Andrew Luck becoming Stanford football GM five years after stunning NFL retirement

Andrew Luck is coming home again.

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

The reporter added that the new role “will place him above the entire program and is a distinct evolution from the traditional college GM.”

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

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He will have a hand in working with the coaching staff, recruiting, roster construction and the “student-athlete experience,” according to ESPN, while also being involved with fundraising, sponsorship sales and ticketing.

“I’m excited,” Luck told ESPN. “I think Stanford is taking an assertive and innovative step. We’re undoubtedly the best athletic department in college sports. We have to re-prove it in football, and we’re excited to be part of that challenge.”

Luck, now 35, starred at Stanford from 2009-11, leading the Pac-12 in yards per pass attempt in all three of his seasons as a starter.

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

During six healthy seasons, Luck made it to four Pro Bowls and amassed a 53-33 record as a starting quarterback.

He missed the entire 2017 NFL season due to a shoulder injury and generally got battered 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 consecutive losing seasons, going 3-9 this year with a 2-6 conference record in its first season of ACC play.

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

Recently, star NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski shockingly stepped away from his career at ESPN to become the GM of the basketball program of his alma mater, Saint Bonaventure.

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

“I regret the timing of when I retired,” he said.

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Nevertheless, the combination of pain and pressure was eating away at the man he wanted to be.

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