Former Stanford star Andrew Luck is returning to the Cardinal to become the football program’s general manager, Luck told ESPN. Luck has accepted a new role at Stanford, which will place him above the entire program and is a distinct evolution from the traditional college GM. pic.twitter.com/O2FJMkmHtj

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 30, 2024

Very interesting. This is an emerging position in college football. Many programs are heading this direction. Football is so important to the overall health of the department it requires real serious full time attention.

Many folks on this fan site are dying to have Ron Rivera involved in the program. This sort of position could be very attractive to Ron. If Cal has a real desire to move in this direction.

Some programs are adding this level of leadership and having the new person report directly to the President or Chancellor bypassing the AD. If that could happen here I would be very open to it. But you cannot expect a serious person like Rivera to report to a buffoon like Knowlton.

If you want to be taken seriously this is a position IMO that needs to be considered strongly. Rivera would be a strong choice, but I am sure there are others as well.

I'm baffled by this.

And I'm baffled by everybody praising this.

My kneejerk reaction is that this undermines Troy Taylor.

Yeah, technically it doesn't. But it feels that way.

okaydo said:

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I'm baffled by this.

And I'm baffled by everybody praising this.

My kneejerk reaction is that this undermines Troy Taylor.

Yeah, technically it doesn't. But it feels that way.

---

College football is now a professional sports league. You need professional people running it. Andrew Luck is a legendary former Stanford player and former NFL star player. His father has been a long time athletics administrator.

Andrew is really smart and well respected. This is the new world of college football. You will need 100% attention on building your program.

Taylor has a record of 6-18 at Stanford. He should welcome any and all help he can get. if Troy feels he is being undermined he can resign. But IMO he should be very open and welcome to any help he can get.

This is a direction I hope Cal goes. With Knowlton involved Cal football could be headed for an iceberg.

okaydo said:

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I'm baffled by this.

And I'm baffled by everybody praising this.

My kneejerk reaction is that this undermines Troy Taylor.

Yeah, technically it doesn't. But it feels that way.

---

Andrew Luck's star power will attract a ton of recruits. On top of motivating the athletic department to make decisions favorable to attract athletes. Two things that we are severely lacking with the Knowlton-Wilcox clown show

I'm just unsure if this is a gimmick or if there's any real substance behind it. " 'involves everything Stanford football touches, football-wise and business-wise.' He will also help with fundraising, securing sponsorships, increasing attendance and alumni relations."

I mean if he couldn't get fans in the seats as a player then I'm not sure what he's gonna do as a behind-the-scenes guy with a suboptimal product. Fundraising has never been their issue but I'm sure he'll do fine with that and sponsorships. I just don't see what more there is to do for sparking widespread engagement rather than just a few deep pockets. But we'll see I guess

okaydo said:

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I'm baffled by this.

And I'm baffled by everybody praising this.

My kneejerk reaction is that this undermines Troy Taylor.

Yeah, technically it doesn't. But it feels that way.

---

The Manchurian Coach can't be undermined. Taylor will keep himself in power until we need him to leave.

I think it would be a great concept for Cal to employ. Hire someone like Ron Rivera to oversee football, relieving Know Nothing Knowton of any authority over the program. Heck, I'd take Marshawn Lynch or Russell White both of whom are smart enough to realize that Wilcox is not an elite coach.

okaydo said:

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I'm baffled by this.

And I'm baffled by everybody praising this.

My kneejerk reaction is that this undermines Troy Taylor.

Yeah, technically it doesn't. But it feels that way.

---

Troy can focus on coaching and recruiting, and Luck can do GM stuff, like raise $15.5 million in NIL. Without getting into particulars, I think this change is welcomed by Troy, and allows him to do what he likes to do. They also need someone to break through some of the institutional impediments at Furd to be able to compete, and Luck is in a much better position to do that.

Smart move by furd to bring in a football GM. To WIAFs point, furd desperately needs a fundraiser and someone with some stature to cut thru the bureaucratic BS and inherent furd institutional abhorrence to the new NIL world order.

