[norcard10]

Bottom line: Pritchard is a "high-floor" coach who will immediately boost Stanford's QB recruiting, mesh well with AL's program-building efforts and present enough institutional credibility to (hopefully) fight for (still) needed changes in admissions and more institutional/community support.

I neither love nor hate the hire, but let's unpack Pritchard's strengths:

1.) Far too many view Stanford P4 football as a dubious proposition. Pritchard does not, as evidenced by his acceptance of the job, and we know AL does not. The fear with many people who are, let's face it, more proven coaches, is that they would have walked in and after a few short months simply bailed after experiencing Stanford's poor crowds and admissions/transfer limitations, as well as the shaky status of the ACC and all that travel. We can trust Pritchard to be all in, and that means a lot in 2025.

2.) He's got enough NFL cred to walk into any top-rated QB's home/dorm room and get a receptive audience. Pritchard recruited and coached two legit NFL guys, Mills and McKee, and certainly can boast of having his name attached to phenom Jayden Daniels. How many CFB head coaches can say the same? Not very many, and, as the past few years have shown, Stanford desperately needs help in landing and keeping elite QB talent. Pritchard is as ideally suited for the job as anyone who was a serious candidate to be Stanford HC.

3.) No, I don't claim to know Pritchard, but I know he knows AL. In 2025, a fully engaged and happy AL is Stanford's best shot at returning to football relevance. I believe that a common trait among successful HCs is being a control freak, and I think that many who might have otherwise considered Stanford simply don't want to deal with a strong GM like Luck. But, with Pritchard, we can be confident that he knows exactly who AL is and is comfortable (hopefully confident) that having AL do his thing on gameday and even during practices can actually be an asset, not a distraction. We know that AL is working the administration to more fully embrace Stanford football and to fundraise, and I suspect Pritchard will be viewed by admin and likely boosters as a great wingman on that front.

Pritchard truly can hit the ground running, while with other coaching hires there would have naturally been an adjustment period. So, these next few months will be pretty exciting, imo.

Absolutely not a high floor hire.  Mills is in the NFL in spite of the lack of QB development at Stanford.  Remind me, how many Stanford QBs are starting in the NFL currently??  When Shaw had resigned, people openly opined why Tavita was even sticking around.  I am grossly underwhelmed by this hire.

If Mora wanted this job and Luck gave it to Pritchard, it's malpractice.

[norcard10]

Bottom line: Pritchard is a "high-floor" coach who will immediately boost Stanford's QB recruiting, mesh well with AL's program-building efforts and present enough institutional credibility to (hopefully) fight for (still) needed changes in admissions and more institutional/community support.

I neither love nor hate the hire, but let's unpack Pritchard's strengths:

1.) Far too many view Stanford P4 football as a dubious proposition. Pritchard does not, as evidenced by his acceptance of the job, and we know AL does not. The fear with many people who are, let's face it, more proven coaches, is that they would have walked in and after a few short months simply bailed after experiencing Stanford's poor crowds and admissions/transfer limitations, as well as the shaky status of the ACC and all that travel. We can trust Pritchard to be all in, and that means a lot in 2025.

2.) He's got enough NFL cred to walk into any top-rated QB's home/dorm room and get a receptive audience. Pritchard recruited and coached two legit NFL guys, Mills and McKee, and certainly can boast of having his name attached to phenom Jayden Daniels. How many CFB head coaches can say the same? Not very many, and, as the past few years have shown, Stanford desperately needs help in landing and keeping elite QB talent. Pritchard is as ideally suited for the job as anyone who was a serious candidate to be Stanford HC.

3.) No, I don't claim to know Pritchard, but I know he knows AL. In 2025, a fully engaged and happy AL is Stanford's best shot at returning to football relevance. I believe that a common trait among successful HCs is being a control freak, and I think that many who might have otherwise considered Stanford simply don't want to deal with a strong GM like Luck. But, with Pritchard, we can be confident that he knows exactly who AL is and is comfortable (hopefully confident) that having AL do his thing on gameday and even during practices can actually be an asset, not a distraction. We know that AL is working the administration to more fully embrace Stanford football and to fundraise, and I suspect Pritchard will be viewed by admin and likely boosters as a great wingman on that front.

Pritchard truly can hit the ground running, while with other coaching hires there would have naturally been an adjustment period. So, these next few months will be pretty exciting, imo.

Absolutely not a high floor hire.  Mills is in the NFL in spite of the lack of QB development at Stanford.  Remind me, how many Stanford QBs are starting in the NFL currently??  When Shaw had resigned, people openly opined why Tavita was even sticking around.  I am grossly underwhelmed by this hire.

If Mora wanted this job and Luck gave it to Pritchard, it's malpractice.