Can Andrew Luck Bring Stanford Football Back?

Summary

The Triple Option – "Can Andrew Luck Bring Stanford Football Back?"

Podcast with Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, Rob Stone

Date: July 1, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Rob Stone, Urban Meyer, and Mark Ingram II dive into the big question: Can Andrew Luck, as Stanford’s general manager, restore the program to football prominence? The trio explores coaching and player storylines for the upcoming college football season, discuss changes in roster building and NIL, and share a lively, insightful conversation with Andrew Luck about leadership, rebuilding Stanford, and the state of the sport.

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Main Segments & Key Themes

1. Top Coaches and Players to Watch in 2026

[01:37–10:34]

Urban Meyer’s Coaches to Watch

• Kyle Whittingham at Michigan ([01:37])
  • Meyer spotlights his friend and former colleague, new Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham:
    “In order, the top five guys I want to see perform as a coach is the guy in Ann Arbor... what in the hell happened up there? That's not very unwolvering like what's taken place there the last few years.”
• John Sumrall at Florida ([02:59])
  • Meyer recruited Sumrall and loves his focus on football over NIL drama:
    “He talked about how you win in the SEC... I hope they have a great offseason because their offensive defensive line has got to get much more SEC-ish.”
• Lane Kiffin at LSU ([04:18])
  • Can Kiffin handle 'championship or bust' pressure at an impatient program?
• Matt Campbell at Penn State ([04:40])
  • How will the former Iowa State coach adjust to elevated expectations and follow James Franklin’s success?
• Signetti at Indiana ([05:46])
  • Post-championship expectations:
    “Hold your standards... people change. You start listening too much instead of being the same bulldog you were going into it.”

Rob Stone’s Players to Watch

• Josh Hoover, Indiana QB ([07:01])
  • The FBS leader in career passing stats, expected to thrive immediately as another one-and-done under Signetti.
• Jackson Cantwell, Miami OL ([07:21])
  • “Big boy” 6’8”, 330, Miami’s highest-rated O-line recruit ever — potential franchise cornerstone.
• Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt QB ([07:47])
  • Former Georgia commit flipped to Vandy; buzzed about as a franchise-changing quarterback prospect.
• Malachi Tony, True Freshman Receiver ([09:03])
  • Ingram’s favorite:
    “My favorite player in the game right now... not only just the skill set but his toughness. I love everything about this guy.”
• Brock Boyd “White Lightning”, Ohio State WR ([09:43])
  • Viral sensation, notably mature for a freshman. Meyer says:
    “He’s mature... he takes care of himself and he's got an excellent quarterback throwing.”
    Stone adds,
    “First freshman of his class to shed the black stripe... that says something.”

Notable Player Moment

• Speed Standard for WRs ([10:34])
  • Meyer: “10.5 [seconds] was always the difference maker... that's fast, fast.”
  • Boyd’s 21.7 in the 200 meters deemed excellent.

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2. Special Guest Interview: Andrew Luck, Stanford GM

[13:44–39:19]

Stanford’s Identity & Rebuild

• Why Andrew Luck Returned ([15:13])
  • “Us dropping off is in large part why I’m back here... I'm quite proud of the work we did as a program last year... marching forward.”
• Building Staff and Retaining Players ([15:50–17:29])
  • Praise for new coach Tavita Pritchard; key focus on older player retention:
    “College... talent wins and older guys win. Older guys have scars, they know how to get back up... we made it a point of emphasis to retain our guys.”

The GM Role Explained ([17:29–20:07])

• Stanford’s Unique Hierarchy
  • Luck’s role as GM sits atop the football org chart:
    “My job description is probably more like a team president of football or an athletic director just for football. I get involved in recruiting... fundraising... NIL... organizational stuff.”
  • President created the role for Luck to modernize and jolt the program.

Philosophy: Line of Scrimmage and Quarterback Play ([20:07–22:59])

• Returning to Stanford’s Roots
  • Urban: “Stanford was a line of scrimmage team with a great QB.”
  • Luck agrees: “Our O-linemen have been unbelievable here... game begins and ends around the football: O line, D line, and quarterback.”
  • Spotlight on returning veterans like left tackle Nikki Prongos, and an O-line room mentored by three ex-NFL/college O-line room leaders.

Alumni Support & NIL ([22:59–24:45])

• Engagement and Distinction
  • “Our alums are a very special part of what makes this place magical... We’re built different to be different... our alums have been incredibly helpful.”
  • Events with John Lynch, Christian McCaffrey, etc., support fundraising and community building.

Luck’s Relationship with John Lynch ([24:47–26:05])

• Mentorship and Key Advice
  • “Just keep learning. Ask questions. John is like, he's a tough MF... but his humility and willingness to share, especially as I’m new into this.”

