Andrew Luck is returning to Stanford as a grad student, David Shaw confirms

Aug. 29, 2022, 6:22 p.m.

Andrew Luck ’12 will be back on Stanford campus in the fall. No, he’s not coming out of retirement to lead the Cardinal to another BCS bowl victory — he’s starting grad school.

Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw confirmed that Luck would be starting graduate school at Stanford on The Rich Eisen Show this Monday. Eisen and Shaw were discussing Luck moving on from football when Luck’s former head coach let the news slip out. 

“He has moved on, he’s starting grad school this fall,” Shaw said. He would continue to discuss Luck’s post-football endeavors before Eisen, who was visibly shocked, had Shaw clarify.

“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.” 

Luck played at Stanford from 2008 to 2011, and had one of the most illustrious careers in Stanford history. He was the starting quarterback his last three years on The Farm after redshirting in 2008. In those three years, Luck led the Cardinal to a 31-7 record, equating to the highest quarterback win percentage in school history, and took the team to two BCS bowls. 

Luck racked up plenty of individual accolades as well, as he became a two-time Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and was runner-up twice for the Heisman Trophy twice during his time at Stanford. The Orange Bowl champion was drafted first overall by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2012 NFL Draft. Luck retired from football after the 2018 season and was among the league’s top quarterbacks during his time on the field, earning four Pro Bowl nods along the way.

According to Stanford Profiles, Luck is pursuing a Masters of Arts in Education. Whether or not he will become involved with the football program as a graduate assistant remains to be seen, although it is clear he has moved on from his playing days.

Jibriel Taha is a senior staff writer for the sports section. He is from Los Angeles and studies economics. Contact him at jtaha ‘at’ stanforddaily.com.

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