Ben Gulbranson shattered Stanford football with a miracle 56-yard touchdown pass in a 2022 meeting. The former Oregon State Beavers quarterback will now aim to lead the Cardinal. As the official QB1 for interim head coach Frank Reich.
Gulbranson landed at Stanford in April 2025 via the College Football Transfer Portal. The ex-Stanford rival later reportedly won QB1 duties on Aug. 12.
Reich officially tabbed the newcomer as his lead QB ahead of Stanford's season opener at Hawaii. The longtime NFL head coach shared an honest take on how the transfer earned the starting reins during his Zoom call Monday.
“I think his experience played a big role in getting the starting job. He's a proven winner,” Reich began.
Although Reich shared how he never recruited Gulbranson from the portal. General manager Andrew Luck led the charge there.
“The conversations to get him here, though, was really more Andrew than anybody else. I helped evaluate and watched the tape,” Reich explained. “But Andrew was playing point in getting to talk to Ben and getting him here.”
Ben Gulbranson shares message on leading Stanford, Frank Reich
Gulbranson, meanwhile, will taste the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time.
But he's walking into a turbulent period for Stanford. The Cardinal are dealing with more than four consecutive 3-9 campaigns. Gulbranson must lead a team that abruptly parted ways with Troy Taylor amid bullying accusations toward a female staffer. Luck fired Taylor ahead of spring practices in Palo Alto during March.
Cardinal fans are earning for a competitive product. Especially with the immense travel Stanford does as an ACC member. But he dropped this bold message on the type of QB he plans to be.
“I'm a smart, competitive player who's experienced. Someone who's a team player and come into the facility everyday to give it my best,” Gulbranson shared.
Reich plans to scrap Taylor's past two-QB approach. The Super Bowl winner wants to settle on one guy. Gulbranson beat out highly-touted four-star Elijah Brown, though, for the starting role. Did Reich's confidence in Brown wane?
“We have a lot of confidence in Elijah Brown,” Reich said. “It has nothing to do with a lack of confidence in our No. 2 guy. Elijah is a really good player and had a phenomenal camp. But again, Ben's experience probably gives him the edge in the long run.”
Stanford's opener at Hawaii is set for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET.