Defining Success for 2026 ([26:05–28:50])

• Season Expectations & Process
  • “We had four wins last year. We need more wins than the previous year. Let’s go get to a bowl game. Rivalry games matter... But the magic, the work, it's the process.”
  • Luck’s relationship with coach Tavita Pritchard grounded in trust and shared experience.

Roster Building: Retention, Portal, and High School Recruiting ([28:50–32:12])

• Philosophy and Pie Chart
  • “We were stable in the portal relative to the rest of [FBS]... proud of our stability even with the head coach change. Portal is an awesome tool... but we want our high school recruits to come in, play four, five years together.”
  • Stanord identity: blending new-school NIL/adaptiveness with old-school development.

College Football’s Changing Landscape ([32:12–35:54])

• Perspective on Realignment/NIL/Transfer Portal
  • Luck values tradition and rivalry:
    “I hope we don't lose… the connective tissue that makes college football… it's big business. It’s also silly… built off geographic rivalries…I hope we maintain some of that spirit.”

Family, Community, and Legacy ([35:54–38:34])

• Lasting Bonds
  • Luck and Stone reminisce on the social, almost familial, side of the college experience:
    “You want to see them. You don't want a bunch of these transfer guys… not part of your university, not part of your family, not really part of your locker room...”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Andrew Luck on Stanford’s mission ([15:13])
  “Us dropping off is in large part why I’m back here… hope springs eternal here on the Farm. I’m excited about the work we’re doing. We know there are no shortcuts.”

• On the Stanford GM role ([18:24])
  “My job description is probably more like a team president of football or an athletic director just for football… It’s recruiting… fundraising… and it sits on top of the football organization. That is where we are unique.”

• Luck on tradition and college football's culture ([34:22])
  “I hope we don't lose the rivalries… the rituals...the connective tissue that makes college football...it’s almost religious in its convening ability, its intergenerational connective tissue.”

• On NIL and building a distinctive program ([23:17])
  “We're built different to be different… we’re not going to win by trying to copy Ohio State. We have to find who we are, including in this world today.”

• On the viral “Captain Andrew Luck” persona ([36:56])
  “I really have appreciated the humor. As we know the Internet can be a cesspool… and this just seems like good, clean… I like it. I have a bobblehead of it, Rob. I will send you one for bringing it up.”

• Captain Andrew Luck’s favorite letter, read by Luck ([37:59])
  “Dear Mildred, my hand trembles in fervor as I write to tell you that while in preparation for upcoming battles, we have unearthed a most surprising bounty of relics. 20,000 by more precise count.”

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Highlighted Timestamps

• Urban Meyer’s top coaches to watch: [01:37]–[06:26]
• Rob Stone’s top players to watch: [07:01]–[11:04]
• Andrew Luck interview begins: [13:44]
• Luck on why he returned to Stanford: [15:13]
• Role and hierarchy of GM at Stanford: [17:29]–[20:07]
• Stanford’s rebuilding around line play: [20:07]–[22:59]
• Alumni and NIL involvement: [22:59]–[24:45]
• On program culture, roster building: [28:50]–[32:12]
• Luck’s wish for college football’s future: [34:22]–[35:54]
• Captain Andrew Luck, humor & bobblehead: [36:56]–[38:16]

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Final Thoughts

The episode blends humor and nostalgia with a sharp look at the realities of building and leading a modern college football program. Andrew Luck comes across as driven, self-deprecating, and thoughtful, both about the sport and about Stanford’s unique challenges and strengths. The recurring refrain: Stanford will do things its own way—rooted in tradition, but adapting to the new era.

Rob: “And we hope Stanford football gets back to where you want it to be. And we're marching, baby. We're marching.” ([38:19])

Andrew: “Appreciate you guys. Go Card, light it.” ([39:19])

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For listeners who missed the episode, this summary delivers the key insights, memorable banter, and a detailed look at why Andrew Luck’s return—and his vision—matter for Stanford football’s resurgence.

Transcript

[A]

The captain Andrew Luck stuff. It literally puts a smile on my face.

[B]

I have a bobblehead of it. Rob. I will send you one for bringing it up. My hand trembles in fervor as I write to tell you that while in preparation for upcoming battles, we have unearthed a most surprising bounty of relics. 20,000 by more precise count.

[A]

I snorted light it. The triple option is presented by Wendy's. Wendy's. Wendy's invented the spicy chicken sandwich and now we're reinventing it, making it crispier than ever before. Wendy's spicy chicken. We're so back. Welcome to another edition of the triple option presented by Wendy's. He's the hall of famer, the national champion head coach Urban Meyer. I'm Rob Stone. Glad you're with us. And today we're gonna be joined by Stanford General Manager Mr. Andrew Luck. Former number one pick discussed the names around college football that have a success excited for the 2026 season as well. Please rate subscribe Send us your questions we are on social media at 3X Option Show. New episodes come your way on YouTube and wherever it is you get your podcast. There are 59 days until we have any given Saturday. And in a little bit we will be joined by one of the best college quarterbacks to ever do it, Andrew Luck at Stanford. So it got us thinking coach about what gu we are most excited to see this season. I'm going to focus on players. Coach wanted to focus on coaches and there are some interesting coaching situations this season.

