Three things Stanford football wants to see from freshman quarterback Elijah Brown

Elijah Brown has shown a lot of skill of promise, but there is always room for improvement, especially for a guy as young as he is.

Oct 19, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Elijah Brown (2) throws a pass against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Since getting injured in Stanford football’s second game of the season, the return timeline for freshman quarterback Elijah Brown was not determined, with the young gunslinger expected to be out indefinitely, and the chance of him having to take a redshirt being a real possibility. However, Brown was way ahead of schedule on his rehab, allowing him to make a full recovery and be ready for action this past week against SMU. After the Cardinal went down 21-0 in the first quarter, Brown was called on to enter the game in relief of Ashton Daniels in order to provide a new spark for the Stanford offense.

His first game back brought some ups and downs, but overall, Brown continued to show why the Cardinal expect big things out of him. With that being said, here are three things Stanford would like to see out of Brown through the rest of this year and going into next season.

Consistency

The key to any great quarterback is their ability to consistently produce no matter what the scenario is. Shining brightly in his college debut before getting hurt and missing some time, Brown returned to action this past week against SMU and although he showed flashes of excellence, he also at times struggled, showing that while his talent is there, he still has some stuff to improve on.

“Very tough. He hung in there and he took some hits,” Taylor said.  “He continued to go through his progression and for the most part, he made good decisions. He had a couple drops, I thought were really good throws. The first down was a big-time throw. Just his mental toughness, consistency and hanging in there. It's not easy to do as a true freshman to come in under that scenario. I was proud of how he hung in there. Obviously he can play better. He will. But I was proud of how he competed.”

Brown has proven time and time again that he has what it takes to excel in college football, but as a true freshman who dealt with an injury this season, it may take him some time to fully get back to where he was. But once he does, being able to be consistent in every game will give Stanford the confidence it needs to make him the quarterback of the future.

Taking leadership

One thing that can make a quarterback great is not just the talent, but how they are able to rally and lead their team. And while Brown has gotten the chance to play and showcase his skills, he has also been trusted to lead the team in many situations, most notably coming into the game against SMU with the team down 21-0 and being expected to rally the guys.

While he was successfully able to showcase his physical skills, he also was given the chance to prove that he has what it takes to be the leader that the team needs him to be during the rebuild. Even through his moments of struggle during the game, his teammates have been able to buy into what he has to offer.

“Yeah, he's a great player,” safety Mitch Leigber said. “We saw flashes out there tonight. We just got to keep building as a program, stick together. At the end of the day we're a brotherhood. We just gotta stick together, keep building as a program. We got a lot of really good players. Like I said, just keep building, keep our heads up, move on to the next game.”

Getting meaningful snaps as a freshman is crucial, and for a player like Brown who is expected to be a mainstay for the next few years, it will be of utter importance to make sure that his leadership skills are strong.

Getting back into rhythm post injury

When he made his debut against Cal Poly in week two, Brown wasted no time in showing out, going 7-for-7 with 97 yards through the air and a touchdown pass in his lone game opportunity before injuring his hand, which forced him to miss multiple weeks.

In his first game back, Brown went 16-for-32 for 153 yards and a touchdown while throwing two interceptions, starting off the game with some floater passes, signaling that he was still adjusting to being back. Now that he is fully back from the injury, it is now all about Brown fully getting into the swing of things again and shedding the rust that comes with being inactive.

“No, I don't think so,” Taylor said. “I think he felt pretty good. I think he settled in a little bit. Once you start playing, you get a rhythm. That's a pretty big stage for a kid, even for a guy like Elijah who has played a lot of big-time games. I really thought he started to settle in and play better. He'll continue to feel more comfortable. We got to run the football to help out our quarterbacks, that's one thing, so they can't tee off on you.”

Once Brown is able to get back to how he was before he got hurt, then he will be able to provide an even bigger sample size which in turn could make the decision of who is the permanent quarterback much easier.