Andrew Luck is returning to Stanford... as a graduate student
Andrew Luck will be back on Stanford’s campus this fall.
As a graduate student.
Stanford head coach David Shaw let slip during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show Monday that the former Cardinal quarterback would soon be starting graduate school at Stanford. Eisen asked Shaw a question the Stanford head coach says he gets quite often: is Luck actually done with football?
“He’s been done but everybody still asks because he is so special, because he is so talented,” Shaw began. “But he has moved on. He’s starting grad school this fall. He just had baby No. 2. His life is great, he’s very content on his NFL career. Not fired up about how it ended, but it did end. He did a lot of great things and brought a lot of joy to the people of Indianapolis and now, for him, it’s time for Chapter 2.
Eisen made sure to clarify the grad school comment.
“Yeah I don’t know if I was supposed to publicize that or not, but yes, he’s starting grad school this fall,” Shaw said. “He and his wife, Nicole, are coming back out this way and he’s just going to be around. He loves the Stanford environment, and he and his family are going to spend some time here and we can’t wait to be around him.”
Shaw joked that Luck still gets attention walking around in Indianapolis but when he returns to Stanford and walks around campus, he might not always be the most famous person around. Still, the former quarterback will be one of the most beloved anywhere he goes.
Luck redshirted at Stanford as a freshman in 2008, then spent three years as the team’s starting quarterback putting together the winningest career by a Stanford QB in program history. Luck led the Cardinal to a 31-7 record and two BCS bowl games as a starter.
He threw for 9,430 yards and 82 touchdowns while completing 67% of his passes. Luck holds records at Stanford for completion percentage in a season, completion percentage in a career, passer efficiency for a career, touchdown passes in a season, and touchdown passes in a career. He also sits second all-time in career passing yards at Stanford.
Luck was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the top overall selection in the 2012 NFL Draft. He spent seven seasons in the NFL before stunning the sports world by announcing in August of 2019 that he had made the hardest decision of his life to retire. Luck was a four-time Pro Bowler and won the AP Comeback Player of the Year award in 2018. He played through pain during the 2016 season and then missed the entire 2017 season with a torn labrum.
When he came back the following season, he threw for 4,593 yards and 39 touchdowns to lead the Colts to a 10-6 record.
According to The Stanford Daily, Luck is pursuing a Masters of Arts in Education. With his playing career done, could Luck make his way back to the Stanford football program in some kind of graduate assistant capacity? We’ll see.