[C]

Yeah, very unique year. And this is a lot of this is very personal with me. Obviously in order the top five guys I want to see perform as a coach is the guy in Ann Arbor. That's my one of my dear friends and former staff member Kyle Whittingham. I've talked to him a lot and why I'm so interested. Number one, it's Kyle. It's coach Whittingham. But it's also what in the hell happened up there? You know, that's not very unwolvering like what's taken place there the last few years. So you know, I grew up in the Bo Schembeckler era and and Kyle loves his team. He loves his players. You know, the quarterback's got to get much better but how he performs and and I'm going to say this Coach Whit has been at Utah and I love Utah but Utah doesn't have the same pressures that that other place has up north. So that's number one.

[A]

Coach, real quick before you move on, we at Fox Big noon kickoff. We have number two, Oklahoma at Michigan,

[C]

game two, week two.

[A]

Here's what I want. I want you with Wit in his office for a feature. I want Legend talking about that in Michigan's coach's office for the show. I think that would just be amazing visuals and content. But I digress. All right, number two. I know also where you're going here. Let's go to, let's go to Gainesville.

[C]

Yeah. Very interested. And I was active in recruiting Coach Sumrall a little bit to come to Florida. I really admired the guy. I didn't know him at all. I just loved his toughness. I loved when he talked to him. He didn't bitch and complain about nil and about transfers. He talked about practicing. He talked about the weight room. He talked about the off season. He talked about training camp and he talked about how you win in the SEC and the offensive defense alliance. And I was like, whoa, this is interesting.

[A]

He's your brother from another mother, man.

[C]

And we spent some time together and then I went out watching practice and I really liked their team. I don't love their team yet. I hope they, I love this new strength coach is a former, I believe, Green Beret or Marine. I can't remember which one. It doesn't matter because they're both tough asses. I hope they have a great off season because their offensive defensive line has got to get much more SEC ish, if you know what I mean. So. And I made a note, if you top Florida is a top five job. I don't care what anybody says. They have it all now. They have great facilities. So I'm hoping they wake a sleeping giant. With John Sumrall next, of course, Lane Kiffin. Now here, the reason I bring up Lane Kiffin is his national championship or bust because if it's anything left, he's going to get hammered. I mean, the fans.

[A]

Do you think that's the mantra, Year one for him? It has to be.

[C]

I think it has to be. I think with the investment and. No, I, I don't. But I'm not a nut job LSU fan.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I mean they're nuts.

[A]

I, I know they are. I feel like that he gets like a two year cushion, but maybe it's like, no, no, no, no, no, no. Okay.

[C]

I mean, I don't have to win it, but he's, he has.

[A]

It's got to be better. It's got to be.

[C]

He's got to be within a swing of it.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Or there's going to be. I Mean, that's. That's one place that I remember. I retired. I said, good, I'm never going to go there again. That's. The fans are nuts. The next one. And Matt Campbell, who's a friend of mine for many years, took a big step from Iowa State to Penn State again. He's not used to the. The hammer that you're going to take if you stumble. And the question I have, and I've actually asked Jay Paterno this, because Jay really loves. He'd been to practice. He admires Coach Campbell. Can he do better than James Franklin? Because James Franklin won a lot of games there now. A lot. He's got a new quarterback, he's got new staff, and usually it takes a minute to get going and he can't lose his momentum. And he's got a lot of momentum going into the season. Just can't lose it. And then finally I put Sig, you know, Signetti, how does he respond after a national championship? I remember those are. Those were tough years in my career, years after the national championship, just because expectations, the players change, the coaches change, you know, that fan base now, they're going to expect you to win. How's he going to handle that?

[A]

What's the one piece of advice you'd hand over to Coach Sid going into this season?

[C]

Boy, that's a tough one, man. I would say just hold your standards. You know, don't. Which I think he will. That's the kind of guy he is, you know, hold your standards. You know, I expect your team to practice the same way, because people change. You start. Everybody's getting agents. You're starting to get, you know. You know, it's just got to stay on everybody, including the coaching staff. He's asked two coordinators that you tell me a. Phone calls those guys took. Yeah, and they're excellent coaches, but we're all human beings. You start. You start listening too much instead of being the same bulldog you were going into it. So I would just hold everybody to the same standard. That got you there.

[A]

Week one, we're in Bloomington. Be excited to see what the atmosphere is there. Yeah. You know, I heard an interesting story about kids who went to Indiana back in the old days. Coach a lot of them, when they would take their study abroad semester, they would do it in the fall because they didn't want to miss basketball season in the winter.

[C]

Spring, that's over.

[A]

And now that's over.

