Report: Stanford names Ben Gulbranson its starting quarterback for 2025 season

Ben Gulbranson has won Stanford‘s starting quarterback job, per The Athletic‘s Stewart Mandel. On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed Mandel’s report. Gulbranson transferred to Stanford this offseason after spending five years at Oregon State.

Gulbranson made 18 career appearances at Oregon State and 11 starts. He completed 61.8% of his passes for 2,648 yards and 15 touchdowns, while throwing 10 interceptions. He also tallied six rushing touchdowns for the Beavers.

Stanford’s starting spot behind center was open for the taking after starting quarterback Ashton Daniels and backup QB Justin Lamson transferred out of the program this offseason. Along with Gulbranson, redshirt freshman Elijah Brown and UCF transfer Dylan Rizk were competing for the QB1 title.

Gulbranson boasted the most experience of Stanford’s three options. Brown completed 28-of-his-48 pass attempts last season for 274 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Meanwhile, Rizk amassed 932 passing yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions during two seasons at UCF.

It’s a new era at Stanford not only in the quarterback department, but across the board. In March, the school fired head coach Troy Taylor. He had reportedly twice been the subject of third-party investigations into complaints from employees in the athletic department about his behavior.

Stanford hired former Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich to replace Taylor. Reich brings a wealth of NFL experience with him, and will serve as the team’s interim head coach this year while general manager Andrew Luck searches for a more long-term option.

“We have the right people… Now it becomes a question of us together, players and coaches, committing to a process that can be the foundation for long-term success,” Reich said in July. “You’ve got to create a championship culture before you can really win the championships. So sometimes the results, you see the results right away, and sometimes times they lag. There’s no given. There’s no absolutes in this world as far as you can’t be promised that you’re going to see those right away.

“But what makes me feel like we’re going to see the results this year is because of the right kind of people who have laid the foundation, how hard these players have worked this off-season. I’ve seen that. I’ve watched it. I’ve seen the progress we’ve made in the weight room in every way possible off the football field.”

On Aug. 23, Ben Gulbranson will make his Stanford debut when the Cardinal squares off against Hawai’i at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on CBS.