What the hiring of legend Luck as GM means for the Stanford football program

An icon of The Farm has now been given the keys to rebuild Stanford back into a contender.

Jan 10, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Andrew Luck on hte field before the 2022 CFP college football national championship game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

After the Stanford Cardinal fell in their final game of the season to San José State, capping off their fourth consecutive 3-9 campaign, it was evident that changes needed to be made in order for the team to return to competitive status and become that dominant team in college football that they once were. On the morning after, on College Gameday, an announcement was made that will change the trajectory of Stanford football, as former quarterback Andrew Luck was appointed the new general manager of the program.

A legend of the school, and of the NFL, Luck will have hierarchy within Stanford, dealing with anything and everything football related, including recruiting, the coaching staff, roster management and more. He will also deal with the business side of things, ranging from aspects of the NIL situation to alumni relations. But what does this big splash hire mean to the program?

For one thing, it means that Stanford is committed to winning and committed to excellence. Having struggled over the past few seasons, the Cardinal have not been a serious contender in college football for years, and in an era where competitiveness is as crucial as ever in order to land strong talent, Luck coming in allows him to take some of the burden off of the coaching staff and use his reputation as a winner to market the program.

A part of the program back in its glory days when the Cardinal were consistently ranked in the top-25 year in and year out with a 12-1 year in 2010, Luck knows what it takes for a program to see success and what type of student-athletes fit the Stanford mold.

Having struggled to land top tier talent, especially since the NIL era began, Luck will look to change that and help the team once again consistently land elite players.

One of the biggest areas of concern that has arisen during this era for Stanford has been the resources put into athletics. Known for its academic rigor, a student-athlete being able to play at Stanford is different from most other schools, with many choosing to go there for academic reasons but also having the luxury of playing top level football.

But all that can make recruiting more difficult. While other schools are landing some of the highest rated recruits out there, Stanford has had trouble getting guys like that, not landing a five-star recruit since 2020.

A player who shined at Stanford both as a quarterback and a student before going on to have a successful NFL career, Luck could very well have an upper hand in recruiting and use what he has been able to accomplish as a means to help lure talent to The Farm.

The Cardinal still has a long way to go in the rebuild, but Luck’s hiring is the first step in the right direction, and even after coming off of another tough loss, excitement and hope has returned to The Farm, with anticipation for the future mounting. Now in the offseason, the Cardinal will get a jump start on preparing for 2025, hoping to make another step forward and become more of a force in the ACC.