[Austroturf]

I've heard from more than one person that Pritchard is considered future head coaching material, and his rapid rise within the program is a testament to that. Yeah, some of that may be Shaw's reluctance to look externally (though he has done so for other positions, notably Akina (CB), Kennedy (WR), Alamar (special teams), Ron Gould (RB), as guys who have come in from outside). But a lot of it is that Pritchard is a hard worker, good recruiter, a good teacher, a football smart guy, and someone who exudes leadership (as was apparent back when he was a player).  I am long-term bullish on Pritchard's future.

HOWEVER, I am in agreement with others that for both Pritchard's and Stanford's benefit, it would be best if he "cross-polinated".  He's had a very insular exposure to football and coaching, serving as a QB, GA, QB/WR coach, and OC in the same system.  That means he's been exposed to a limited amount of offensive philosophies and has not really had an opportunity to be exposed to new concepts that he can then fold into his own approach to coaching.  So I think it would benefit him to go to a different system, where he can both learn and teach, expand his approach, and then come back to Stanford if the opportunity arises .  So, while I am long-term bullish on Pritchard, I am somewhat bearish on him in the short term, and I worry a bit that he's been promoted too fast and he is too tied to Stanford for him to be successful in the next few years.

BC

Your assessment is spot on.  If he is high potential, he needs to earn additional stripes at a different program and go get experience outside the hallowed halls of Shaw's kingdom.  I don't know anything about Pritchard's overall potential, but if he is really such a hot commodity, then he needs to go prove he can coach outside of Stanford and prepare himself for future, bigger opportunities.  The gentleman is in his early thirties and has only one university on his coaching resume.  Not enough.

[Austroturf]

I've heard from more than one person that Pritchard is considered future head coaching material, and his rapid rise within the program is a testament to that. Yeah, some of that may be Shaw's reluctance to look externally (though he has done so for other positions, notably Akina (CB), Kennedy (WR), Alamar (special teams), Ron Gould (RB), as guys who have come in from outside). But a lot of it is that Pritchard is a hard worker, good recruiter, a good teacher, a football smart guy, and someone who exudes leadership (as was apparent back when he was a player).  I am long-term bullish on Pritchard's future.

HOWEVER, I am in agreement with others that for both Pritchard's and Stanford's benefit, it would be best if he "cross-polinated".  He's had a very insular exposure to football and coaching, serving as a QB, GA, QB/WR coach, and OC in the same system.  That means he's been exposed to a limited amount of offensive philosophies and has not really had an opportunity to be exposed to new concepts that he can then fold into his own approach to coaching.  So I think it would benefit him to go to a different system, where he can both learn and teach, expand his approach, and then come back to Stanford if the opportunity arises .  So, while I am long-term bullish on Pritchard, I am somewhat bearish on him in the short term, and I worry a bit that he's been promoted too fast and he is too tied to Stanford for him to be successful in the next few years.

BC

Your assessment is spot on.  If he is high potential, he needs to earn additional stripes at a different program and go get experience outside the hallowed halls of Shaw's kingdom.  I don't know anything about Pritchard's overall potential, but if he is really such a hot commodity, then he needs to go prove he can coach outside of Stanford and prepare himself for future, bigger opportunities.  The gentleman is in his early thirties and has only one university on his coaching resume.  Not enough.