However, this is NOT how I envision the new modern college GM to operate. If Cal ever were to hire a GM, fundraising and dealing with the bureaucrats should be secondary. The PRIMARY purpose needs to be building out a professional front office focused on building out a roster.

We need a full time scouting department. A team of quants. A football operations department. A professional sports and medicine department. A professional marketing/public relations/social media team.

We need to bring in actual professionals to head these departments. Yes, some of this will cost money. Where I would start is cutting sone serious fat in the bloated athletic department. Then I would staff as many interns as possible to fill some of the above departments. I'm sure you can find capable cal students to watch scouting film 24/7, or as quants, or as part of your new social media/marketing team. These are valuable internship opportunities that you would fill instantly.

What we are doing now is based on how college football used to be. We need to adapt to the new world order. We need to bring in actual professionals and not rely on the amateurs in the athletic department. And we need people with actual experience to focus solely on things like scouting and roster building and take those things off the plates of our coaches, who should be only focused on coaching.

Rivera could be a good figurehead, but IMO Cal really needs to let the same donors behind the NIL collective run the show on revenue sports.

The problem I have with a guy like Rivera is that he is much more of a football guy and not a college NIL fundraising type guy; and thus is a challenge to Wilcox and hiring future coaches.

I would look at someone like Paws for the GM role.

okaydo said:

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I'm baffled by this.

And I'm baffled by everybody praising this.

My kneejerk reaction is that this undermines Troy Taylor.

Yeah, technically it doesn't. But it feels that way.

---

To which Furd people say "So what?"

okaydo said:

---

I'm baffled by this.

And I'm baffled by everybody praising this.

My kneejerk reaction is that this undermines Troy Taylor.

Yeah, technically it doesn't. But it feels that way.

---

No more - actually, 'not as much' - as Knowlton "undermines" JW, and all of Cal FB. Would MUCH rather have a competent "Athletic Director of All Things FB" (which is, basically, what Luck's position sounds like), who reports directly to Lyons (or something like that) in between FB and Lyons, than to have Knowlton in between FB and Lyons.

wifeisafurd said:

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The problem I have with a guy like Rivera is that he is much more of a football guy and not a college NIL fundraising type guy; and thus is a challenge to Wilcox and hiring future coaches.

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Do you realize that that Rivera plays a key role in Cal Legends?

Very cool exercise in thought, we'll see how it plays out in reality. I think it makes sense to try new things in this era. Adapt or extend Justin Wilcox die.

Tedford for GM?

I think he'd be great in that role, while not enduring the stress of everyday coaching.

Take the money that goes to all the layers of staff and pay the players and you will have a winner.

Let BI volunteers run the team.

When I've talked with Stanford people about Luck's potential role, one connected person recently laughed and said: Can they just make him president of football?

Seems like they sorta have. He's the Buster Posey of Stanford now. https://t.co/SHKHkZ6vGl

— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) November 30, 2024

I actually was wondering myself if Luck was headed toward the AD job. Or school president. Or chair of the board of trustees.

Maybe he still is... https://t.co/20QiB9vmLA

— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) November 30, 2024

Essentially, since the death of super-funder John Arrillaga a few years ago, the Stanford football program hasn't had a clear focus or personality to drive it.

Well, I think it does now. https://t.co/c09uM9rDHV

— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) November 30, 2024

Stanford must be commended for making structural changes to their admin. It shows a commitment to football and you know they will figure it out.

I am sure Cal will introduce a similar position in due time but the key here is that we are not leading or innovating. We are slow at everything.

This just paves the way for Aaron Rodgers to take a similar position at Cal...Oh ****, and I thought it couldn't get worse.

All this talk about tedford or Rivera or pawlaski completely misses the point. We aren't hiring for a HC position. We would be hiring for a GM position. We need someone who understands Cal (it's challenges and bureaucracies) but also has actual experience running a front office and roster building.

Me thinks you may have a distorted sense of Andrew Luck's fame.

Don't confuse adults following sports with teens following sports. He's been out of the league for years now, that's like dog years for teens. lol

Graduating seniors may remember him from when they were 11-12 years old. He wasn't that popular. He's no Marshawn Lynch.

