’t had a winning season since 2020, when it went 4-2 during the COVID-19 season. Stanford last played in a bowl game in 2018.

A year ago this week, Stanford president Jonathan Levin made the seismic decision to bring back Luck as the program’s general manager.

Not long after, Luck fired coach Troy Taylor in the wake of off-field controversies and asked his former NFL coach, Reich, to come in for one season.

Stanford has done solid work on the recruiting trail — with a class ESPN has in the top 40 — considering that the recruits had no idea who’d be coaching them.

Pritchard was the starting quarterback in one of the most famous games in Stanford history, as he led Stanford to a 24-23 upset of No. 2 USC in 2007 at The Coliseum in Los Angeles. Stanford was a 41-point underdog in that game. Pritchard threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to win the game on a fourth down with 49 seconds left.

Pritchard will now lead the program in its hopes of creating new touchstone moments.