Stanford Makes One Key Addition to Coaching Staff, Eyes Another

Tavita Pritchard's staff is coming together.

Nov 4, 2023; Pullman, Washington, USA; Stanford Cardinal helmet sits against the Washington State Cougars in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

A new era of Stanford football is officially here. Hiring a new head coach in Tavita Pritchard at the end of the season, the Cardinal are entering a new phase of their rebuild that they hope ends with Pritchard restoring the greatness of Stanford football. Pritchard's hiring was met with mixed reviews, but overall, there is high optimism that Pritchard is the answer that Stanford has long been seeking.

But in the month plus that Pritchard has had the job, very little has been revealed about the coaching staff or how far along in the process he is with assembling a complete staff.

With the transfer portal officially open, opening up on Jan. 2, the sense of urgency to put together a staff grew exponentially, as potential recruits would likely want to know which coaches they'd be working with in 2026. But now, there is a little bit more clarity about the staff, with Pritchard and the Cardinal making some hirings official over the weekend.

On Sunday, Jan. 4, On3 Sports' Pete Thamel was the first to report that Stanford made its first big hire under Pritchard, bringing in former Virginia offensive line coach Terry Heffernan to be the offensive coordinator.

Spending the last three seasons on staff with the Cavaliers, Heffernan started as the offensive line coach before becoming the run-game coordinator, a role that he held from 2024-25. Now, Heffernan gets his first chance to lead an offense, where he will look to turn the Cardinal into an offensive force.

In addition to Heffernan, the Cardinal also hired longtime NFL assistant Nate Kaczor to be the special teams coordinator. Spending 2024 and '25 as the special teams analyst at Kansas State, Kaczor has been a special teams coordinator in the NFL for years as well, serving in that role for the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Washington Commanders, working with Pritchard on the Commanders during the 2023 season.

While the Cardinal did hire some new faces, they are also retaining some staffers from the previous regime. Retaining inside linebackers coach Andy Thompson, the Cardinal are also keeping Malcolm Agnew as the running backs coach and Kodi Whitfield as the safeties coach, two positions that the Cardinal saw success with in 2025.

The Cardinal are also rumored to be 'all-in' on former Texas, Washington and Boise State defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, with sources saying that he is the program's top choice for the job.

Fired by Texas after a disappointing 2025 campaign, Kwiatkowski has the reputation for putting together top defenses, helping Texas make it all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinal in 2024 while also coaching numerous NFL draft picks and All-Americans throughout his career.

This season will be a big one for the Cardinal, who despite having a new head coach at the helm, are in win-now mode. Finishing 4-8 and missing a bowl game for the seventh straight season, the Cardinal are hungry to return to the top, and hope that Pritchard and his staff are the ones that can do it.

While the transfer portal window is in full-force until Jan. 16, Pritchard and Stanford will continue to focus on assembling the rest of the staff while also putting together a winning roster for next season and beyond.