Stanford's football program has been in dire need of a reboot. Since the end of the 2018-19 season, the Cardinal haven't won more than four games in a single year. That brought about the end of the David Shaw era as head coach and ushered in Troy Taylor, who wasn't much better at the helm in just two seasons.
Enter former Stanford QB and 2011 Heisman Trophy finalist Andrew Luck, who was hired as the team's new general manager in late November. In multiple interviews, he promised to overhaul the program's structure and reintroduce it to college football as a force to be reckoned with. Luck also admitted that wouldn't be an overnight process, indicating a transition period would be necessary.
So far, he's sticking to his word based on his latest hire. Luck is reportedly bringing in his old NFL coach, Frank Reich, to right the ship during the 2025-26 college football season, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. Luck played under Reich in 2018 when the two were members of the Indianapolis Colts. Reich will apparently only be around for one year as Luck and Stanford prepare to begin their national search for a long-term head coach in 2026.
Andrew Luck's hire may save Stanford football
The landscape of college athletics is changing rapidly. NIL and soon revenue sharing will essentially turn what was a competition of amateurs into a minor league system for professional sports. Stanford, like other schools including North Carolina, Oklahoma and Notre Dame, are embracing the NFL model and bringing in familiar faces to run the show.
Luck's foresight to have Stanford undergo a transitional period with Reich essentially filling in as head coach pro tempore speaks volumes about how he intends to return the former college football powerhouse to its glory days.
Stanford departed the Pac-12 Conference in 2024 for the ACC of all places. The cross-country travel was a glaring factor in some of the team's games this past season, but it's unclear if the Cardinal's future with the East Coast-based league is set in stone. Either way, Luck has a huge opportunity to tap into a new recruiting pool and find success in the unlikeliest of places. Step one was bringing in a sound NFL mind like Reich. Step two? Start winning.