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What it means: Ben Gulbranson named the starting quarterback for Stanford

On Tuesday, August 12^th, reports surfaced that Stanford had named Oregon State grad transfer Ben Gulbranson their starting quarterback ahead of redshirt freshman Elijah Brown. Things were certainly trending that direction on Monday. I have since gotten my own independent confirmation that Stanford has indeed made the decision to roll with Gulbranson as their starter.

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

As far as what this means for Stanford, this means that they are prioritizing experience and veteran leadership at the quarterback position, hoping that it’ll translate to more wins for this season. If they were focused more on building for the future, they would give the keys to the car to Elijah Brown or have this be a competition between Brown, redshirt sophomore Dylan Rizk, and junior Myles Jackson. By rolling with a redshirt senior in Gulbranson, it’s clear that Stanford wants this to be a season where they not just have an improved season from last year but actually threaten to make a bowl game.

That has to be the calculus, because if this is another 3-9 season or even a 4-8 season, then they might as well do it with a young guy under center who they can say will be their quarterback for the future. Starting Gulbranson only makes sense if this is a season where Stanford goes 5-7 or better. It’s that simple.

Now as far as whether or not Stanford can actually achieve that goal with Gulbranson as their starter, there is one stat that should give them a bit of hope: In eight starts made in the 2022 season, Gulbranson went 7-1, guiding the Beavers to a 30-3 win over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl. He has shown he can play winning football. For his career, Gulbranson made 11 starts for the Beavers in 18 games, going 222-359 (61.8%) for 2648 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Those aren’t amazing numbers, but solid. He’s shown a decent ability to take care of the ball while also being able to make winning plays. In short, he has proven himself to be a competent quarterback.

Ultimately, if Stanford is going to succeed this season with Gulbranson as their quarterback, they’re going to need to make sure he gets the help he needs. If everyone around him can be an improvement from last season, then this will likely end up being the right move for Stanford. If not, they might look back on this season and wish they went with Brown.

Note: Fall camp is underway for Stanford football and Cardinal Sports Report has you covered for all the latest news on the Cardinal as they begin the Andrew Luck era.

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