Luck was making waves in the League when they were 8 years old. His career is pretty much forgettable.

The Farm would be better off jumping on McCafrey as soon as he retires so they can bank on him immediately.

Cal has what I feel are unique long time stars like Marshawn, DeSean, Rodgers. I think Goff will be in that same mold.

Anyway, my point is, if you want to bank off star power you have limited time before the window closes. Marshawn is unique in that his star power continues going strong.

Someone at Cal needs to approach these retired stars and ask them if they would like to help build a legacy and guide Cal moving forward as a college football becomes a professional endeavor.

southseasbear said:

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wifeisafurd said:

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The problem I have with a guy like Rivera is that he is much more of a football guy and not a college NIL fundraising type guy; and thus is a challenge to Wilcox and hiring future coaches.

---

Do you realize that that Rivera plays a key role in Cal Legends?

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I'm think I have a good idea who puts the time in on making Legends work. Put nicely, Rivera is not the primary guy(s) chasing down donors, talking to players, negotiating deals, etc. Why don't you tell us exactly what he does and how much time he spends on the collective? Do you realize that he has had some day jobs such as a coaching a NFL team and presently in the broadcast world while Legends was being formed and operating?

BarcaBear said:

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Me thinks you may have a distorted sense of Andrew Luck's fame.

Don't confuse adults following sports with teens following sports. He's been out of the league for years now, that's like dog years for teens. lol

Graduating seniors may remember him from when they were 11-12 years old. He wasn't that popular. He's no Marshawn Lynch.

Luck was making waves in the League when they were 8 years old. His career is pretty much forgettable.

The Farm would be better off jumping on McCafrey as soon as he retires so they can bank on him immediately.

Cal has what I feel are unique long time stars like Marshawn, DeSean, Rodgers. I think Goff will be in that same mold.

Anyway, my point is, if you want to bank off star power you have limited time before the window closes. Marshawn is unique in that his star power continues going strong.

Someone at Cal needs to approach these retired stars and ask them if they would like to help build a legacy and guide Cal moving forward as a college football becomes a professional endeavor.

---

Andrew Luck, the son of Oliver Luck, has the network and experience to manage football operations at the highest level.

To call his 12-1 and and 11-2 seasons as forgettable is revisionist history.

Kids don't have the memory of the goldfish. Any serious football fan would know about the Harbaugh Stanford years and how Luck was at the helm throughout the journey.

Sure Marshawn or Rodgers may have more star power, but they certainly don't have the experience to manage a football program. We already see what a terrible job Rodgers has done in NY, bringing in his washed old teammates and trash coaches. And I doubt Marshawn would stay sober enough to make any good personnel decisions.

wifeisafurd said:

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southseasbear said:

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wifeisafurd said:

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The problem I have with a guy like Rivera is that he is much more of a football guy and not a college NIL fundraising type guy; and thus is a challenge to Wilcox and hiring future coaches.

---

Do you realize that that Rivera plays a key role in Cal Legends?

---

I'm think I have a good idea who puts the time in on making Legends work. Put nicely, Rivera is not the primary guy(s) chasing down donors, talking to players, negotiating deals, etc. Why don't you tell us exactly what he does and how much time he spends on the collective? Do you realize that he has had some day jobs such as a coaching a NFL team and presently in the broadcast world while Legends was being formed and operating?

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My point is he knows football. He has assembled coaching staffs. I have more confidence in him than I do in Wilcox who in 8 years has gone to 4 minor bowl games. (Honestly, bowl games that probably should not exist). I have more confidence in Rivera than Knowlton. (The fact that he was a general makes me doubt the competence of our military leaders). We could look to any of the people on the Cal Legends Board: https://calegends.com/our-team/. The point is, we need to do something becuase the what we have is not working, unless you are satisfied with .500 ball and gonig to a bowl game on average once every two years, and winning one out of every three or four times. If that's good enough for your, then by all means continue to donate and defend the status quo.

ducky23 said:

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All this talk about tedford or Rivera or pawlaski completely misses the point. We aren't hiring for a HC position. We would be hiring for a GM position. We need someone who understands Cal (it's challenges and bureaucracies) but also has actual experience running a front office and roster building.