[C]

How many. How about how many Indiana fans you just see around the country now? Oh, so you see the Shirts. You see the hats and I even go up to them sometimes. So where the hell were you several years ago and they said we weren't wearing this stuff.

[A]

Yeah, we are. We were in assembly hall watching the basketball team or watching the soccer team and Todd Yeagely win national titles. And now it is a, it is a football town for sure. Looking forward to seeing blooming. We have a lot of Indiana potentially on our schedule. That's how highly we at Fox think about them. So coach, you hit your five coaches. I got five players for you and I'm going to start where you just ended. Bloomington. Their new quarterback again. It's another new quarterback for Sig in Bloomington. Josh Hoover coming over from tcu. No FBS quarterback is going to enter the season with more career passing yards or passing touchdowns then Hoover. He's expected to to be another great one and done in Bloomington under coach Signetti. Um, let's go with the big boy. All right. To Miami. Big, big Jackson Cantwell. 683-6-8, 330 pounds. Like that's WWE material right off the bat. The highest rated offensive line signee in Miami program history. Most figure he's going to start immediately at that left tackle spot to protect their new QB Darian Mensa. So a lot of people are saying like he's a franchise changing type lineman that you can build around. So Miami like they're ready to get back there, right? They are ready to keep flexing those muscles. How about another quarterback? We talked about this young man a couple weeks ago on the triple option. Jared Curtis, 4th ranked overall player and the 2nd ranked QB in the 26 class. Remember got flipped, right. He was going to Georgia. Vandy got him instead. He's ready coach. Six foot three and a half, 225. Already had that verbal to Georgia. Vandy comes in as a big moment for them and the early reports out of spring say he is looking the part. He's like the real deal. We know this cat's the real deal.

[C]

The real deal, baby.

[B]

Jesus.

[C]

My favorite player in the game right now. Yep.

[A]

Is Malachi Tony.

[C]

Yeah, he's. He's not only just the skill set but his toughness. I love everything about this guy.

[A]

True freshman, had over 1200 receiving yards. Program record, 109 catches. Boy, the ceiling for this kid is absolutely enormous. And then for my fifth one we're going to go to Columbus and that wide receiver room coach, Right. Like just non stop spoils, right? Is it Jeremiah Smith? Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're all looking Forward to seeing Jeremiah Smith. That doesn't count. How about the freshman Chris Henry Jr. The top ranked receiver in this class. Nope. I got somebody else for you, coach.

[C]

White Lightning. Yeah, I've heard about this guy, Brock Boyd.

[A]

White Lightning. It went viral during the spring practices. My boys have been yelling at me about White Lightning for months right now. Became the first freshman of his class. Coach to shed the black stripe.

[C]

Stripe. Yep.

[A]

That says something.

[C]

I'm hearing great things out of Columbus about that guy and he can really.

[A]

What are you hearing about him?

[C]

I can hear he's. He's mature for his. Obviously he's a freshman. So much of it's not talent, it's maturity of taking care of your body take because of the wear and tear and this guy takes care of himself and he's got an excellent quarterback throwing. The one thing you can guarantee he's going to have single coverage because there's going to be two cats on that other die other guy, Jeremiah Smith. So the best thing about White Lightning, he's going to see single coverage and he's got a quarterback and get it to him.

[A]

Coach, what were some of like the, the track and field numbers that you needed or wanted? Did you need those? Like hey, what's his 100 time?

[C]

5, 105 was always the, the difference maker. You go below 10 5, that's fast. Fast.

[A]

I don't 105 in the what, what is he running? 100 yard dash.

[C]

Yeah. 100 meters. That equates to sub. That's a 4, 3, 4. You know that's. You're getting way down there.

[A]

All right, So I got one time, I got one time for you. His 200 meter time in high school is 21.7.

[C]

Excellent. Yeah, that's great.

[A]

And you talked about his maturity. You know where that comes from home, right? His dad Chris, tight ends coach at South Lake Carroll High School at that great football factory in Texas. So get ready for some White Lightning Columbus. I can't wait to see him. That was never cutting corners. Presented by Wendy's Wendy's new spicy chicken sandwiches. Crispier, crunchier and more flavor packed than ever. Wendy's. We are so backed. And coming up next we are joined by the general manager at Stanford. Andrew Luck joins us on the triple option. Presented by Wendy's next. Back in 1995, Wendy's invented the iconic spicy chicken sandwich. Built it from scratch. They perfected the balance of heat and flavor in every bite. So yeah, Wendy set the standard but standards don't stand still.

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[A]

That's why you rack. Welcome back to the Triple option presented by Wendy's Robin Urban and this week we are joined by two time All American 2012 number one overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts and the general manager of Stanford football program since 2024. Oh we are headed to the farm. Mr. Luck. Andrew Luck. I see that number 12 behind you. Give it some clarification. That is not you my friend, right?

