Football faces changes in coaching staff and roster
After a 4-8 season (3-5 ACC), Stanford football enters 2026 with major structural changes under new head coach Tavita Pritchard, former Stanford quarterback and quarterback coach for the Washington Commanders. The Cardinal return five coaches and add two new faces to the coaching staff, signaling both continuity and a refreshed direction.
Running backs coach Malcolm Agnew and tight ends coach Nate Byham return to the offensive staff for the fourth consecutive season. Agnew led sophomore running back Micah Ford to 643 yards during the 2025 season, Stanford’s highest running back single-season total since 2019. He was named to the 2026 American Football Coaches Association 35 Under 35 class.
Byham helped senior wide receiver CJ Williams to an honorable mention All-ACC season and coached the offense to its highest home scoring output since 2018. Under Byham’s guidance, senior tight end Sam Roush was named to the second team All-ACC for the 2025 season.
Inside linebackers coach Andy Thompson and safeties coach Kodi Whitfield return to the defensive staff for their second seasons. Thompson led Matt Rose to the Cardinal’s first defensive Second Team All-ACC honors. Stanford’s defense reached its highest national rank in over a decade at 28th, allowing just 119.8 yards per game.
Whitfield brought redshirt junior safety Jay Green from an ACL tear in the 2024 season to an All-ACC honorable mention in 2025. His unit held opponents to fewest passing touchdowns since 2021 and fewest points per game since 2018.
Ryan Deatrick also returns for his fourth season as Kissick Family Director of Sports Performance.
Two new additions join the staff for 2026. Stanford hired former Virginia offensive line coach and run-game coordinator Terry Heffernan as offensive coordinator. Heffernan led the Cavaliers to 2,502 rushing yards in 2025 — their highest total since 2004 — and previously served as Stanford’s offensive line coach in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
The Cardinal also will welcome former NFL assistant Nate Kaczor as special teams coordinator. Kaczor spent the past two seasons as special teams analyst for Kansas State, but previously served as special teams coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders, where he worked alongside Pritchard.
According to reporting from The Atlantic’s Bruce Feldman, Pete Kwiatkwotski is a leading candidate for Stanford’s open defensive coordinator role. Kwiatkwotski led Texas’s defense to a No. 3 defensive SEC rank in 2025 and a No. 1 defensive SEC rank in 2024.
Stanford football currently has 23 commits for the upcoming season, seven of which will be joining the program this month as early enrollees.
On the roster movement front, redshirt freshman running back Cole Tabb has entered the transfer portal and will head to Cincinnati to play for the Bearcats. Despite standing at only five-foot-eight, Tabb played a significant role in Stanford’s offense, rushing for 118 yards in Stanford’s upset win against Florida State and finishing his redshirt freshman season with 445 yards and three touchdowns.
Heading to Cincinnati, Tabb is looking to become an integral starter for their running game. The Bearcats are losing their starting back, Tawee Walker, and their head rusher and quarterback, Brendan Sorsby, leaving Tabb the opportunity to become crucial to offensive success.
Incoming transfer Aidan Kilstrom, a six-foot-three, 300-pound offensive lineman from Harvard will bolster Stanford’s offensive line after only allowing one sack in his Crimson career.
With the transfer portal open until Jan. 16 and coaching vacancies still to be filled, more changes may be on the way. But Pritchard’s early moves already signal a transformative offseason as Stanford looks to reset ahead of the 2026 campaign.
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