Andrew Luck evaluates NIL's impact on college football, how to balance tradition in future

Through less than a year as Stanford’s football general manager, Andrew Luck has already seen a wave of change. The former Cardinal star knows the landscape is likely to keep shifting – and he’s ready for it.

It’s a much different world than what Luck saw when he became a Stanford legend. When he was a Heisman Trophy contender, he couldn’t profit off his name, image and likeness. Now, athletes can not only enter into deals, but also receive dollars directly from schools via revenue-sharing.

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In his role as Stanford’s GM, Luck is now at the forefront of it all, making sure his alma mater is able to compete at the highest level. As he assesses the ever-changing space, he added there’s also a balance to be found between NIL and the tradition of the sport – something he thinks is possible.

“Man, there’s been so much change. So much change,” Luck told Eli Manning on Eli’s Places. “I didn’t play college football too long ago, you didn’t play college football too long ago. But that was a different era. A totally different era. Deeply on principle, I do hold that, gosh, too much money has been made around college football for the players that are on field, the product, to not get a piece of the pie. We have to. Look, we anticipate that there continue to be some rule changes and tweaks as we march toward sort of a homeostasis, whatever that is.

“For us, we’re embracing it. We’re out there. We know we need to be competitive. We need to win, we need to build a championship program, and NIL’s absolutely part of it. I think we can hold on to all of what makes college football special and make sure that the finances – the money, the NIL – occupies the right space.”

Stanford finds itself in a unique position as college athletics enters the post-House v. NCAA settlement world. The school recently hired a new athletics director from outside college sports in former Nike CEO John Donahoe, but still needs a full-time football coach. Frank Reich took the role on an interim basis this year, making it clear that’s the plan regardless of what happens on the field.

In the meantime, Andrew Luck is not only leading the charge on a search for a full-time coach, but also ensuring the program is set up for success in the new world. Stanford was noticeably more active in the transfer portal this cycle to build out the roster, and the former No. 1 overall pick was a big part of the recruiting process.