Could Stanford Firing Troy Taylor Impact UCLA Negotiations?

Stanford may have just changed how UCLA conducts football business.

Nov 23, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Troy Taylor walks on the field before the game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Stanford fired head coach Troy Taylor on Tuesday amid accusations of bullying/ mistreating female staffers. That news was not surprising, nor will it impact UCLA. However, the decision to fire Taylor came from general manager Andrew Luck and not athletic director Bernard Muir.

"I took the role of Stanford Football General Manager with a strong vision for building a new winning era for our football program," Luck said in a statement. "Stanford has always set the standard for excellence with our university’s unique leadership in both athletics and academics, and I have no doubt that our program’s best days lie ahead.

"Since beginning my role as General Manager, I have been thoroughly assessing the entire Stanford football program. It has been clear that certain aspects of the program need change. Additionally, in recent days, there has been significant attention to Stanford investigations in previous years related to Coach Taylor.

"After continued consideration it is evident to me that our program needs a reset. In consultation with university leadership I no longer believe that Coach Taylor is the right coach to lead our football program. Coach Taylor has been informed today and the change is effective immediately.

"A search for new coaching leadership in football has begun, and an acting coach may be named for the 2025 season. Our focus remains on supporting our student-athletes and ensuring they have the best possible experience on the field, in the classroom, and on campus with their peers."

Typically, collegiate coaching firings come from the athletic director. This is the first time a general manager has conducted and executed the termination of a head football coach, which calls into question whether future general managers would gain that power across America.

In Luck's statement, it is clear he is the man in charge of Stanford. While Butler Benton is the current UCLA General Manager, he does not have the same powers Luck has.

What will be interesting in the future is if Benton or the next person to negotiate a contract for the general manager job insists on having that power and if said power would be granted to them. It is also interesting the amount of influence Luck has over Stanford football and if that will become the norm across college football.

How athletic directors respond to these changing times will be a defining point for the future of college football.

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