Stanford is turning over a new leaf in 2025. The arrival of Andrew Luck marks the beginning of a new era of Cardinals football, which is already seeing some wins. For the past few years, the program languished sorely at the bottom of the table, with repeated finishes of 3-9. Luck is now taking the bull by its horns and is conducting some major changes. Troy Taylor is no longer the head coach, and recruiting at Stanford is seeing a new dawn under Luck. He has begun to disrupt the recruiting class, as he makes away with a lucrative prospect from the clutches of figures like Bill Belichick.
Andrew Luck is like the prodigal son returning home to Stanford. Luck was the first pick of the 2012 draft, becoming the 4th Stanford QB in history to do so. He knows what this school is capable of, better than anyone else. For the past 4 years, Stanford has finished 3-9, which is a worrying record. Luck saw it right to step in as the program’s first-ever GM, and it’s like the man has a golden touch. He has reinvigorated the program with a new air, which is helping attract a lot of prospects towards the Cardinals. His efforts led to the commitment of 4-star EDGE, Keysaun Eleazer. He will be moving to California instead of choosing UNC, which is his in-state, local program, located just 26 miles away from his home.
Eleazer revealed that the GM was instrumental in convincing him to pick Stanford. “He sat down with me for probably about 40 minutes, we’re just talking. We had a very good conversation, and then, when I got back from a couple of my visits, I talked to him again. [That] definitely impacted my decision as I had to reach out to him, and asked him about the head coach situation, [because] that’s obviously, they got an interim head coach right now,” he said. That’s a no-brainer question on every Stanford prospect’s mind, because Luck and the top brass have not given interim HC Frank Reich a full-time role.
Keysaun Eleazer explained how Stanford football GM Andrew Luck convinced him to choose the Cardinal https://t.co/JPO3WETaJJ pic.twitter.com/m8uKr8xXAF
— Joel Bryant – HighSchoolOT (@JoelBryantHSOT) July 2, 2025
“It definitely helped my decision knowing that Andrew Luck not going nowhere,” Eleazer added. “Stanford loves him, and he’s not going nowhere. Having that sense of stability as he’s the one bringing me in and recruiting me,” the EDGE remarked about the GM’s presence. Eleazer picked Stanford over programs like Florida State, UNC, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, and more. Eleazer is part of 16 commits of Stanford’s 2026 class. Luck has brought about a significant difference in the Cardinals’ recruiting, which is evident in the 2026 class itself.
Stanford’s 2025 class is ranked No. 57th, per On3. In the 2026 class, they are at No. 36. That’s direct 21-place jump, within one year. In the ACC, they have risen from the lower echelons to the No. 8th position. Eleazer, who brings with him 117 tackles, 17 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries, is a huge win for Andrew Luck and Frank Reich. His recruiting pitch will cause his targets to give the program some considerable thought.
Andrew Luck’s pitch for future Stanford targets seems promising
Luck is a Stanford product and knows the impact an association with Stanford can have on a young player’s life. When asked about a pitch to prospects in a June 15 episode of Pardon My Take, he presented the full picture of what it would mean to be a Stanford player. “All right, there’s a couple things. One: John Elway, Jim Plunkett, myself, Kevin Hogan—incredible history. Our head coach—quarterback. When I went to Stanford, head coach was a quarterback: Jim Harbaugh—your guys’ best friend, right?” The Cardinals’ recent history has taken away the spotlight from all these important names, including Jim Harbaugh’s stint with the program.
And then, Luck fully asserted that Stanford was NIL-friendly. “We are competitive in the NIL world. And the Stanford decision—both—is NIL here and now, and then, I think in many ways, OG NIL… We—this place—produces leaders at a scale that no other place in the world does. Stanford is special in that way,” the GM and former NFLer claimed confidently. The Stanford name is synonymous with excellence and opens doors that are usually locked for others.
Luck himself is a great feature in Stanford’s pitch to attract new talent. He was a phenomenal dual-threat QB and went to the NFL with more than 9000 yards in the bag. Luck not only brings NFL flavor to the Stanford football program, but also comes with plans to lift it up to a respectable position in college football. Andrew Luck winning Keysaun Eleazer’s commitment is an important step towards that goal.
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