Stanford is planning to take their time finding a new full-time head coach after they fired Troy Taylor, but they will have a former NFL head coach leading their team in the meantime.
Frank Reich has agreed to a deal to become the interim head coach at Stanford, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Monday.
The two sides have agreed that the arrangement will only be for the 2025 season, and Stanford will conduct a wide search for a new head coach after that.
Sources: Stanford is hiring veteran NFL coach Frank Reich as the school’s interim football coach for 2025 season. Both sides have agreed this will be only a one-season agreement. At that point, Stanford will launch a national search. pic.twitter.com/21NuVUCjjt
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 31, 2025
Reich last coached the Carolina Panthers in 2023. He was fired in his first year on the job after a 1-10 start. He was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts for four-plus seasons prior to that. Reich went 40-33-1 with the Colts and led the team to the playoffs twice.
A former NFL quarterback, Reich has also served as an offensive assistant for several different teams. He was the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016 and 2017 and helped lead the team to a win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. Reich was hired by the Colts after that.
Reich, 63, has a history with Stanford general manager and former Pro Bowl quarterback Andrew Luck. Reich was the head coach in Indy for Luck’s final NFL season before the former Stanford star’s stunning retirement in 2018.
Luck made the decision to fire Taylor last week in the wake of bullying allegations from female athletic department employees. Stanford went 3-9 in each of Taylor’s two seasons.
Stanford also went 3-9 in each of former head coach David Shaw’s final two seasons in 2021 and 2022, so they are hoping to get their next hire right. Reich should provide some stability and experience in the meantime.
