Five takeaways from Stanford ACC Kickoff
Stanford football was at the 2025 ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte, North Carolina this week. General manager Andrew Luck, head coach Frank Reich, cornerback Collin Wright, linebacker Teva Tafiti, guard Simione Pale, and tight end Sam Roush represented the Cardinal. Below are five takeaways I have from what they said.
VIDEO: Stanford Football ACC Kickoff Press Conference 2025
QUOTES: Stanford Football ACC Kickoff Press Conference 2025
#1. Frank Reich and Andrew Luck have a special bond: Upon watching their media session, it became even more clear that Frank Reich and Andrew Luck have a special bond. It goes beyond football with these guys. They both have a relationship that runs deep, which is why this one-year interim arrangement was able to be pulled off. It’ll be fun to see the two of them work together as the season goes on and the impact that is made on the Cardinal.
#2. Frank Reich is bringing some changes to the system: There have been some questions about how much Frank Reich would change with respect to the offensive system and while he won’t get into specifics, it’s clear that he is bringing some changes to the system and offensive scheme. It should be more NFL and pro-style. That much he confirmed along with them playing more physical and tough. Beyond that, we’ll just have to see what they roll out as the season goes along.
#3. The players are feeding off Reich’s energy: When seeing what all the players had to say, especially Collin Wright, it’s clear that the buy in is high right now. They all are excited about the chance to play under Frank Reich and the fact that they have hit the reset button on the season with a leadership change. Wright mentioned how the focus is on getting one percent better and how everyone is all in on that. When you have that kind of mentality shift, good things can happen.
#4. Frank Reich doesn’t seem worried about NFL to college transition: When asked about adjusting from the NFL to the college game, Reich emphasized that football is football. He’s not worried about things from a stylistic/schematic sense. The one thing he did say is there’s a challenge of time management since college players have to balance classwork. But in terms of X’s and O’s and what happens on the field, he’s confident that the adjustment will be seamless.
#5. The tight ends of yore continue to be an inspiration: Sam Roush reiterated that Stanford is still “Tight End U” and that they all look up the great tight ends that have come through the program like Zach Ertz, Dalton Schultz, Coby Fleener, and others. Those guys all know how much they are looked up to and seem eager to give back to the program. Hopefully for Stanford, Roush will be able to have a breakout campaign and continue in their footsteps.
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