[B]

No I'm proud of Oregon 12 but this is the great John Brody who passed away earlier this year. Great Stanford and 49er quarterback. And what I've loved about this job amongst the many things is re engaging in Stanford football history like Brody, Bob Mathias. Who him Bob Mathias and like an all time great athlete in this country and I had no idea about him until I came to Stanford. So proud to be part of the University of John Elway, Jim Plunkett John

[A]

Brody People forget how good Stanford is at athletics across the board, not just football. I mean, men's and women's soccer and I'm assuming swimming and diving and, you know, everything like Stanford used to be. And to a point, it still is, like a real powerhouse. But football has dropped off. Is that a fair assessment?

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Okay, so football is dropped off how? What are some of the things that you have in play or in place to get Stanford back. Back up on the food chain and being a regular contender inside the ACC and beyond?

[B]

Yeah, no, it's. It's a great question. And look, it's why I'm back.

[C]

Right?

[B]

Us dropping off is. Is in large part why I'm back here on the farm at a place I certainly feel like home. I'm. I'm. I'm quite proud of the work we did as a program last year. I mean, Frank Reich came in as an interim head coach, and Coach Meyer knows this. In college, you don't do interim coaches. Right. There's recruiting. There's. There's all. There's. There's. You just don't do it. But Frank came in and gave our team, our program, a version of ministry. Right. We needed to get back on the right foot. We ended with more wins than the previous season for the first time since 2015. Right. Which was a great Christian McCaffrey year. And we're marching forward. We have a brand new staff. Davita Pritchard, head coach, has done a fantastic job assembling our staff. Chris Richards, our defensive coordinator, who's, you know, probably most famous for. For the Legion of Boone defenses in Seattle with Pete Carroll, which. It's hard for a Stanford program to have anything, anybody, anything, with Pete Carroll associated with it. But we got Chris Richard. We got Chris Richard, but he's put it. Look, Davita's put a heck of a program together. The people. The people make the program. I'm proud of our roster retention. We only. We lost so few guys to the Portal. We retained our older players and older football is a hard game, Rob. It is a hard game. It's not a contact sport. It's a collision sport. I'd actually be curious, Coach Meyer, how you are taking what I'm saying. I'll ask for some advice here, but in college, talent wins and older guys win. Older guys have scars. They know how to get back up. They know how to receive and give punishment. And so we made it a point of emphasis to retain our guys. And we did a heck of a recruiting class. A bunch of freshmen just started. They look like young pups on the farm taking their shovel to the face, which is a great rite of passage in college football. And I'm excited, man. Hope springs eternal here on the farm. I'm excited about the work we're doing. We know there are no shortcuts. We know we have our work cut out for us, but couldn't work with a better group of men, women, and could be more proud of our locker room right now.

[C]

Well, great seeing Andrew. Thanks for joining us. I got two questions. One, one's just the structure of what's going on at Stanford before we go dive into the football piece. But this GM role started surfaced about four or five years ago in college sports. And I remember I actually had some schools come ask me if I'd be interested in doing. I said, I asked the question, what do they do? Because I understand, you know, the GM role in the NFL. A lot of times there's two different, you know, two separate entities in the NFL. One handles a roster, one handles the on the field product. But I guess the big question is, and that's what came to me, and I hear a lot of the coaches talk about this. When you have a gm, what's the hierarchy? Because it's always been president, ad, coach, and then all of a sudden this GM person shows in. What. Are you comfortable talking about the hierarchy at Stanford?

[B]

No, we've been, we've been quite public about it. And, you know, I think we're different than most, maybe, maybe unique in that, you know, we have a president who really created this job for me, recognizing that the world was changing in college football, that we at Stanford had been in this previous sort of contemporary, slow to adapt to the world. And we needed a jolt and we needed an assertive step. We needed a proactive step. So he created the general manager role on the football team and plugged me in. And it sits on top of the football organization. So that is where we are unique. Coach Meyer. So the Tavita hire, the Frank hire, those were my hires. I led that. And now my direct boss is our athletic director. Right. Rob, you mentioned, I mean, we have an amazing athletic department, 36 sports, unbelievable. So my job, and I call John Lynch, I call Chris Ballard, NFL GMs all the time. They're mentors of mine. And I think I've come to realize my, my job description is probably more like a team president of football or an athletic director just for football. Yes. I get involved in recruiting. Right. I love it. I love selling this place. I, I love finding unicorns with the talent and and the intellectual curiosity, the gpa, the scores to like to come here and thrive. But it's also fundraising. It's. It's. It's telling a story. It's. It's helping with organizational stuff. It's, you know, managing the nil aspect of this all. And so we have a unique structure. I think it works. You know, I'm not here to say the structure works at any other school. I just know what the context around Stanford and where we were as a program, I think absolutely demanded this structure. And I'm glad to be sitting in the seat.

