In all likelihood, Stanford will lose their head coach to an NFL gig at some point in the very near future.
Fortunately for the Cardinal faithful -- and their new coach -- they’ll have one of the top quarterbacks in the country to fall back on.
In a press release issued by the school, Andrew Luck announced that he will not declare for the NFL draft and will instead return to Stanford for another season. Luck’s decision comes as a surprise to some, although it shouldn’t have if they’d been paying attention to his public comments on the situation.
“I am committed to earning my degree in architectural design from Stanford University and am on track to accomplish this at the completion of the spring quarter of 2012,” Luck said in a statement.
Luck, who seemed to have the inside track on becoming the No. 1 overall pick of the April NFL draft, will instead enter 2011 as one of the early Heisman front-runners. The redshirt sophomore finished second to Auburn’s Cam Newton in the 2010 voting.
As for those questioning Luck’s wisdom, Sam Bradford faced a very similar decision just a couple of years ago. That seems to have worked out OK for the former Oklahoma QB.