Stanford football has not just been searching for a new head coach. It needs a savior. Finding the next golden boy is an arduous task for a program that owns an abysmal 16-43 record since 2021, but what lively general manager Andrew Luck can do is hire an intriguing candidate who knows what it means to wear the Cardinal uniform. He hopes to have done exactly that after filling the school's HC vacancy with Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.
The former QB played 31 games for Stanford from 2006-09 before later serving as a defensive assistant, running backs coach and QB/wide receivers coach for the team. He bleeds Cardinal red and now returns to his Alma mater with valuable NFL experience.
Pritchard had been with the Commanders since 2023, doing his part to help develop 2024-25 Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels. He leaves the Washington D.C. area after working under a former NFC championship-winning HC in Dan Quinn. Pritchard also had the luxury of playing on Stanford during the Jim Harbaugh era, so he surely has plenty of lessons and idioms he can look back on while transitioning into his new role with the Cardinal.
Luck and Pritchard shared a QB room during the 2009 season, so they obviously have a prior existing relationship coming into this union. The bonds they built on Stanford football will ideally translate to excellent communication and unquestioned solidarity. When a program is in need of extensive repairs, it is vital that management is operating cohesively and effectively.
Tavita Pritchard will try to utilize all the information he has absorbed with Stanford and the Commanders, as he embarks on this exciting yet extremely challenging endeavor. The 38-year-old is in for a surreal homecoming.