[C]

So the template of Stanford, because when I was at Notre Dame, I mean, they were tough as hell. And then obviously with Coach Harbaugh and then Shaw came in there and. But it's. I used to call Stanford a line of scrimmage team with a great quarterback. And that's pretty much the template that won for so many years. I was shocked when I started watching Stanford the last few years, and there was no. The line of scrimmage was gone. And I. You got to get the great quarterback, but a great quarterback with a soft offensive, you know, with a soft line of scrimmage on both sides.

[B]

Where are we?

[C]

I mean, is. Is that. I've. Obviously, it's been addressed and I can tell you agree with me, but it's a line of scrimmage school with a great quarterback.

[B]

You know, I like your perspective on this and feel incredibly similar. This is how Tavita and I think about football. This, this. There. There's very much the ethos of this. I mean, you go back to Bob Whitfield, right? Chris Dahlman, Eric Heitman, David De Castros. We, our offensive linemen have been unbelievable here. And the game, this, as I have intuited it, playing it and watching and being this seat, the game begins and ends around the football. It's O line, it's D line, and it's quarterback. Right. I mean, there is a nucleus around. Around that ball. And so, yes, our focus is there. I am really excited for our O line and D line and a little bit goes back to older players. I imagine in your history in college football, coach, your best O lines are probably your older O lines, right. And D lineman. And it doesn't. They don't necessarily have to be the most talented, but O line's odd. I always feel like o line and DBs have a subculture within the culture of the team more than anybody else. Right. Because O line have to work as five as a unit. So I'm. I'm incredibly excited about it. Starting with our left tackle. Nikki Prongos, who returned to school is finishing his mechanical engineering major. And he had, he had second, third, fourth round grades from the NFL, right. He's a special dude. And we sleep a lot easier at night knowing you got a left tackle. And, and on the other side, all right, tackle Khalil House is coming back. He's an over. He's close to a 30 game starter, I want to say in college football. Right? That matters, right? That matters. We've got some great competition. Interior, Simi Palace. Close to a, you know, over a 30 game starter. Interior, Fisher Anderson, you know, Aiden Kilstrom from Harvard's come in as a transfer, Zion Brown. We have what I'm excited about. And it's not just three, four, five guys, right? I think we've got 10 guys, 12 guys, 13 guys including these freshmen coming in that, that'll give us a chance. And Terry Heffernan's our offensive coordinator. He's an O line coach. Kali Kekoweva is our, is our O line coach. He came from the NFL and we hired Tavita Thompson from Ohio University. So we in the building, we have three guys who have run O line rooms. Right. The investment has to be there.

[A]

What's the feedback you're getting from your alumni base? I think there's a lot of people that be like, man, I would love to tap into Stanford and get some of that nil money from those alums that are out there and the success that they have had out in the real world. What are they asking of you and what do they want now from Stanford football?

[B]

No, our alums are a very special part of what makes this place magical. Right? Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, San Francisco, San Jose. It's in large part why I'm back, because I knew we had an ecosystem where we could be successful, including all the dimensions. Mentorship, internships, people and nil revenue share. Right. And so one fundraising has gone well. I'm seeing people buy in. We know, you know, Steph, we know we're different. We know we're a little bit different than everybody else. And one of the things we tell ourselves is, yeah, we're built different to be different. We're not going to win a conference championship or a national championship by trying to beat some of the bigger schools, the bigger state schools. Ohio State, by copying Ohio State. We have to find who we are, including in this world today. Go find talent, the kids that fit and win that way. Right? And win in a way that you turn the TV on, Rob. You turn it on, Coach say, oh, that's Stanford football. I recognize that. I feel that that's different. And our alums, our alums have been incredibly helpful, including the ones that live within 5, 10, 15 miles of this campus. And I mentioned John Lynch. Shoot. I call John once every other week for advice. He comes up into our building, he helps out. It's, you know, he comes to fundraising events. Had him and Christian, Christian McCaffrey and John lynch and I and our head coach sitting, talking in front of people. That's a good time.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

People want that.

[A]

I would think so. So you bring up John Lynch. That's the second time you brought him up. What's the best piece of advice he's passed on to you?

[B]

Oh, man. Learn. Just keep learning. Ask questions. And John has a. John is like, he's a tough MF or man. Like, I grew up watching him.

[A]

Oh, I covered him with the Buccaneers when I was doing local TV in Tampa. But he was a great interview that, that played with a lights out mentality. You didn't want to be around him, but people would gravitate. Like, you could see the intelligence. You could see the future that was, that was destined for him.

[B]

Yeah. No, and his humility and willingness to share, you know, especially. I'm new into this. Like, this is the first office I've ever had in my life. You know, like, I played quarterback. I'm in many ways a child, you know, in this whole thing and surrounded by a bunch of, bunch of great folks. But John's willingness to share with me has been, has been unbelievable. You know, asking a lot of, you know, especially doing a head coach search and listening to him about his experience when the Niners were hiring him as gm, as you guys might remember, it was that hire was at the same, that same time as they were hiring the head coach. Right. And so his, his experience there was really helpful in, in thinking about how we structured our, our head coach hire hiring process. So just grateful for John. What a legend. A lot of fun to be around.

