Andrew Luck’s rebuild at his alma mater has its face of the future.
On Friday afternoon, Luck — the former Stanford star who returned to Palo Alto a year ago as general manager of the Cardinal football program — announced the hiring of another former Stanford quarterback as its head coach.
Washington Commanders quarterback coach Tavita Pritchard was named the 37th head coach in Stanford football history. Pritchard, 38, will be introduced in a news conference Tuesday in the Bay Area and will coach in his last game with the Commanders on Sunday night when Washington hosts the Denver Broncos.
“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 Friday. “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.”
The Cardinal (4-7, 3-5 in ACC play) close their 2025 season under interim head coach Frank Reich Saturday in Palo Alto against No. 9 Notre Dame. Luck hired Reich in April to lead Stanford this year after Luck fired former head coach Troy Taylor following allegations of bullying and hostile behavior against colleagues. Stanford just thumped rival Cal, 31-10, last weekend, snapping a three-game losing streak in the historic rivalry game.
Outside of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Stanford hasn’t finished with a winning record since 2018. Luck is betting on a former Cardinal like himself to lead the program back to relevance after it established itself as one of the premier West Coast programs under former head coaches like Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw.
“Stanford is a place like no other and my family and I are full of gratitude to be returning home in every sense of the word,” Pritchard said in a release. “I have a clear vision of the hard work, brotherhood and tenacity it will take to build a championship Stanford football program. I cannot wait to partner with Andrew and begin working with the best student-athletes in the world to achieve excellence on and off the field.”
Pritchard is not only a former teammate of Luck’s, but the two were once mired in a quarterback battle in Luck’s second year in the program in 2009. Luck won the job. Prior to that, Pritchard made 20 starts and 31 overall appearances for the Cardinal from 2006 to 2009. After graduating, Pritchard stayed in Palo Alto working his way up the coaching staff ranks at his alma mater from a graduate assistant in 2010 to offensive coordinator in 2018, where he served in that role from 2018 to 2022.
Former Stanford star tight end Zach Ertz has been working with Pritchard in Washington the last few seasons.
“I’ve seen firsthand how much Tavita has grown since we were together at Stanford – as a coach, as a leader and as a person,” Ertz said in a release. “He connects with players at every level and brings out the best in everyone around him. 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.”
After 18 years of playing and coaching at Stanford, Pritchard was hired to be Washington’s quarterbacks coach in 2023, when Ron Rivera was the Commanders’ head coach and Eric Bieniemy ran the offense. Pritchard was instrumental in helping Washington and its young quarterback at the time, Sam Howell, transition to the West Coast offense and its lengthy play calls.
But the Commanders staff and roster were overhauled in 2024, a year after owner Josh Harris purchased the team for $6.05 billion. Dan Quinn was tabbed as head coach and brought on many familiar assistants from his previous NFL stops. Pritchard decided to stay — he had offers elsewhere, according to a team source — as one of the few holdovers from 2023.
His role became even more magnified when the Commanders drafted Jayden Daniels second overall in 2024. Pritchard has been a primary voice in Daniels’s ear on game days, and a steady influence amid a historic rookie season, followed by an injury-riddled second season.
Pritchard interviewed for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive coordinator job in the offseason. That he returned alongside offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and assistant QBs coach David Blough was seen as a luxury for Daniels in his development. Rarely does a 12-5 team one win away from the Super Bowl retain its full staff.
Kingsbury has credited Pritchard for creating a tight-knit quarterbacks room. He’s also helped create a seamless system to prepare Marcus Mariota to step in at times of injury (Daniels has dealt with three injuries this season alone).
“If I had a son playing college football, I’d want him to play for Tavita Pritchard,” Kingsbury said in a release. “Tavita has a unique ability to build relationships, and I’ve never seen a quarterback room as tight and unified as the one he has molded.”