Pritchard prioritizes five players working in sync over five best linemen, banking on new coach Kekuewa to unlock returning talent.
Stanford is looking to address the issues with the offensive line heading into the 2026 campaign, after the group has struggled in recent seasons, failing to provide consistent protection for the quarterback or holes for the running back. But there is some hope that this year's group will be different.
For starters, transfer Aidan Kilstrom appears set to line up in the middle, playing center, while the guys that will be filling in around him are still fighting for their own playing time.
"We've had some guys have to move to different spots and move around," Stanford head coach Tavita Pritchard said earlier this week. "We're really trying to find the five guys that we feel the best about working together and playing in conjunction."
Coach Pritchard went on to say that they're not necessarily looking for the five best linemen individually, but the five that play the best as a unit. Given Kilstrom's ability as a center, he figures to be the one that the entire line is built around.
Pritchard describes Kilstrom as a leader, thanks to his three years of experience with Harvard, and says that the new center is assertive at the line. Pritchard, a former QB on The Farm, also noted the similarities between what you look for in a center and what you look for in a quarterback in terms of mental makeup.
Last year, Fisher Anderson was Stanford's center, with the 6-foot-7 redshirt senior playing in all 12 games and earning 10 starts. This season, he's preparing to move around on the line a bit.
"Playing some guard and some tackle. Ready to play center whenever needed," Anderson told On3 this week. "I have no idea what’s gonna happen and I think it’s best that way...I’m trying not to get too focused on a singular spot but embrace the versatility."
The best offensive linemen for the Cardinal last season according to their overall PFF+ grades were redshirt junior Nick Fattig (65.8), redshirt senior Niki Prongos (63.9), redshirt junior Simione Pale (59), sophomore Josh Williams (55.6), and Anderson (55.4). Kilstrom rated at a 74.8, which is solid, and will set the standard for Stanford.
Fattig, Pale, and Williams were guards, while Prongos was a tackle.
The hope here is that with the center position solidified by Kilstrom, another year of experience for each of these linemen, and the addition of Keli'i Kekuewa as the offensive line coach, each of these returning players will take a step forward and work more soundly as a unit.
We also mentioned the possibility of working around some of the deficiencies of the o-line with new offensive coordinator Terry Heffernan perhaps looking to utilize running back Micah Ford in the passing game a bit more — something he did at Virginia last year.
How the offensive line comes together and how the coaches get the most out of this unit will play a determining role in how Stanford performs this season.