[C]

You know, every time I was hired, Andrew, I'd sit with, whether it be Gene Smith or Chris Hill at Utah, and we'd sit, you know, when we're hired and then we go through spring and then we'd have that preseason meeting and here you are in a. It's still unbelievable to say this. Stanford in the acc, traveling across the country, playing teams like Wake Forest and North Carolina State. But what's the expectation level? You know, what's a good year? I Mean, I know what a great year is. I think playoffs and all that. What's, what's Andrew Luck going to say to your head coach and say, okay, this, this is kind of what we're thinking.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Because that's important for head coach to hear that from.

[B]

Part of the beauty. Tavita and I have such history. I mean, we came in, we were teammates together, so we started as teammates, but competing for the spot, right. He, he, he held me off for a year. I red shirted and ran scout team with a lot of pride, you know, my freshman year. And then I beat his ass out and got the job. And all he did was support me Urban, you know what I mean? Like, he had my back. And you've been around amazing quarterbacks. I, you know, quarterback can also be a lonely position, whether it's going really well or really poorly. And I've always been appreciative for an older player who got beat out, who was a 20 plus game starter, just having my back. So Tavita and I have a history really built on trust. And so we spend, I mean, we spend. I talk to him before bed more than I talk to my wife right before going to sleep. And what is a good year? What is a great year? We certainly have goals. Like, we got it. We have to keep improving. We had four wins last year. We need more wins than the previous year. Right? Let's go get to a bowl game. Rivalry games matter. Part of what I'm so proud about last year is our guys beat Cal for the first time, I think in five years. There were only two guys in our locker, maybe only one guy that had, that had experience beating the rival. And you know what a, what a Cardinal red and white team versus a blue and yellow team feels like, right? Like that matters. Steps forward, matter now. So progress on the win front. Bowl game, let's go. Right? Let's go. Now. What is almost way more interesting, though, is like, all right, what's our process to get there? What does a championship culture look like, feel like? What is it like to have the championship partnerships? Are we getting championship people in the building? Because our winning and losing is an outcome, right? It's a consequence of a whole bunch of stuff. And so, yes, we have our goals, but, man, like, the magic, the work, it's the process. And that's what gets me all tingly and fired up every day to come to work with these guys.

[A]

Curious how you're building the roster. If my math is right, you guys got six players out of the portal.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

That Sound right. All right, so that's, that's kind of on the low end of, of major programs. You were talking about retention, right? And being older. Look, all you need to do is look at the last three national champions and say, you know, those three Big Ten programs were older teams that won the national title. So where does, where does retention the portal and good old fashioned high school recruiting, you know, what is the pie chart of that right now at least, and what do you want it to be going forward?

[B]

So we, we were stable in the portal relative to I think the rest of. Right. And it's something with a bunch of, with a head coaching change and close to 70% new staff. We, I think I had developed a good enough sense of our roster to know that we have dudes, right? Dudes that can win game and wanted to make sure we were keeping our dudes that had helped us take a step forward and that were part of a culture swing, right. Because last year was about a culture shock. And you know, I came into Stanford, I committed to a 1 in 11 team, right. And Jim Harbaugh had just been hired and our class committed to 1 in 11 team. And I think part of our class just wanted to be somewhere where we were earning it, you know, going in and if you can get to the sweet spot, you knew you that you knew you were part of something that earned it. So there's very much that ethos. So retention was huge. I'm proud of it. I'm proud of the stability even with the head coach change. The transfer portal is an awesome tool. It's an awesome tool to help Phil to get better, right? All of it has to be about getting better, whether it's injuries, guys leave early for the NFL, what have you. We will always still have a big, big place for old school high school recruiting and developing. Right? We again, we talked about a little built different to be different. Our vision for this is we are a new school in the fact that we're going to lean into nil. We'll lean into what, you know, what we can, what we will, what we're willing to do. And you know, we want our high school recruiting class to come in and if there's 20 guys, man, play four or five years together, graduate, go to the NFL like that's. Shoot. The last wedding I was at was a Stanford teammate. There were 40 guys there, right? 40 teammates from a team at a wedding. Now I might sound like the old guy just, you know, yelling at himself in the trees, but like that matters and it Also matters because we won, we won an Orange bowl. We went to the Fiesta Bowl. We're proud. I played with Richard Sherman, I played with Doug Baldwin, right. Kobe, I played with like six NFL tight ends, you know, while I was here. And we've had 14 NFL tight ends in the last 16 years. So I will throw a shot at. I was that we are tight end. You. We are.