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Then how about Shareef? He's definitely had experience building teams as a GM. Granted, his experience is in basketball, not football. But if it's sports management, he does have the experience; he's also a very smart guy who can learn the football side.

Old folks have this nonsensical archaic way of thinking. What is important to you is not important to youth..

I'm not addressing whether he can do the job, I'm addressing the absurd claim about your perception of his fame being a factor. It's not going to draw anyone to him.

I remember Luck's college career, but up and coming athletes have no effing clue about any of it and could care less about his college career and for good reason.

This is what reality looks like: vast majority of athletes are not Legacy students. Vast majority of have no connection to any college. They may have dreams of the NFL, and maybe have some dreams about college, but NIL has dramatically blown up the latter. All they care about is whether they can play for titles, will they play and will they get paid.

Sidenote: as to his ability run things. You have no clue about whether he can or not. You like to think he can based off of whatever ideas you hold dear to you. Some folks have talent for it, most are barely competent administrators. Will it change anything? Probably not. Because other factors weigh so much more, but you won't know what does or doesn't until he's in the chair guiding things

BarcaBear said:

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You have no clue about whether he can or not. You like to think he can based off of whatever ideas you hold dear to you.

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You have no clue either so why even have the discussion? If you're just going to talk out of your ass, then don't bother talking at all

southseasbear said:

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wifeisafurd said:

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southseasbear said:

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wifeisafurd said:

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The problem I have with a guy like Rivera is that he is much more of a football guy and not a college NIL fundraising type guy; and thus is a challenge to Wilcox and hiring future coaches.

---

Do you realize that that Rivera plays a key role in Cal Legends?

---

I'm think I have a good idea who puts the time in on making Legends work. Put nicely, Rivera is not the primary guy(s) chasing down donors, talking to players, negotiating deals, etc. Why don't you tell us exactly what he does and how much time he spends on the collective? Do you realize that he has had some day jobs such as a coaching a NFL team and presently in the broadcast world while Legends was being formed and operating?

---

My point is he knows football. He has assembled coaching staffs. I have more confidence in him than I do in Wilcox who in 8 years has gone to 4 minor bowl games. (Honestly, bowl games that probably should not exist). I have more confidence in Rivera than Knowlton. (The fact that he was a general makes me doubt the competence of our military leaders). We could look to any of the people on the Cal Legends Board: https://calegends.com/our-team/. The point is, we need to do something becuase the what we have is not working, unless you are satisfied with .500 ball and gonig to a bowl game on average once every two years, and winning one out of every three or four times. If that's good enough for your, then by all means continue to donate and defend the status quo.

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Is this bait and switch? You just nailed me because I said Rivera is more of a football guy and not a NIL guy by saying Rivera had a critical role in NIL. I asked what role? Now you say Rivera knows football. I completely agree. But the head coaches view that as a threat and feel like they would be second guessed. I think your point is that should not matter because otherwise we get average coaches that way. Can you at least tell me if that is your argument?

wifeisafurd said:

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southseasbear said:

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wifeisafurd said:

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southseasbear said:

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wifeisafurd said:

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The problem I have with a guy like Rivera is that he is much more of a football guy and not a college NIL fundraising type guy; and thus is a challenge to Wilcox and hiring future coaches.

---

Do you realize that that Rivera plays a key role in Cal Legends?

---

I'm think I have a good idea who puts the time in on making Legends work. Put nicely, Rivera is not the primary guy(s) chasing down donors, talking to players, negotiating deals, etc. Why don't you tell us exactly what he does and how much time he spends on the collective? Do you realize that he has had some day jobs such as a coaching a NFL team and presently in the broadcast world while Legends was being formed and operating?

---

My point is he knows football. He has assembled coaching staffs. I have more confidence in him than I do in Wilcox who in 8 years has gone to 4 minor bowl games. (Honestly, bowl games that probably should not exist). I have more confidence in Rivera than Knowlton. (The fact that he was a general makes me doubt the competence of our military leaders). We could look to any of the people on the Cal Legends Board: https://calegends.com/our-team/. The point is, we need to do something becuase the what we have is not working, unless you are satisfied with .500 ball and gonig to a bowl game on average once every two years, and winning one out of every three or four times. If that's good enough for your, then by all means continue to donate and defend the status quo.

