2026 Stanford Cardinal football team
American college football season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2026 Stanford Cardinal football team represents Stanford University in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2026 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinal is led by new head coach Tavita Pritchard in his first year as the head coach.[1] The Cardinal play their home games at Stanford Stadium located in Stanford, California.[2]
- Tavita Pritchard (1st season)
| 2026 Stanford Cardinal football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Record | 1–1 (0–1 ACC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Terry Heffernan (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Kris Richard (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Stanford Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Miami (FL) | 1 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia | 1 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duke | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida State | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 24 Louisville | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 SMU | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 0 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: December 5, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As of September 6, 2026 Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 29 | 4:00 p.m. | Hawaii* | ACCN | W 37–27 | 23,222 | |
| September 4 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 7 Miami (FL) |
| ESPN | L 6–45 | 37,648 |
| September 19 | 1:00 p.m. | at Duke | The CW | |||
| September 26 | 7:30 p.m. | Georgia Tech |
| ESPN | ||
| October 3 | at Wake Forest | |||||
| October 10 | 12:30 p.m. | at Notre Dame* | NBC | |||
| October 17 | 4:30 p.m. | Elon* |
| ACCNX | ||
| October 23 | 7:30 p.m. | NC State |
| ESPN | ||
| October 31 | at Louisville | |||||
| November 14 | at Virginia Tech | |||||
| November 21 | at California | |||||
| November 28 | SMU |
| ||||
| ||||||
Game summaries
vs. Hawaii
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Warriors | 0 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 27 |
| Cardinal | 7 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 37 |
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, California
- Date: August 29
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 23,222
- Referee: Brad Carrell
- TV announcers (ACCN): Jorge Sedano, Rodney McLeod, and Kendra Douglas
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | HAW | STAN |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 18 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 74–322 | 71–483 |
| Rushes–yards | 22–46 | 37–173 |
| Passing yards | 276 | 310 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 31–52–0 | 22–34–0 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 29:06 | 30:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | Passing | Micah Alejado | 30/50, 269 yards, 2 TD |
| Rushing | DeVon Rice | 11 carries, 35 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Kainoa Carvalho | 5 receptions, 72 yards | |
| Stanford | Passing | Davis Warren | 22/34, 310 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Micah Ford | 25 carries, 99 yards, 3 TD | |
| Receiving | JonAnthony Hall | 2 receptions, 81 yards |
vs. No. 7 Miami (FL)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 7 Hurricanes | 14 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 45 |
| Cardinal | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, California
- Date: September 4
- Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Wind: 0 miles per hour (0 km/h)
- Game attendance: 37,648
- TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Monaco, Jordan Rodgers, and Dana Boyle
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | MIA | STAN |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 27 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | 67–548 | 65–299 |
| Rushes–yards | 32–121 | 23–78 |
| Passing yards | 428 | 221 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 30–35–1 | 22–42–0 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 36:34 | 23:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami (FL) | Passing | Darian Mensah | 27/30, 401 yards, 5 TD |
| Rushing | Mark Fletcher Jr. | 13 carries, 40 yards | |
| Receiving | Malachi Toney | 12 receptions, 234 yards, 3 TD | |
| Stanford | Passing | Davis Warren | 21/41, 214 yards |
| Rushing | Sedrick Irvin | 6 carries, 41 yards | |
| Receiving | Caden High | 6 receptions, 92 yards |
at Duke
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blue Devils | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Wallace Wade Stadium • Durham, North Carolina
- Date: September 19
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
- TV: The CW
| Statistics | STAN | DUKE |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Duke | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
vs. Georgia Tech
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Jackets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, California
- Date: September 26
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
- TV: ESPN
| Statistics | GT | STAN |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Tech | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Stanford | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
at Wake Forest
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demon Deacons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium • Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Date: October 3
- Game time: TBD
| Statistics | STAN | WAKE |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Wake Forest | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
at Notre Dame
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fighting Irish | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, Indiana
- Date: October 10
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. PDT
- TV: NBC
| Statistics | STAN | ND |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Notre Dame | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
vs. Elon (FCS)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix (FCS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, California
- Date: October 17
- Game time: 4:30 p.m.
- TV: ACCNX
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | ELON | STAN |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elon | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Stanford | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
vs. NC State
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfpack | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, California
- Date: October 23
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
- TV: ESPN
| Statistics | NCSU | STAN |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| NC State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Stanford | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
at Louisville
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky
- Date: October 31
- Game time: TBD
| Statistics | STAN | LOU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Louisville | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
at Virginia Tech
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hokies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, Virginia
- Date: November 14
- Game time: TBD
| Statistics | STAN | VT |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Virginia Tech | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
at California
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California
- Date: November 21
- Game time: TBD
| Statistics | STAN | CAL |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| California | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
vs. SMU
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mustangs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, California
- Date: November 28
- Game time: TBD
| Statistics | SMU | STAN |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMU | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Stanford | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
Roster
| 2025 Stanford Cardinal football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
|
Defense
|
Special teams
|
Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||