Remember last year when Andrew Luck was probably going to be the first pick in the NFL draft but surprised a lot of people by deciding that he was going to return to Stanford for another season? Well, maybe Andrew just didn't want to play for the Carolina Panthers but likes the idea of taking over from Peyton Manning in Indianapolis, because according to a Yahoo report, Luck is not re-enrolling for classes at Stanford next semester.
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. 1 overall pick.Apparently it's a lot harder to turn down the prospect of being a multi-milionaire two times than it is just once.
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.
Luck will likely be the top pick in the NFL Draft this spring if he is in fact leaving Stanford, as he's our top-ranked draft prospect here at CBSSports.com.
There had been some talk about Luck returning to Stanford for another year, which may still happen, but it seems that the prospect of possibly winning a National Championship or Heisman Trophy -- which he may still win this season -- isn't enough to overcome the risk of suffering an injury that could hurt his professional future.
As for what Luck's absence would mean to the Stanford program, it'd be a very big loss. Since Luck became Stanford's starting quarterback in 2009 the team has gone 30-7 with appearances in the Sun Bowl and Orange Bowl. In the three years prior to Luck's debut, the Cardinal were 10-26 and hadn't been to a bowl game since 2001.
