“I’m bringing all of me. I can tell you that. This is going to be a team we can all be very proud of,” said Andrew Luck after being appointed Stanford’s GM. It’s an uphill battle, truly, considering the team comes after four consecutive 3-9 seasons under Troy Taylor. So, for Stanford to rise from such lows would surely require a lot of motivation. Even if the team ahead is Hawaii. As for Luck, he does have a plan to do just that.

Luck, after firing Troy Taylor in a bold move, used his NFL connections to bring Frank Reich as the team’s interim coach, who was his former coach at the Indianapolis Colts. Apart from that, the program is also feeling the brunt of adapting to a new conference (ACC), where the team’s defense was ranked 112th nationally. However, this year, Andrew Luck is taking no chances, and he is preparing his boys for the ‘battle.’

The Stanford team goes against Hawaii today in Honolulu, and to get the players inspired, Luck took them to Pearl Harbor, where the players reflected on the sacrifices of the soldiers and how to rise from a tragedy and learn from it. “More than the game. Honored to spend time at Pearl Harbor learning and reflecting on its history,” wrote the Stanford Football official X account. Not just that, the account also shared some pictures from the visit.

In one of the pictures, Luck can be seen walking in deep thought on the Harbor, while other pictures show players taking a look at the memorabilia there. Surely, the visit has immense potential to motivate the players and coaches as well to probably go full-blown nuclear on the opponents the team will face this year. Still, it won’t be an easy task, considering Stanford’s schedule.

Stanford goes against Hawaii in their first game on the road, which will be a straightforward win. However, after that game, teams like BYU, SMU, Florida State, Miami, UNC, Cal, and Notre Dame will give Stanford a mounting challenge, and winning even one of them would be a massive step up for them. That said, there are still some things that give immense optimism.

Andrew Luck is planning for the long term at Stanford

Depth is a concern this year, both for the offense and the defense. Luck has brought in 17 transfer portal additions to level the attrition after Taylor’s exit, but integrating so many pieces together in the offense and defense will be easier said than done. Add that to Frank Reich’s 1-year contract, presenting uncertainty for players about their future. However, according to Luck, his goal is not for the 2025 season but for the long term.

“We talked about a vision of something he [Andrew Luck] was looking to create for Stanford football for not just something in the future, but something for the 2025 season. Players are bought in, and they understand. They’re smart guys. They understand the culture in the locker room,” said Luck, and also pointed towards an incoming cultural shift in the program. Moreover, it’s not just talk; Reich has also acknowledged the impact of Luck on Stanford.

“When he’s out on the field, you just feel his presence, and I think it really lifts the whole program,” said Reich. Surely, Luck’s status as a Stanford legend and a four-time Pro Bowler in the NFL does help. But what matters more is the whole new strategy of NIL by collaborating with the ‘Lifetime Cardinal Collective’ and revamping the program from a “sleeping” giant to a college football powerhouse, as the program was from 2009 to 2018.