Best Stanford football players: Modern-era Mount Rushmore – From John Elway to Andrew Luck

If Elway was the greatest NFL Draft prospect at the quarterback position of all time, then Andrew Luck would be a close second. Luck came to Stanford in Harbaugh’s first recruiting class in 2008. Though he redshirted that year, Luck became one of the most prolific passers in Pac-12 history by the end of his college career.

Luck completed 67 percent of his passes for 9,430 yards, 82 touchdowns and 22 interceptions during his time in Palo Alto. He was a two-time First-Team All-American, a two-time Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and was a two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up. Yes, Luck ended up losing to Auburn’s Cam Newton in 2010 and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III in 2011. He was so close.

In 2011, Luck took home the Maxwell, the Walter Camp and the Johnny Unitas during his final college season. With Luck at quarterback, he led the Cardinal to their first-ever BCS games in school history. Had the College Football Playoff existed in 2011, the Cardinal would have been one of the four teams to make the field, along with Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma State.

Luck left Stanford after his redshirt junior year. He would be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. A four-time Pro Bowler, Luck led the Colts to the AFC Championship game in 2014. Injuries zapped him in his late 20s and Luck opted to retire shortly before the start of the 2019 NFL season at the age of 29. Hard to believe his career is over now.