Options at QB for Stanford Football in 2025

Coming off of a fourth straight 3-9 season, the Stanford Cardinal are deep into training camp ahead of the 2025 season, where preparations for a Week Zero contest against Hawaii are well underway. Despite going into a season full of questions and uncertainty about the future, the vibes are high and the mission remains the same for Stanford--get 1% better each and every day.

Quarterback is a position with arguably the most intrigue in camp this season. While Elijah Brown returns and is ready to take the reins full time, the Cardinal invested heavily in improving their QB room, hoping that they get more consistent play in 2025. But who are Stanford's other quarterbacks? Let's get to know this year's room.

Elijah Brown, Redshirt Freshman

A former four-star prospect out of Mater Dei High School, Brown was a hot commodity when he joined Stanford last season. Expected to compete for the starting job as a true freshman, Brown ended up making his college debut in a Week Two contest against Cal Poly, and after playing well, many thought he would be the starter for the rest of the season.

But after suffering an injury, Brown was forced to miss a substantial amount of time, leading to him playing in only three games. Now back and fully healthy, also preserving a season of eligibility, Brown's familiarity with the system and his potential make him the frontrunner for the starting job this season--but not without competition.

Myles Jackson, Junior

A three-star prospect out of Millikan High School, Jackson joined the program ahead of the 2023 season, but did not make an appearance as the backup to both Ashton Daniels and Justin Lamson. As a sophomore in 2024, Jackson also did not play and was once again a depth piece behind Daniels, Lamson and Brown.

But in high school, Jackson was a star. Winning league Offensive Player of the Year honors in his final season, Jackson amassed 3,620 passing yards and 47 passing touchdowns while adding 476 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, earning unanimous top 35 quarterback honors and was ranked as high as the No. 18 quarterback in the state by Rivals.

With a new head coach in place and competition in full swing, he'll get as much of a chance to win the job as anybody in the room.

Charlie Mirer, Senior

Entering his senior season, Mirer has yet to make an appearance in a college game and has been a backup throughout his entire Stanford career. A three-star prospect out of Cathedral Catholic in San Diego, Mirer shined in high school, guiding his team to three league titles and a California D1-AA state championship in 2021, being named to the All-Western League for his strong season. In his final prep season, Mirer threw for 1,609 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Dylan Rizk, Redshirt Sophomore

Beginning his college career at UCF, where he spent his first two seasons, Rizk transfers to Stanford hoping to compete for the starting job. A three-star recruit coming out of Cardinal Gibbons in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Rizk chose UCF over offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State and Northwestern. After playing in only one game as a true freshman, he started four games for UCF in 2024.

Going 1-3 in his starts, Rizk completed 72 out of 117 pass attempts for 904 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. In his first start for the team against Arizona, Rizk went 20-for-25 for 294 yards and three touchdown passes, also adding nine rushes for 55 yards.

With the Knights getting a new coach and undergoing significant changes heading into 2025, Rizk opted to transfer and chose to continue his career at Stanford. He certainly has talent, and the Cardinal may have an opportunity.

Ben Gulbranson, Redshirt Senior

A former standout at Oregon State, Gulbranson's final season will be spent on The Farm, where he will pursue his postgraduate studies. A three-star recruit out of Newbury Park High School, Gulbranson committed to Oregon State out of high school over offers from Arizona State, Cal and Kansas State.

Playing in only one game as a true freshman in 2020 before redshirting in 2021, Gulbranson became the starter for the Beavers in 2022, playing in 10 games (eight starts) and going 7-1, completing 121 out of his 194 pass attempts for 1,455 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions, helping guide the Beavers to a 10-3 record and a win in the Las Vegas Bowl.

But after losing his starting job to DJ Uiagalelei in 2023 and Gevani McCoy last season, he opted to transfer for his final season so he could have a chance to start.