Skip to main content
Join Now
Team Avatar
Stanford

Report: Stanford names Frank Reich interim head coach for 2025 season

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•03/31/25•

nickkosko59

USATSI_21859853 (1)
Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

Stanford named Frank Reich as the team’s head coach for the 2025 season, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. It is solely a one-year agreement. On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed the move.

Thamel also reported tight ends coach Nate Byham is being promoted to offensive coordinator. It was a corresponding move to Reich coming in and Byham will be the play caller.

So Reich will come into Palo Alto for one season before the program launches a national search. He does have a prior relationship with GM Andrew Luck.

Reich, who replaces the fired Troy Taylor, coached Luck with the Indianapolis Colts in 2018, his first year as head coach, but Luck’s final year in the NFL before stunningly retiring. Luck was named the GM of his alma mater in November.

Reich was the head coach of the Colts from 2018-22, making the playoffs twice and going 1-1 in his first year, Luck’s last. He finished his tenure 40-33-1 before being fired midway through the 2022 season.

Reich was hired as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers in 2023, but went 1-10 before being fired prior to the end of the season. A former quarterback, Reich played college football at Maryland before having over a decade of NFL experience with the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets and Detroit Lions.

Reich was also the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016 and ’17, winning Super Bowl LII before becoming a head coach. Now, he’ll lead the Stanford football program in his first college gig.

Before a national search going into the 2026 season, Reich will attempt to steer Stanford in the right direction. Taylor was fired earlier this month after accusations of bullying and belittling female staffers.

“It has been clear that certain aspects of the program need change,” Luck said in a statement. “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. In consultation with university leadership, I no longer believe that Coach Taylor is the right coach to lead our football program.”