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Aug 23, 2025; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ben Gulbranson (15) makes a pass against Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during the second half at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

How to Fix Stanford Football

Originally posted on Stanford Cardinal on SI
By Lucca Mazzie | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 11:00 AM ET

After months of waiting, Stanford football began their 2025 season, going on the road to Hawaii. Entering the year, fans were thrilled to watch their team back in action, but many were blind to the fact that the Cardinal aren’t necessarily a powerhouse. That showed on Saturday afternoon.

Stanford fell to Hawaii 23-20, on a walk-off field goal. The Cardinal led 10-0 early in the first quarter before the tide started to turn for the home team. The quarterback play needs work moving forward, the receiver play wasn’t great, and the coaching staff had a poor first game. It was one of Stanford’s worst losses this decade, and now raises many questions about the future of the program.

These last four years have been brutal, and the beginning of 2025 wasn’t any better. Is this program done for? It's hard to have a definitive answer after one game, but these last few years have provided a number of reasons to wonder if the program's best days are in the past.

When you look at top programs in America, they are always good. Their recruiting is great, they have pull in the transfer portal, and always bring in good talent. Even a “down year” for a powerhouse school is still a bowl game, minimum. Alabama or Georgia never goes 3-9, and they definitely don’t struggle like that four years in a row.

So how does Stanford fix their issues and return to being a powerhouse? It starts with coaching, followed by talent in recruiting, and then in the portal. Being part of a winning program gets more eyes on teams and its players, and creates more NFL draft buzz surrounding guys on the roster. In this year's draft, Elic Ayomanor was the lone player selected.

Hiring Andrew Luck to be general manager was a great move, considering how much he loves Stanford and they can use his name to help level up their recruiting. However, bringing in guys like Frank Reich just for one year may not be the right move. Going for more of a young coach that can develop along with the team may be the right direction to go in.

Obviously, hiring Reich was understandable given the circumstances of the offseason, but for Stanford to take a big step forward, they're going to have to nail the coaching hire.

Stanford’s 2026 recruiting class is certainly a step up, and points the Cardinal in the right direction. However, they need to rely on young guys to finish the 2025 season. Ben Gulbranson, a sixth year senior cannot be the starting quarterback over redshirt freshman Elijah Brown, who is arguably better today. Even if he's not, he's the option that will (hopefully) be with the program next season.

Finally, the Cardinal need to spend more NIL money in the portal. There’s no doubt that Stanford has money, but without NIL to spend on players, how can the Cardinal have the pull they usually have?

For Stanford to truly be headed in the right direction for a sustainable period, they're going to have to keep on adding top-ranked recruits for a few years in order to build up the program. When the wins start piling up, so will the interest in joining Stanford football. Plus, Stanford would be able to offer not only a great education, but also serve as a launching pad for the NFL. That is how the Cardinal can separate themselves.

This article first appeared on Stanford Cardinal on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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