Andrew Luck's Role with Stanford Football After Shakeup

With Bernard Muir resigning, Andrew Luck's role as Stanford football's GM just took on a whole new meaning

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

When Andrew Luck was hired to be the new general manager of the Stanford football program in November, it was revolutionary. Sure, some programs had brought in general managers in the past, but none were so important that they had a title above the head coach. For Stanford, hiring Luck proved that it was truly ready to go all in in the NIL era and return to their winning ways.

But after Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir announced his intention to resign at the end of the school year after 13 years in charge, Luck's job took on a whole new meaning.

While the athletic director oversees all sports at an institution, football is traditionally seen as the biggest and most prominent college sport at many schools.

Now that Stanford is in the market for a new leader in the athletics department, Luck now will likely be seen as the face of Cardinal sports.

Luck is arguably the greatest quarterback since John Elway to play for Stanford, as he then went on to be selected No. 1 overall by the Indianapolis Colts before having an accolade-filled NFL career with them. He now returns as a Stanford legend looking to bring glory back to the football team.

While women's basketball was a powerhouse for decades under legendary head coach, Tara VanDerveer, football was not far behind for a long time.

While having plenty of successful seasons long before Luck arrived, the Cardinal were particularly good from the Luck era on, ranked in the top 25 for many years while winning six bowl games combined during the era of Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw.

Luck knows what it takes to win and will be looked at to bring that culture back and return the program back to national prominence and give Stanford sports even more attention.

Other sports at Stanford are very strong as well, with men's and women's water polo, swimming, etc. being among the nations top programs, but it all starts with football.

Muir was heavily involved in day-to-day operations of the football program until he hired Luck to take the reins. From then on, he took more of a backseat role while Luck ran the show including working directly with head coach Troy Taylor, dealing with alumni relations, fundraising, helping with bringing in recruits, etc.

A replacement for Muir is still to be determined, but it is expected that the process will begin shortly. Stanford will most likely want to bring in somebody who is established at the Power Four conference level, but as is the case with any job, being a new face can bring about an adjustment period.

With an urgency for success now, Luck could very well be instrumental in helping the transition process go smoother, and could be someone that is leaned on to be a guiding force in helping the programs reach new heights, and maintain that level of success moving forward.