Just a decade ago, Stanford football was one of the most consistent winners in the country. However, in recent years, the Cardinal has struggled to regain its previous level of prestige.
However, in hiring former standout quarterback Andrew Luck as the program’s new general manager, Stanford made a statement about the importance placed on its football program.
Luck, a former Pac-12 Player of the Year and Maxwell Award winner, is tasked with making hard decisions as one of the chief decision-makers for Stanford football. On Tuesday, he made one of those difficult but necessary decisions.
Luck and the Stanford football program decided to part ways with Troy Taylor just a week after ESPN reported that Taylor bullied and belittled female athletic staffers and tried to have an NCAA compliance officer removed after she called him on “inappropriate” comments made to another woman about her appearance.
Luck released a coinciding statement with the firing, addressing Stanford fans for the surprising mid-spring decision.
I took the role of Stanford Football General Manager with a strong vision for building a new winning era for our football program. Stanford has always set the standard for excellence with our university’s unique leadership in both athletics and academics, and I have no doubt that our program’s best days lie ahead.
Since beginning my role as General Manager, I have been thoroughly assessing the entire Stanford football program. It has been clear that certain aspects of the program need change. Additionally, in recent days, there has been significant attention to Stanford investigations in previous years related to Coach Taylor.
After continued consideration it is evident to me that our program needs a reset. In consultation with university leadership I no longer believe that Coach Taylor is the right coach to lead our football program. Coach Taylor has been informed today and the change is effective immediately. A search for new coaching leadership in football has begun, and an acting coach may be named for the 2025 season. Our focus remains on supporting our student-athletes and ensuring they have the best possible experience on the field, in the classroom, and on campus with their peers.
I thank Coach Taylor for his contributions to our team and the hard work he put into the program. I wish him and his family well moving forward.
Stanford University is my home, and I am so excited to support our players in competing at the highest level and developing as young adults. We have powerful traditions, incredible student-athletes, and a vision for the future that demonstrates our strong potential as a program. This vision includes an emphasis on a positive, winning, and inclusive culture. I am confident that we will return Stanford to the top echelon of college football.
Stanford will begin its 2025 football season on the road at Hawaii on August 23, and will face BYU in Provo (UT) in Week 2 on September 6.
