Stanford — ACC
PPA off / def
0.06 / 0.18
2025
Class rank
#37
class of 2026
Returning PPA
21%
returning production
| 1982 |
OSU L 20–23 | Columbus |
| 1981 |
OSU W 24–19 | away |
| 1970 |
OSU L 17–27 | away |
| 1956 |
OSU W 32–20 | Columbus |
| 1955 |
OSU L 0–6 | away |
2026 schedule
2025 results (4–8)
Statistical comps — 2025 Stanford's closest analogs
Nearest neighbors by z-scored success rate, explosiveness, run rate & havoc (offense + defense), 2015–25.
2025 leaders
Transfer portal — 2026 (6 in / 12 out)
| Incoming |
|---|
| Nico Brown | WR | ← Yale | ★★★ |
| Leroy Bryant | CB | ← Washington | ★★★ |
| Davis Warren | QB | ← Michigan | ★★★ |
| Dara Adeyemi | OT | ← Bucknell | ★★★ |
| Aidan Kilstrom | IOL | ← Harvard | ★★★ |
| Carter Shaw | WR | ← UCLA | ★★★ |
| Outgoing |
|---|
| Che Ojarikre | S | → Duke |
| Emeka Ugorji | OT | → Florida |
| Zak Yamauchi | IOL | → BYU |
| Cole Tabb | RB | → Cincinnati |
| Elijah Brown | QB | → Washington |
| Jack Leyrer | OT | → Auburn |
| Jason Thompson | WR | → uncommitted |
| CJ Hawkins | TE | → Rhode Island |
| + 4 more |
Origins
Played in the first Rose Bowl in 1902 and lost 49-0. Warner later brought the single wing, John Elway brought the arm, and The Play in 1982 ended with a trombonist on the field and Cal's band in the end zone.
Founded 1885 · Founded by Leland and Jane Stanford as a memorial to their only child · first football 1891 · defined by Pop Warner
All-time record
All-time
605–494–34
1894–2025
Win %
54.9%
107 seasons played
Winning seasons
59
55% of seasons
| Best seasons | W | L | Conference |
|---|
| 2010 | 12 | 1 | Pac-10 |
| 2015 | 12 | 2 | Pac-12 |
| 2012 | 12 | 2 | Pac-12 |
| 2011 | 11 | 2 | Pac-12 |
| 2013 | 11 | 3 | Pac-12 |
Season records from CollegeFootballData, which is why the span starts at 1894 — that is where its coverage of this program begins, not necessarily the first year it fielded a team.
Play-calling tendencies (2025 · garbage time excluded)
| Situation | Plays | Run % | Success % | Nat'l | Avg yds | Expl % |
|---|
| 1st down | 294 | 56% |
39% | 117 of 136 | 5.6 | 10% |
| 2nd down | 219 | 49% |
32% | 133 of 136 | 4.0 | 7% |
| 3rd & short (≤3) | 43 | 60% |
70% | — | 7.8 | 9% |
| 3rd & medium (4–7) | 58 | 16% |
34% | — | 4.1 | 7% |
| 3rd & long (8+) | 56 | 5% |
13% | — | 1.8 | 9% |
| 4th down | 17 | 53% |
47% | — | 4.5 | 6% |
147 drives · 25% ended in points · 7.0 plays and 33.2 yards per drive · 0.40 PPA per drive
Success: 50% of yardage needed on 1st, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th. Explosive: 12+ yd rush / 16+ yd pass. National rank is shown only for 1st and 2nd down, where every team has 100+ plays; the later buckets average 18-43 and a rank there would be noise.
League leaderboard →Most valuable plays (by PPA, 2025)
| Wk | Opp | Play | Yds | PPA |
|---|
| 3 | Boston College |
Ben Gulbranson pass complete to Sam Roush for 69 yds for a TD (Emmet Kenney KICK) |
69 | 6.52 |
| 4 | Virginia |
Ben Gulbranson pass complete to Bryce Farrell for 68 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion fa… |
68 | 6.47 |
| 11 | North Carolina |
End of 2nd quarter. |
65 | 4.59 |
| 11 | North Carolina |
End of 1st quarter. |
50 | 4.52 |
| 3 | Boston College |
Micah Ford run for 75 yds to the BC 5 for a 1ST down |
75 | 4.50 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh |
B. Gulbranson pass to CJ Williams for 35 yds, for a TD (E. Kenney KICK) |
35 | 4.46 |
| 5 | San José State |
Ben Gulbranson pass complete to Caden High for 34 yds to the SJSU 25 for a 1ST down |
34 | 4.33 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh |
(11:04) Shotgun #15 B.Gulbranson pass complete deep left to #86 S.Roush caught at PITT20, … |
53 | 4.23 |