AWARDS AND TOP PERFORMANCES
Linebacker Matt Rose and tight end Sam Roush earned Second Team All-ACC honors, giving Stanford three Second Team All-ACC players since joining the league. A trio of others were named Honorable Mention All-ACC: Jay Green, Clay Patterson, and CJ Williams. The last time Stanford had at least all-conference players came in 2023; the most recent instance with at least two first or second team all-conference players was 2022.
In his first season as one of the Cardinal’s starting inside linebackers, Rose bloomed into one of the best in the conference. He ranks second in the ACC and led Stanford by a wide margin with 106 total tackles, the most by a Stanford player since Blake Martinez in 2015. Rose added eight tackles-for-loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery this year, and had four games of 10 or more tackles. He finished 2025 inside the top 25 overall in tackles.
Roush put together the best season of his career and is among the best tight ends in the country, restoring Stanford's moniker of Tight End U. Roush compiled 49 receptions for 545 yards with a pair of touchdowns, setting career highs across the board. He led ACC tight ends in receiving yards and tied for the most receptions. Nationally, Roush is tied for fourth in receiving yards by tight ends and is fifth in receptions. He became just the eighth different Cardinal tight end since 1995 to eclipse 100 receiving yards in a game when he racked up 104 yards against Pittsburgh. Roush has also shown his ability to turn intermediate routes into big plays. He has two catches of at least 50 yards this season, one of just five tight ends in the nation and the only tight end in the ACC to do so.
Green is a difference-maker when he is on the field. Versatile against the run and the pass, he finished fourth on the team in tackles (38) despite missing two games and led the team in passes defended (8). His eight pass breakups are the most by a Cardinal since current Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly had 11 in 2021. He also has a nose for the ball, recovering two fumbles on the year, including one in the 128th Big Game against California that he took back 49 yards for Stanford’s first touchdown of the game.
Patterson got off to a big start in 2025, forcing a fumble on Stanford’s first defensive snap of the season that was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. It was part of a two-sack performance for Patterson, who added another in Week 2 against BYU. He paced the Cardinal defense this year with four sacks and added a fumble recovery in Stanford’s first win of the season over Boston College.
Williams blossomed into the most reliable target for Stanford quarterbacks this season. He had 59 receptions for 749 yards and six touchdowns. Among ACC receivers, Williams is seventh in receptions, ranks tenth in receiving yards, and finished one touchdown shy of the ACC lead. He had four 100-yard games this season, becoming the first Cardinal since J.J. Arcega-Whiteside in 2018 to do so. Earlier this season, Williams had 100 receiving yards in three consecutive games, becoming the first Stanford player to achieve that feat since Alex Smith in 2004, and the first Stanford wide receiver to do so since Troy Walters in 1999.
TAVITA RETURNS
One day before Stanford's 2025 season finale, it was announced that Tavita Pritchard had been hired as Stanford's Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football. He was introduced the following week in a formal press conference.
Pritchard spent the past three seasons as quarterbacks coach of the Commanders, having mentored Jayden Daniels, Jacoby Brissett, Sam Howell and Marcus Mariota. During his tenure with Washington, Pritchard played a major role in developing the Commanders’ offense, highlighted by an appearance in the 2024 NFC Championship Game.
“Stanford is a place like no other and my family and I are full of gratitude to be returning home in every sense of the word,” said Pritchard. “I have a clear vision of the hard work, brotherhood and tenacity it will take to build a championship Stanford football program. I cannot wait to partner with Andrew and begin working with the best student-athletes in the world to achieve excellence on and off the field.”
Pritchard played quarterback at Stanford from 2006-09, where he appeared in 31 games and made 20 starts, throwing for 2,865 yards and 15 touchdowns. Pritchard made his first career start on Oct. 6, 2007, against USC, engineering one of the biggest upsets in college football history with a 24-23 win over No. 2 USC when the Cardinal was a 41-point underdog.
Following his graduation, Pritchard began a lengthy coaching career with the Cardinal, serving in a variety of roles during a stretch that featured 10 consecutive bowl games, nine straight Big Game victories and appearances in three Rose Bowls (2013-14, 2016), Fiesta Bowl (2012) and Orange Bowl (2011). Pritchard was promoted to the role of quarterbacks/wide receivers coach in 2014-17, coaching quarterback Kevin Hogan as the Cardinal ended the season with dominant victories over USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game and Iowa in the Rose Bowl. From 2018-22, Pritchard was elevated to serve as the Andrew Luck Director of Offense and Kevin M. Hogan Quarterbacks Coach.
