Three key potential components to a successful Stanford football rebuild

Another losing season can be frustrating, but now that the Cardinal have been in the ACC for a full campaign, they can go into the offseason with a good idea of how to improve.

Sep 20, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Stanford Cardinal linebacker David Bailey (right) tackles Syracuse Orange wide receiver Umari Hatcher (5) as cornerback Collin Wright (6) looks on during the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

With three games left, the Stanford Cardinal (2-7, 1-5 ACC) will look to finish the 2024 campaign strong and get back into the win column for the first time since week four. But with a bowl game officially out of the equation for this year, the focus now becomes figuring out pieces for next season, and ways in which the team can take that leap and get back to the glory days. While the 2024 season is still a few weeks away from being over, here are three big things that the Cardinal could focus on in the offseason in order to see better results in 2025.

Figuring out the quarterback position

It all starts with who is under center. One of the biggest issues that has plagued Stanford’s offense this season is its inability to protect the football when it matters most. The three quarterbacks in Ashton Daniels, Elijah Brown and Justin Lamson have thrown a combined 13 interceptions, with a few of those interceptions coming in critical moments. One of those moments came against Wake Forest, with Stanford being down 27-24 and driving down the field. They were in scoring position before an interception thrown by Daniels squashed any chances of a comeback. Winning games requires protecting the football and driving down the field, and the Cardinal have had a lot of drives killed this season due to turnovers.

If the team is looking to make a major leap next season, taking a look at the position will be important. Both Daniels and Brown, the two main passers for the team this year, have shown that they have talent that makes them more than capable of leading the way, but they both will need to cut back on turnovers if they want to see more consistent success. It remains to be seen what that entails, whether that is looking to bring someone else in to provide competition, or if that means rolling with what they have, but ensuring consistent quarterback play for the future will be very important.

Blocking, blocking, blocking

The offense cannot operate without an offensive line providing protection, and while there have been moments in which Stanford’s offensive line has done a good job of being the catalyst it needs to be, there have also been other times of struggle, with allowing sacks and protecting the quarterback being one aspect of why the turnovers have come in bunches. Having allowed 30 opponent sacks this season, which is tied for 126th in the NCAA and puts Stanford near the bottom, the Cardinal have had games where they have been unable to get any big plays going, most notably against both Virginia Tech (31-7 loss) and SMU (40-10 loss). 

The rest of this season and next year will be all about establishing a core, with a handful of young guys such as Khalil House becoming key contributors almost immediately, and finding that group that keeps defenses from getting through. Stanford’s offense has playmakers, so if they have a good line that gives them time to get the ball and make plays, the Cardinal may be able to really turn that corner.

Honing in on pass coverage

When it comes to hope for the future, the defensive back room may be in very good hands. Guys like Brandon Nicholson and Aaron Morris have done a great job of establishing themselves as solid complementary pieces to pair with star cornerback Collin Wright, while guys like Scotty Edwards and Mitch Leigber continue to do a solid job at safety.

Injuries have been a big issue for the defensive backs, so Stanford being ranked 120th in the NCAA for passing yards allowed (268.1) is a little bit misleading. Nonetheless, the Cardinal have struggled with consistently stopping teams from passing the ball, with almost every quarterback that has faced them this year putting together their best games. Giving up an average of 13.48 yards per completion, the Cardinal have had a hard time defending the deep ball, which has been a major reason for why they have allowed some of their opponents to put up the amount of points that they have.

Stanford already has a strong run defense, ranked in the top 15 in college football for a large portion of the season, but if they can get pass coverage down as well, the games that they will play in not only could be more competitive, but they could also result in more wins for the Cardinal.