Stanford football has turned to a familiar face to lead the program forward. Tavita Pritchard ’09 was announced as the 37th head coach in program history on Friday, marking the return of a former Cardinal quarterback and long-time assistant coach who has been tied to Stanford football for nearly two decades.
Pritchard first made his name at Stanford in 2007 during a game on Oct. 6. In his first career start at quarterback, he led the Cardinal to a stunning 24-23 upset win over No. 1 USC. Stanford entered the game as 41-point underdogs. Pritchard went 11 of 30 for 149 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but the numbers only tell part of the story. His late fourth-down touchdown pass to Mark Bradford ‘08 became one of the most iconic plays in Stanford football history.
“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,” Stanford football General Manager and former teammate Andrew Luck ‘12 M.A. ‘23 said during Tuesday’s introductory press conference for Pritchard.
Pritchard ended his playing career at Stanford in 2009 after being replaced at the quarterback position by his current boss, which he joked about in his introductory press conference.
“Yes, I did eventually lose my starting job to some scrub named Andrew Luck,” Pritchard said. “And losing my spot to Andrew actually became a catalyst for my coaching career.”
Immediately after retiring as a player, Pritchard joined the Stanford coaching staff in 2010. He held a variety of roles, including running back coach, quarterback coach and eventually offensive coordinator. During his tenure, Stanford consistently produced NFL-caliber offensive talent and remained competitive in the Pac-12. The 2018 season saw Stanford’s most recent full-season winning record and culminated in a Sun Bowl victory over Pittsburgh with Pritchard as offensive coordinator.
Pritchard left Stanford after the 2022 season to become the Commanders’ quarterbacks coach. With Pritchard coaching the position, quarterback Jayden Daniels earned the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. His work in Washington drew league attention, as Pritchard interviewed for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive coordinator position earlier this year.
“Tavita is smart, collaborative, diligent and he brings people together,” Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said.
Commanders tight end and former Stanford standout Zach Ertz ‘13 also had kind words to say about Pritchard.
“I have full confidence that he and Andrew will build a Stanford football program that every former player, every alum and the entire Stanford community will be incredibly proud of,” Ertz said.
Pritchard inherits a team searching for stability after several difficult seasons. His first major task will be developing redshirt freshman quarterback Elijah Brown, who helped lead Stanford to its first Big Game win since 2020. Pritchard praised the team’s performance in Big Game, noting that the team played “complimentary football… built on belief… that’s something that we will absolutely build on.”
Interim head coach Frank Reich, who snapped Stanford’s four-year losing streak to Cal and four consecutive 3-9 seasons, will remain with the program as a senior advisor, only “a phone call away,” as Luck described it. The long-term direction now rests with Pritchard, who understands Stanford from the inside.
“We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and get to what’s next with signing day [Wednesday], we gotta build an incredible staff, and portal after that. I’m feeling a lot of excitement towards what’s ahead,” Pritchard said.