By Jason Cole
Yahoo Sports
Andrew Luck doesn’t appear interested in manipulating the future. Rather, he’ll just play in the NFL.
Two people close to Luck said the Stanford quarterback is not expected to take classes next quarter. Instead, Luck is expected to declare and focus on preparing for the 2012 NFL draft, in which he is expected to be the No. 1overall pick.
That move counters speculation by some that Luck would possibly return to Stanford for another season or at least threaten to manipulate who will take him in the NFL draft. Luck is a senior, but redshirted as a freshman in 2008, giving him the option to play one more season.
Winter quarter classes at Stanford are scheduled to begin Jan. 9. Luck and his family have been very private about his plans for the NFL. He surprised many people when he returned to Stanford this season rather than come out early for the 2011 draft.
“He could still go back and register for classes, but that’s not the plan,” said a source who has known Luck for many years.
Luck’s father, Oliver, who played quarterback in the NFL and is now the athletic director at West Virginia University, wrote via text message that his son “does have academic work this spring that he needs to complete to graduate … and he’s planning to finish his academics.” When asked specifically about whether his son would be taking classes or focusing on his NFL future, Luck wrote: “All I can tell you is that he’ll finish his degree. It is important to him.”
At Stanford, as with many schools, there are ways to get academic credits without being in a classroom (internships, thesis work, etc.), meaning Luck could still earn his degree without having to enroll in January.
Some people have speculated that Luck would stay in college or at least threaten to if he wasn’t going to get drafted by a team of his liking, forcing a situation similar to what Eli Manning(notes) and John Elway did when they were drafted by the San Diego Chargers and the Baltimore Colts, respectively. Luck has another year of eligibility because he redshirted as a true freshman in 2008. It’s an interesting bit of speculation, but has never been seriously considered, the source said.
“That’s not his style,” the source said. “He doesn’t like all the attention to begin with and now you’re talking about doing something that would bring a lot of extra attention on him. … I know it has been done, but there’s no guarantee of where you go. Even now, you can’t figure out what the teams are really going to do. He wants to go somewhere and have a chance to be great. You can’t create that by yourself.”
Currently, 0-10 Indianapolis is in line to have the No. 1 overall pick. Colts president Bill Polian has already personally watched one of Luck’s games and several members of the team’s staff attended the Stanford-Cal game on Saturday. Polian has talked about the team’s willingness to take a quarterback in the draft, although the situation is complicated by the health of 36-year-old quarterback Peyton Manning(notes).
After the Colts, Carolina, St. Louis and Minnesota are all tied at 2-8. However, all three have young quarterbacks drafted in the first round since 2010. Next are Miami, Washington, Arizona and Jacksonville at 3-7. Arizona and Jacksonville both made major investments at the position earlier this year.
On the surface, that leaves Miami and Washington as likely suitors for a quarterback. Luck, Oklahoma senior Landry Jones, who has another year of eligibility, and USC junior Matt Barkley are considered likely first-round draft picks.
Yahoo Sports
Andrew Luck doesn’t appear interested in manipulating the future. Rather, he’ll just play in the NFL.
Two people close to Luck said the Stanford quarterback is not expected to take classes next quarter. Instead, Luck is expected to declare and focus on preparing for the 2012 NFL draft, in which he is expected to be the No. 1overall pick.
That move counters speculation by some that Luck would possibly return to Stanford for another season or at least threaten to manipulate who will take him in the NFL draft. Luck is a senior, but redshirted as a freshman in 2008, giving him the option to play one more season.
Winter quarter classes at Stanford are scheduled to begin Jan. 9. Luck and his family have been very private about his plans for the NFL. He surprised many people when he returned to Stanford this season rather than come out early for the 2011 draft.
“He could still go back and register for classes, but that’s not the plan,” said a source who has known Luck for many years.
Luck’s father, Oliver, who played quarterback in the NFL and is now the athletic director at West Virginia University, wrote via text message that his son “does have academic work this spring that he needs to complete to graduate … and he’s planning to finish his academics.” When asked specifically about whether his son would be taking classes or focusing on his NFL future, Luck wrote: “All I can tell you is that he’ll finish his degree. It is important to him.”
At Stanford, as with many schools, there are ways to get academic credits without being in a classroom (internships, thesis work, etc.), meaning Luck could still earn his degree without having to enroll in January.
Some people have speculated that Luck would stay in college or at least threaten to if he wasn’t going to get drafted by a team of his liking, forcing a situation similar to what Eli Manning(notes) and John Elway did when they were drafted by the San Diego Chargers and the Baltimore Colts, respectively. Luck has another year of eligibility because he redshirted as a true freshman in 2008. It’s an interesting bit of speculation, but has never been seriously considered, the source said.
“That’s not his style,” the source said. “He doesn’t like all the attention to begin with and now you’re talking about doing something that would bring a lot of extra attention on him. … I know it has been done, but there’s no guarantee of where you go. Even now, you can’t figure out what the teams are really going to do. He wants to go somewhere and have a chance to be great. You can’t create that by yourself.”
Currently, 0-10 Indianapolis is in line to have the No. 1 overall pick. Colts president Bill Polian has already personally watched one of Luck’s games and several members of the team’s staff attended the Stanford-Cal game on Saturday. Polian has talked about the team’s willingness to take a quarterback in the draft, although the situation is complicated by the health of 36-year-old quarterback Peyton Manning(notes).
After the Colts, Carolina, St. Louis and Minnesota are all tied at 2-8. However, all three have young quarterbacks drafted in the first round since 2010. Next are Miami, Washington, Arizona and Jacksonville at 3-7. Arizona and Jacksonville both made major investments at the position earlier this year.
On the surface, that leaves Miami and Washington as likely suitors for a quarterback. Luck, Oklahoma senior Landry Jones, who has another year of eligibility, and USC junior Matt Barkley are considered likely first-round draft picks.
