Andrew Luck reveals why Stanford fired coach Troy Taylor

Stanford parted ways with head football coach Troy Taylor just six months ahead of the 2025 season after he was the subject of two separate workplace behavior investigations.

Stanford football general manager Andrew Luck reveals why he pulled the plug on head coach Troy Taylor. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Stanford will have new leadership on the football field when the 2025 season begins in six months after the school fired head coach Troy Taylor, general manager Andrew Luck announced.

Taylor was the subject of two separate investigations initiated by Stanford into his workplace conduct after receiving complaints related to bullying and belittling female staffers.

“It has been clear that certain aspects of the program need change,” Luck said in a statement released by Stanford following his decision.

“Additionally, in recent days, there has been significant attention to Stanford investigations in previous years related to Coach Taylor. After continued consideration, it is evident to me that our program needs a reset.” 

Luck added: “In consultation with university leadership, I no longer believe that Coach Taylor is the right coach to lead our football program.”

That public decision comes after it was reported that Luck had expressed support for Taylor in a meeting alongside the coach and in the presence of the team.

Taylor joined Stanford as head football coach ahead of the 2023 season following his successful tenure leading Sacramento State.

But he went 3-9 in two seasons leading the Cardinal, compiling a 6-18 overall record.

Taylor was the subject of two different probes commissioned by the school after receiving complaints about his alleged conduct in the football office.

Taylor had garnered enough complaints within his first few months on campus that Stanford contracted with a consulting firm to investigate his workplace conduct in May, per a report.

The firm conducted more than 30 interviews which claimed Taylor had a “significant blind spot on how his ‘direct communication’ is received by staff,” according to its findings.

A second firm hired by Stanford called Taylor’s treatment of a compliance officer “inappropriate, discriminatory on the basis of sex” and that it had a “significant negative impact” on her.

The author of the second report claimed that he never came across “this palpable level of animosity and disdain” for a compliance office in his time advising college athletic departments.

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