Biggest Keys to a Stanford Football Turnaround Season

Dylan Grausz | Aug 24, 2024

Nov 25, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Audric Estim (7) runs into a wall of Stanford Cardinal defenders during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off of a 3-9 campaign in their final season in the Pac-12 conference, the Stanford Cardinal football program begins a new era as members of the ACC, ready to not only make a statement in their first year in a new conference but also turn the tables and bring winning football back to a once dominant Stanford program.

Establish an identity early

Early on in a football season is the time when most teams figure out what type of unit they are going to be, especially with non-conference contests making up the early portion of the schedule. For a program like Stanford, being able to use the first couple of games to really hammer down both its identity and style will be crucial, as after it plays TCU and Cal Poly, a tough conference schedule will commence, with teams like Syracuse and Clemson being on the docket in back-to-back weeks.

Establishing an identity early does a couple of things. First, it will allow the Cardinal to really understand their strengths, knowing who fits where and the best type of game plan to use in order to maximize the potential and ability of their players. It will also give them the opportunity to get a head start in really understanding their opponents, facing a slate of teams that they haven’t played. Whatever the situation is, being able to figure themselves out is the first big step.

Win the expected games

Winning. It sounds straightforward, but it is not just winning games, it is winning the games that they are expected to win. In addition to playing Clemson and Syracuse, Stanford will also face teams like Notre Dame, Wake Forest, SMU, NC State and Louisville and are not favored in a majority of their games this season, but, they do have three games on their schedule that are very winnable.

Those games are California, San Jose State and Cal Poly. While those are only three games, winning those games would be major confidence boosters. TCU, who was the national runner up after the 2022 season and come to town week one, have regressed over the last couple of seasons and with it facing uncertainty at many positions this year, creates a winnable game there as well. If Stanford can win that game and then follow that up with a win over Cal Poly in week two, a 2-0 start heading into conference play would make things more interesting, especially if Stanford gets off to a hot start and has momentum on their side going into that tough slate of games.

Utilize depth accordingly 

Head coach Troy Taylor has made it clear that the team's depth is much improved from last year, with confidence much higher at this point in the season this year as opposed to last. And if that is truly the case, then Stanford could be in great shape. Struggling to really find a playmaker on offense to pair with Elic Ayomanor, Stanford added some pieces to the puzzle, signing receivers like Emmett Mosley V and Chase Farrell, with Mosley expected to play a big role as a true freshman.

The running back position was also revitalized as well after losing both E.J. Smith and Casey Filkins, with expected starter Sedrick Irvin getting some help with the notable additions of Micah Ford, Chris Davis Jr. and Cole Tabb. Defensively, in comes guys like safety Jay Green from Washington and linebacker Jahsiah Galvan from Northern Iowa to help bolster a unit that was thin at some spots last year. The Cardinal added some key figures to the mix and if they are able to incorporate the new faces to help strengthen those position groups, there could be a lot of good coming out of Palo Alto this season.