Sep 25, 2021; Stanford, California, USA; General view of the Stanford Cardinal players warming up before the game against the UCLA Bruins at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
The wait is over. Teams all across the nation are starting to settle unresolved positional battles as the season approaches, providing more clarity on who will take the field come Week Zero. And now, the Stanford Cardinal became the latest program to settle a major competition on Tuesday, announcing that sixth-year transfer Ben Gulbranson would be the team's starting quarterback heading into the new season.
The news was first reported by The Athletic's Stewart Mandel.
Gulbranson, a former Oregon State standout, comes to Stanford with a lot of experience. Starting 10 games for the Beavers in 2022, where he threw for 1,455 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions, Gulbranson spent his final two seasons with the program as a backup and opted to transfer to Stanford for his final season of eligibility in order to go somewhere he could compete for the starting job.
In total during his time with the Beavers, Gulbranson went 8-4 as a starter and threw for 2,648 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
As soon as he joined the Cardinal program and began practicing, he reportedly impressed coaches with a very strong spring and training camp. Beating out guys such as Elijah Brown and Dylan Rizk, Gulbranson will be the one leading the team in and out of the huddle against Hawaii-- hoping to guide the Cardinal to a win to start off the Frank Reich era.
Speaking with the media following a practice on Monday, interim head coach Frank Reich was hesitant to name a starting quarterback and stated that he and his staff were still in the process of making a decision. But, he also made it known that a decision was most likely coming by the end of the week, so that the program could go into gameweek with a clear idea of who would be their leader.
Naming Gulbranson comes as a bit of a surprise given the circumstances leading up to the announcement, but it also makes perfect sense. While new to the program and Reich's scheme, Gulbranson's extensive experience in college football could play a pivotal role when it comes facing the stiff competition that the ACC has to offer.
Reich, who runs a pro-style scheme that is known for being difficult to learn, could benefit from having a seasoned veteran running the offense--at least at the start. With a change being made at head coach during the offseason, nobody necessarily had a leg up in the quarterback competition, since they would all be learning a new system.
Given that Gulbranson is in his last year of eligibility and transferred to Stanford for that year, it does make sense that he went somewhere where he at least had a legitimate shot to compete. It turns out that his skills won out this fall, and he'll be under center in Hawaii.
Stanford will open the season on August 23 on the road against Hawaii, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. (PT). After a week one bye, the Cardinal will get fully going with a week two road matchup against BYU followed by their first home game against Boston College on September 13.