Andrew Luck Discusses Challenges of NIL as Stanford Football General Manager

Luck has made sure that Stanford is serious about utilizing the NIL accordingly.

Feb 2, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Andrew Luck speaks during the Bay Area host committee press conference at the Super Bowl LX media center at the Moscone Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Stanford football is ready for its comeback. Once one of the most dominant college programs of the 2000s and 2010s, recent seasons have seen the Cardinal struggle immensely, finishing 3-9 every season from 2021-24 before going 4-8 in 2025.

Stanford has ended up missing a bowl game in seven straight seasons. Since the era of NIL and the transfer portal began, Stanford has been unable to keep up, and has gone from a perennial contender, to a program that is barely able to tread water.

But after the 2024 season, something big happened within the football program that proved how serious Stanford football is about getting back into the national spotlight. Hiring former quarterback and legendary NFL quarterback Andrew Luck to serve as the football program's general manager, the Cardinal made a move that has since brought optimism back to The Farm.

Luck's job is to handle all aspects of the football side of things, from recruiting, to fundraising and NIL opportunities. In an age where college athletes feed off of NIL opportunities—with top athletes earning millions to play for a specific school—Luck's involvement in Stanford's NIL affairs is huge and could help the program find its footing once again.

Going on The Dan Patrick Show during Super Bowl Week, Luck spoke on his role at Stanford and navigating NIL.

Stanford football has never been a program to recruit five star players. But in recent years especially, the Cardinal have not been able to sign many big name recruits, given how little the program invested in its NIL opportunities and how Stanford has always sold itself on the academic excellence.

But when asked if he would go to Stanford again in this era of NIL, Luck's answer proves how important it is for schools to get with the current times if they want any shot of seeing long term success.

"Three or four years ago, I'm not sure," Luck said. "We were a little slow to adapt and embrace the changes, but today, absolutely. I was talking to Christian McCaffrey about this last week, we saw each other.

"I was asking his perspective on it, and I'm sure he'd say it if he was sitting right here, he'd go to Stanford again. We have a unique value proposition, and I do know we are serious about football, and if you're a serious football player that also has the academic qualifications, the grades, we're the place for you."

But just like anything, the NIL has its challenges and also winners and losers. With the transfer portal almost like free agency in the NFL, where schools sometimes need to compete for the services of a player, having a certain amount of money is vital if programs like Stanford want in on big name stars.

And as Luck puts it, it is very murky navigating the market but if everything is in place, anything is possible.

"I won't get into our numbers or any other numbers," Luck said. "I don't see the balance sheets, including collectives. But, it's a murky market, there's not much transparency to it. I think there are certainly schools and programs that seem willing to do whatever it takes to get there. We think we can do it our way and be competitive.

"And look, the proof is in the pudding, right? We've got to go out and play games. We've got to go out and put a winning product on the field. You've gotta teach great football and you've gotta coach great football. And I think we have that with our young men in the locker room and our coaching staff."

After Luck took over, he wasted no time in making changes to better fit the mold of what he was trying to accomplish, firing former head coach Troy Taylor right before spring practice following toxic workplace allegations, and hiring his former Colts head coach, Frank Reich, to serve as the interim.

Under Reich's tutelage and with his extensive NFL background, the Cardinal showed a lot of promise and now with a new permanent head coach in place in Tavita Pritchard, Luck and Co. will continue to build a strong culture that they hope leads to championships coming back to The Farm.