Andrew Luck’s first big move as Stanford’s general manager is raising some eyebrows—and not in the way you might hope if you're a Cardinal fan.
According to reports from Pete Thamel, the program named Frank Reich as interim head coach for the 2025 season. Yep, interim. One year. That's it.
Let’s unpack this.
Reich is a familiar face to Luck. The two go back to 2018, when Reich was hired as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts—the same year Luck played his final NFL season. That connection clearly played a role in this hire, but it’s a move that comes with more questions than answers.
Reich most recently had a short and brutal stint in Carolina, where he went 1-10 before being let go before the season even wrapped. Prior to that, he had a decent but unspectacular run in Indy. Now, for the first time in his career, Reich is stepping into the world of college football.
And that’s where things start to feel a little shaky.
This isn’t a long-term rebuild with a five-year plan. It’s a one-year gig. A band-aid. Maybe even a last-minute scramble. And in today’s college football world—where player retention, NIL, and recruiting momentum are everything—a one-year placeholder can do more harm than good. Why would a top-tier high school athlete or transfer portal talent commit to a program when they don’t even know who’ll be in charge in 2026?
To be fair, Luck was probably painted into a corner here. Spring ball is already finishing up for most schools. Coaching options are slim this late in the game. And after firing Troy Taylor earlier this month due to allegations of bullying and mistreatment of staff, Stanford needed someone—anyone—to steady the ship. Reich may have been one of the only experienced options willing to take on a job with such a short leash.
But let’s not sugarcoat it: This could set Stanford football back even further. The Cardinal have been drifting in the wrong direction for years now, and a one-season experiment isn’t going to change that trajectory overnight.
Best-case scenario? Reich turns out to be a stabilizing force, helps clean up the culture, and hands things off to a long-term hire next December. Worst-case? The team sputters, recruiting tanks, and Stanford enters 2026 with even more ground to make up in a rapidly evolving college football landscape. Keep in mind that if Reich can't pick up a few wins, the talent pool of coaches willing to come to Stanford will also likely be smaller when the program does conduct its national search.
You can respect the loyalty Luck showed to his former coach. You can even understand the desperation of the timing. But in terms of building something lasting? It’s hard to see this as a step forward.
Andrew Luck’s tenure as Stanford’s GM is just getting started, but if this first big move is any indication, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.