Andrew Luck becomes Stanford football GM five years after his impressive NFL retirement

Andrew Luck comes home again.

The former Stanford quarterback will become general manager of his alma mater’s football program, Luck told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The reporter added that the new role “will put him above the entire program and represents a significant evolution from the traditional college GM.”

At Stanford, Luck will be a bridge between the football operations and the business side.

According to ESPN, he will be involved in working with the coaching staff, recruiting, roster construction and the “student-athlete experience,” while also handling fundraising, sponsorship sales and ticket sales.

“I’m excited,” Luck told ESPN. “I think Stanford is taking a confident and innovative step. We are, hands down, the best athletic department in college sports. We have to prove it again in football and we are happy to be part of this challenge.”

Luck, now 35, played at Stanford from 2009 to 2011 and led the Pac-12 in yards per pass attempt in all three seasons as a starter.

The quarterback was selected first overall by the Colts in the 2012 NFL Draft.

In six successful seasons, Luck made four Pro Bowls and compiled a 53-33 record as the starting quarterback.

He missed the entire 2017 NFL season due to a shoulder injury and has generally been banged up behind a beleaguered offensive line throughout his career.

Luck abruptly retired from the NFL after a preseason game in 2019 at just 29 years old.

He will now oversee a Stanford program that has had six straight losing seasons and finished 3-9 this year with a 2-6 conference record in its first season of ACC play.

The role of general manager in college football and basketball has taken on new meaning in the age of NIL and a hectic transfer portal.

Recently, star NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski unexpectedly left his career at ESPN to become GM of his alma mater’s basketball program, Saint Bonaventure.

In an interview with ESPN’s Seth Wickersham in 2022, Luck looked back on his stunning exit from professional football and regretted one aspect of the decision.

“I regret the timing of my retirement,” he said.

Still, the combination of pain and pressure took a toll on the man he wanted to be.

“To play quarterback, you can’t worry about anything but the task at hand,” Luck said. “And that seeps into other areas of life. It’s not the healthiest way to live.”