Stanford has hired veteran NFL coach Frank Reich as the school's interim football coach for the 2025 season, it was announced Monday.
Both sides have agreed it will be only a one-season deal, sources told ESPN. Stanford will launch a national search to find a permanent replacement for fired coach Troy Taylor at the end of the 2025 season.
"The unique responsibility to mentor the best student-athletes in the world, to be the absolute best in what they aspire to do, is an opportunity I will fully embrace," Reich said in a statement.
Taylor was fired last week amid findings by two outside firms that he had bullied and belittled female athletic staffers, sought to have an NCAA compliance officer removed after she warned him of rules violations and repeatedly made "inappropriate" comments to another woman about her appearance.
Stanford also is promoting tight ends coach Nate Byham to offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN. Byham will call plays for the Cardinal, which have gone 3-9 over four consecutive seasons.
Reich's hire is another significant move for Stanford football general manager Andrew Luck, who is believed to be the only collegiate general manager to have full control of the team's coaching staff. Luck, the former Stanford and NFL quarterback, was hired in November in an effort to turn around the program at his alma mater, which hasn't had a winning season since 2020.
Reich, 63, coached Luck during Luck's final NFL season in 2018 and has a strong relationship with him.
"I could not be more excited for our coaches, staff and players," Luck said in a statement. "I have experienced first-hand the incredible impact Frank has demonstrated as a leader and have full confidence he is the perfect steward for this season of Stanford football.
"Frank is a teacher, a winner and a coach of the highest caliber. Frank's values align seamlessly with our vision for this program and I firmly believe in his ability to maximize the on-field potential of our student-athletes while serving as a role model in all aspects of their personal growth."
Reich was fired by the Carolina Panthers in November 2023 after a 1-10 start to his only season with the team, becoming the first NFL head coach since the 1970 merger to be fired in back-to-back seasons after his 2022 dismissal from the Indianapolis Colts.
Reich, who has a career NFL coaching record of 41-43-1 over six seasons, went to four Super Bowls as a player with the Buffalo Bills, where he was primarily a backup. As an assistant coach, he won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2017 season in which he was the offensive coordinator.
In 2017, Reich helped Carson Wentz go 11-2 with MVP-caliber numbers before a season-ending injury, and Nick Foles become the Super Bowl MVP in a 41-33 victory against the New England Patriots.
Reich also worked with future Hall of Fame quarterback Philip Rivers with the then-San Diego Chargers and the Colts.
Stanford hasn't played in a bowl game since 2018. The interim hire comes in the wake of one of the program's best players, David Bailey, entering the NCAA transfer portal.
The university is also currently searching for an athletic director with Alden Mitchell hired last week as interim following Bernard Muir's decision to step down.
ESPN's David Newton, Kyle Bonagura, Xuan Thai and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
