Washington Commanders Share Their Thoughts on Stanford's Latest Hire

Numerous Washington Commanders players and coaches had glowing reviews of Tavita Pritchard

Oct 1, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders helmet on the field during warmups against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The announcement of Tavita Pritchard as the next head coach of Stanford football has been long in the making. Since the firing of Troy Taylor right before spring practice, the Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach has been a rumored fit for the Cardinal. He went to Stanford, has been a coach at Stanford, and is a Sanford guy through and through. He's a great fit.

Pritchard will officially take over as the next Cardinal head coach after Washington's game against Denver on Sunday, and he will be introduced at Stanford on Tuesday.

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said of Pritchard's hiring, "Tavita will be a fantastic head coach, and I believe he will be especially effective at Stanford. Players gravitate to him, and he quickly earned their respect and mine.

"Tavita is smart, collaborative, diligent and he brings people together. He is the perfect coach to build a winning program in today's college football landscape."

Jun 8, 2023; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard (M) talks to Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) and Commanders quarterback Jacoby Brissett (12) during day three of minicamp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park, held inside the training bubble due to poor air quality from Canadian wildfire smoke in Ashburn. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

"If I had a son playing college football, I’d want him to play for Tavita Pritchard,” said Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. “Tavita has a unique ability to build relationships, and I’ve never seen a quarterback room as tight and unified as the one he has molded."

"I’m playing the best football of my career, and Tavita is helping make that possible,” said Washington quarterback Marcus Mariota.

“His weekly process and preparation are elite. Tavita understands exactly what each team member needs, and he breathes confidence into us. Tavita’s connection with players is second to none, and his demeanor sets the tone. He lets you play free and genuinely wants players to be the best versions of themselves."

Just the reactions from the players thus far have been tremendous on social media, and should provide Stanford fans with a decent amount of hope that Pritchard could be the guy to really turn this program around—potentially even having them as bowl contenders next season.

The fellas are HYPED for Coach Pritchard coming home‼️ pic.twitter.com/DgU2GDUI8o

— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) November 28, 2025

Pritchard received limited playing time as a student at Stanford from 2006-2009, overlapping with current GM Andrew Luck for one season, in '09. Pritchard stuck around the program as a graduate assistant in 2010, and then served as defensive assistant (2011-12) and running backs coach (2013). In other words, he was there when former Cardinal tight end Zach Ertz arrived on The Farm in 2010.

Ertz, now a member of the Commanders, said of the hiring, "Getting the chance to work with Tavita again in Washington has been one of the most enjoyable parts of my career. I’ve seen firsthand how much Tavita has grown since we were together at Stanford – as a coach, as a leader and as a person.

"He connects with players at every level and brings out the best in everyone around him. I have full confidence that he and Andrew will build a Stanford football program that every former player, every alum and the entire Stanford community will be incredibly proud of.”

We'll have a few days to soak in this hiring (and take in a football game against Notre Dame) before Pritchard is officially introduced and the real work begins.