College football: Stanford hires Tavita Pritchard as its head coach
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Stanford football brought in a familiar face to be its next head coach.
The school announced Friday that it has hired Tavita Pritchard, who played point guard at Stanford from 2006 to 2009, as its next head coach. The 38-year-old currently serves as the Washington Commanders’ quarterbacks coach and will begin his duties as head coach immediately following the team’s game against the Denver Broncos.
Pritchard replaced interim head coach Frank Reich in the spring, replacing Troy Taylor after Taylor was dismissed amid allegations of bullying and insulting staff.
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Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard watches her players before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams on December 17, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Kyusung Gong/AP Photo, File)
Pritchard was recruited by Andrew Luck, who was the man who replaced him as quarterback at Stanford. Luck is the school’s executive director and said Pritchard is the right person to lead Stanford into its next great era.
“Winning in college football today requires a leader of men who can build and motivate teams, recruit future stars, and develop and connect with talent,” Luck said in a statement.
“Tavita Pritchard is exactly the right head coach at exactly the right time to help us build the foundation of this season and lead Stanford football into the next great era. Coach Pritchard is a culture builder, a football teacher of the highest quality, and a humble but determined servant leader committed to the success of Stanford’s student-athletes.”
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Stanford Cardinal quarterback Tavita Pritchard (14) poses for a photo during a 23-20 loss against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on October 18, 2008. (Image by Kirby Lee/Sport-USA TODAY Sports)
“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Tavita, Caroline, and their families back to campus.”
Pritchard began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Stanford in 2010 and rose to become the team’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2022 before heading to the NFL.
Pritchard’s brief stint in the NFL was impressive, as Commanders head coach Dan Quinn had high praise for his former assistant.
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“Tavita will be a great head coach and I believe he will be especially effective at Stanford. Players gravitate towards him, and he has quickly earned their respect and mine,” Quinn said in a statement. he said.
“Tavita is smart, collaborative, hard-working and brings people together. He is the perfect coach to build a winning program in today’s college football environment.”
Pritchard will be tasked with turning around a team that is 4-7 this season and hasn’t won more than four times in a season since 2018, when it was 9-4.
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