Stanford Football Adding Ex-NFL Linebacker to Coaching Staff

Stanford football is locked in on putting together a successful 2026 season, and locked in on its annual Pro Day event, where Stanford's NFL hopefuls gathered to display their skills in front of NFL coaches, scouts and other personnel.

But while the Cardinal look to hype up their biggest stars ahead of their NFL journey, they continue to make moves to help their current team. On Wednesday, the Cardinal made another addition to their coaching staff, hiring former NFL star linebacker, Chris Claiborne, to serve as the assistant linebackers coach.

The former ninth overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, Claiborne has a long coaching resume, starting with his time as as assistant coach at Oaks Christian High School in 2013 before moving onto Calabas High School in 2014, where he worked his way up from defensive coordinator to head coach by 2018.

Resigning after the 2019 campaign, where he compiled a 17-6 record as the head coach at Calabases, Claiborne took a job at USC, serving as a quality control analyst during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

In 2021, Claiborne became the linebackers coach at Arizona State, where he served for two seasons until 2023, when he left ASU to become the linebackers coach for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL. Now, Claiborne returns to the college ranks where he will help Stanford's linebackers become even more of a force in '26.

As a player, Claiborne was very accomplished. A standout at USC from 1996-98, Claiborne earned unanimous All-American honors, won the Dick Butkus Award, and was named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, all in 1998.

After he was drafted by the Detroit Lions, his strong rookie season earned him a spot on the NFL's All-Rookie Team. Over the next several years, Claiborne was a productive player, starring for the Lions through 2002. Then, he joined the Vikings for two seasons followed by single season stints with the St. Louis Rams and New York Giants, before hanging it up after the 2006 season.

Claiborne joining Stanford adds another coach with strong NFL ties, proving that the Cardinal are hungrier than ever to return to the national spotlight. Since hiring head coach, Tavita Pritchard, the Cardinal have hired several coaches who have either coached in the NFL, or played in the league, with the most notable being former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator, Kris Richard.

And now with Claiborne added to the mix, the Cardinal will continue to develop their players in the hope that it leads to a bowl game berth in 2026.