David Pollack Names Power Four Program That Might Be the Worst in College Football

"Is Stanford the worst team in college football?" Pollack asked. "They have a good defensive end, bam, he's gone. They've got a good receiver, bam, he's gone. The coach has been there like 10 days. They've got a new GM in Andrew Luck, who is going to learn how to do this stuff on the fly. It's just tough. I can't imagine that Stanford is going to be very good." 

Stanford faced significant changes following the 2024 season due to the transfer portal. The Cardinal fired head coach Troy Taylor in March and hired Frank Reich as his replacement. 

Although Reich lacks experience as a college head coach, he previously led the Indianapolis Colts and the Carolina Panthers. Before that, he served as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles during their Super Bowl win with Nick Foles at quarterback.

Overall, Stanford lost 27 players to the transfer portal but managed to bring in 18 new players. One of the most notable departures was quarterback Ashton Daniels, who threw for 3,947 yards and 21 touchdowns over the last two seasons. Daniels chose to transfer to Auburn, where he will compete for the starting quarterback position.

Another significant loss for the Cardinal was star pass rusher David Bailey, who transferred to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Last season, Bailey recorded 31 tackles, eight tackles for loss and seven sacks.

Stanford will need to find ways to replace these key players while also striving to prove critics wrong and have a successful season.