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Is this bait and switch? You just nailed me because I said Rivera is more of a football guy and not a NIL guy by saying Rivera had a critical role in NIL. I asked what role? Now you say Rivera knows football. I completely agree. But the head coaches view that as a threat and feel like they would be second guessed. I think your point is that should not matter because otherwise we get average coaches that way. Can you at least tell me if that is your argument?

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I think Rivera has experience with football and with personnel. Frankly, with respect to your argument "head coaches view that as a threat and feel like they would be second guessed," I would say: Great, that's exactly what we need. If Wilcox had been second guessed, he might have been incentivized to do a better job instead of embracing mediocrity. This is exactly what we need because Knowlton certainly has not done so, just as Chancellor Christ did not hold Knowlton accountable.

In a perfect world, we could replace both Knowlton and Wilcox, but due to unprecedented and unjustified contract extensions (Chancellor Christ's enduring legacy), that likely will cost more than we can afford, so a creative solution is in order.

01Bear said:

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ducky23 said:

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All this talk about tedford or Rivera or pawlaski completely misses the point. We aren't hiring for a HC position. We would be hiring for a GM position. We need someone who understands Cal (it's challenges and bureaucracies) but also has actual experience running a front office and roster building.

---

Then how about Shareef? He's definitely had experience building teams as a GM. Granted, his experience is in basketball, not football. But if it's sports management, he does have the experience; he's also a very smart guy who can learn the football side.

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Great suggestion!

"Old folks have this nonsensical archaic way of thinking."

Words to live by.

southseasbear said:

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wifeisafurd said:

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southseasbear said:

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wifeisafurd said:

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The problem I have with a guy like Rivera is that he is much more of a football guy and not a college NIL fundraising type guy; and thus is a challenge to Wilcox and hiring future coaches.

---

Do you realize that that Rivera plays a key role in Cal Legends?

---

I'm think I have a good idea who puts the time in on making Legends work. Put nicely, Rivera is not the primary guy(s) chasing down donors, talking to players, negotiating deals, etc. Why don't you tell us exactly what he does and how much time he spends on the collective? Do you realize that he has had some day jobs such as a coaching a NFL team and presently in the broadcast world while Legends was being formed and operating?

---

My point is he knows football. He has assembled coaching staffs. I have more confidence in him than I do in Wilcox who in 8 years has gone to 4 minor bowl games. (Honestly, bowl games that probably should not exist). I have more confidence in Rivera than Knowlton. (The fact that he was a general makes me doubt the competence of our military leaders). We could look to any of the people on the Cal Legends Board: https://calegends.com/our-team/. The point is, we need to do something becuase the what we have is not working, unless you are satisfied with .500 ball and gonig to a bowl game on average once every two years, and winning one out of every three or four times. If that's good enough for your, then by all means continue to donate and defend the status quo.

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Knowlton was not close to being a general.

First he went to West Point as a hockey player.

"After graduating from West Point, Knowlton served in the United States Army, first in the 9th Engineer Battalion stationed in Aschaffenburg, West Germany as platoon leader, executive officer, and company commander.[8] After completing the Armor Officer Advanced Course, Knowlton returned to Germany to command the 42nd Engineer Company, Berlin Brigade.[8] After completing a master's degree in civil engineering at the Cornell University College of Engineering, Knowlton joined the West Point civil and mechanical engineering department faculty in 1992.[9] In 1994, Knowlton attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College, after which he returned to active Army duty as assistant division engineer and operations officer for the 307th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division.[8] Knowlton was later assigned to The Pentagon, first as military aide to the Under Secretary of the Army Joe R. Reeder and later as assistant director at the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters.[8][10] Beginning in 1999, Knowlton led a 750-strong battalion at Fort Carson in Colorado.[8][9] He followed that assignment with a stint as joint exercise branch chief for Air Force Space Command and deploying to Iraq."