Coach Profile
Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football
Troy Taylor
Troy Taylor was named Stanford's Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football on Dec. 10, 2022 by Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics Bernard Muir and just completed his first season on The Farm.
“I am excited to welcome Troy and his family to Stanford,” Muir said. “Troy is a proven winner who has experienced success at many levels of football. Throughout our visits together he demonstrated an understanding of what makes Stanford special, and a deep desire to capitalize on our unique strengths. He possesses an incredible football mind and has a long history of caring deeply for the student-athletes he leads. I am excited for the next chapter of Cardinal football and eager for our student-athletes to experience Troy’s passion, wisdom and leadership.”
During his first season, the program improved in several key areas. The Stanford offense held onto the ball at a far greater rate, ranking top-40 in the NCAA in time of possession (31:17) while cutting down its turnover margin by nine. Explosive plays were much more common as well, with twice as many 40+-yard passing plays as 2022, the most for the team since 2019. The Cardinal went 3-2 on the road, posting its first winning record away from The Farm in a non-COVID season since 2018.
In his Stanford debut, Taylor became the 23rd head coach in program history to win his coaching debut, as the Cardinal defeated Hawai'i on the road 37-24. In the victory, the Stanford defense recorded six sacks for the first time since 2018. The Cardinal also produced the largest comeback win in program history during his first season on The Farm, beating Colorado 46-43 in double overtime after trailing 29-0 at halftime. It is the fourth-largest comeback win in Pac-12 history, the second-largest road comeback in conference history, and featured the most points (46) scored in a half in Stanford history. Elic Ayomanor set the Stanford single game receiving record with 294 receiving yards in the victory. Two weeks later against No. 5 Washington, Ashton Daniels produced the second most yards in a single game by a Stanford quarterback (448) in program history.
Taylor, who becomes the 35th head coach in program history, guided Sacramento State to a 30-8 mark in four seasons and a berth in the FCS quarterfinals for the first time in school history. Prior to the 2022 season, Sacramento State had never won an FCS Playoff game in its program history.