Stanford has employed Tavita Pritchard as the college’s subsequent head coach, the college introduced on Friday.
Pritchard is a former Stanford quarterback, assistant coach and coordinator. He’s the Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach, a job he took in 2023 after numerous roles on the Stanford employees from 2010 to 2022.
Pritchard has obtained permission to go away the Commanders to hitch the Stanford employees after Washington performs Denver on Sunday evening.
Pritchard emerged from a pool of greater than 30 candidates in a course of run by basic supervisor Andrew Luck that included new athletic director John Donahoe, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Stanford president Jonathan Levin. Stanford’s pool included sturdy curiosity from each the faculty and NFL world.
“Tavita Pritchard is precisely the correct head coach on the proper time to assist us construct on the muse of this season and lead Stanford soccer to its subsequent nice period,” Luck mentioned in an announcement. “Coach Pritchard is a tradition builder, a instructor of soccer of the very best caliber, and a humble but decided servant chief who’s dedicated to the success of Stanford’s student-athletes. I couldn’t be extra excited to welcome Tavita, Caroline and their household again to campus.”
It is the primary signature full-time rent for Luck, who was employed a yr in the past. It is also the largest early transfer of Donahoe’s tenure after being employed within the athletic director chair on July 31. Pritchard and Luck have a protracted relationship, as Pritchard was Stanford’s beginning quarterback in 2008 earlier than getting beat out by Luck in 2009.
Pritchard will change interim coach Frank Reich, who got here in for the 2025 season. Stanford is 4-7 heading into the season finale at house towards No. 9 Notre Dame on Saturday. Reich led Stanford to an upset of rival Cal final week, snapping a four-year shedding streak.
Pritchard brings in depth expertise on the offensive facet of the ball, as he coached Jayden Daniels in his Offensive Rookie of the Yr and Professional Bowl season in 2024.
Pritchard developed a fame as a famous quarterback tutor at Stanford, as he began as he started teaching quarterbacks — together with broad receivers — in 2014. He coached quarterbacks as a place job till by his promotion offensive coordinator in 2018, and he held these jobs till 2022.
Over that time period, he coached notable quarterbacks, a gaggle that features Kevin Hogan, Davis Mills and Tanner McKee. He performed an enormous function in recruiting each Mills and McKee.
Different standout gamers Pritchard coached whereas coordinator at Stanford included tailback Bryce Love, sort out Walter Little and receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.
His return comes at a major crossroads for Stanford, which has struggled adjusting to the fashionable realities of school soccer. Stanford hasn’t had a profitable season since 2020, when it went 4-2 through the COVID-19 season. Stanford final performed in a bowl sport in 2018.
A yr in the past this week, Stanford president Jonathan Levin made the seismic choice to convey again Luck as this system’s basic supervisor.
Not lengthy after, Luck fired coach Troy Taylor within the wake of off-field controversies and requested his former NFL coach, Reich, to return in for one season.
Stanford has executed stable work on the recruiting path — with a category ESPN has within the high 40 — contemplating that the recruits had no concept who’d be teaching them.
Pritchard was the beginning quarterback in some of the well-known video games in Stanford historical past, 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 sport. Pritchard threw a 10-yard landing move to win the sport on a fourth down with 49 seconds left.
Pritchard will now lead this system in its hopes of making new touchstone moments.