[A]

Take that Coach Ference, with all respect

[B]

too, but we are so the pie chart. Like look, we're leaning to new school but hold some old school values, Rob, like culture, team building. And look, we had C.J. williams came to us as a transfer last year, played, played the season, did unbelievably, was second, I think second in the ACC with touchdowns. Surprised everybody, crushed it and gets drafted and gets drafted to the NFL. Right? Completely off the radar. We know, we know there's an awesome spot for transfers to come in and help us and which, which we expect our transfers too.

[C]

My last question for you, Andrew, is so I was on that college Football Commission still am and was on a bunch of phone calls, meetings, including one at the White House. And it was pretty unanimous amongst the commissioners. The four commissioners were there, obviously had some government people there yet Cody Campbell, the booster at Texas Tech and and chairman of board of trustees. But it's pretty unanimous on NI eligibility and transfer portal across the board about how to fix that. The question is not that it's about can you enforce rules that are on the books or that you're about to put on the books. How do you and the seat you're sitting in, what needs to be fixed and fixed now or do you like it?

[B]

Oh, you know, Coach, that every day that I am in this job one I have an awesome athletic director who, who, who is taking a lot of that burden of what needs fixed off me, who's engaging with, you know, in the same circles that you are a President who cares. Dr. Condoleezza Rice, who is an unbelievable asset to our university, loves college football, loves watching o line play because her dad was a high school o line coach, you know, and, and, and is involved in this world. So we, you know, we, Stanford have unbelievable representation, I think in, in, in many of the rooms. But every day I think I, I work in this job, the less, the less I think about what, what, what needs to happen or should happen or ought to happen. And the more I think about how do we, or what exists now? How do we win? How does Stanford win? How do, how, how do we give ourselves a competitive how do we get this recruit. How do we go win a ballgame? So what needs to be fixed should be fixed, ought to be fixed. I'll, I'll, I'll answer it in a bit of a sideways way, so forgive me for the, for the back and the backing away for the question, Coach, but I hope we don't lose some of what makes college football special, like Oregon playing Oregon State is a really cool game. You know, the Apple cup in Washington is cool. You know, I'm, I'm sad that the west coast doesn't have a premier conference because that, that, that conference was awesome. I was part of it. It was great. Right? Thankful to be in the acc. It's awesome. But I, I hope we don't lose the rivalries. I hope we don't lose the rituals. I don't, I hope we don't lose the connective tissue that makes college football like it's big, big, big business. It's also silly. Like, a lot of it doesn't make sense. You know, a lot of it's been built, built off of geographic rivalries. Like, and I love that. Like, I love, you know, growing up a college football. I grew up in Europe because my dad was working for NFL Europe, but I would turn Armed Forces Network on every Saturday and all they showed was Penn State. So I hate Penn State because of that. Right? Show me somebody else. Show me the Mountaineers. I want to see West Virginia. My dad played there, you know, but there's, there's something, there's, there's, there's almost religious. College football, I think, is almost religious in its convening ability, its intergenerational connective tissue. And I know it's a little bit. I'm getting woo, woo on this, on you guys, on it, but I hope we maintain some of that spirit. I really do. And a college scholarship is still an unbelievable human development vehicle. Especially, I mean, all across the, the continuum of sports. Like, it, it's, it trains leaders. Right? And, and football, yes, is a little different. Maybe hoops is a little different because of how big the business is around it. But still, you know, a college experience I want to believe can hold in appropriate tension the, the, the, the playing, the nil revenue share, whatever, the, whatever the business aspect is and a level of, like, transformation through education, learning, growing up. Right. Like, I certainly needed it, you know, and still need it. But, but it's there. Long winded. Well, long winded from.

[A]

No, but you got, you got there and all the points were valid. And I agree with you. You know, there is nothing like the college experience. And why are we hustling out and why are we going to four places in four years? Right? What's. What's. I. I love your wedding story, right, because we've all have those wedding stories, right? If I get invited, like, unfortunately now, at my age, it's like my teammates, kids are going to get married soon, but it's going to be a bunch of teammates, and you want to see them. You don't want a bunch of these transfer portal guys that are gone. And they don't. They're not part of your university, they're not part of your family, they're not really part of your locker room to the extent that it used to be. So I'm with you on that one. I want to end with this because. Because it makes me laugh and it makes me smile. The Captain Andrew luck stuff. Whenever I see it. And I know it hasn't been. I think that account hasn't been active for a couple of months, but, like, it literally puts a smile on my face. Do you remember where you were when you first saw it or heard of it? And what. What was your reaction to all that?

[B]

I. I believe I was still playing in the NFL. I did not have social media. I can't say I never had social media. I had Facebook for, like, six months as like a high school college kid, you know, And I was like, yeah, this is stupid. I don't like it. But so people. And I still had a flip phone when I was playing, but either my mom or some friends would sort of take, like, screenshots of these things and send it to me. And I really have appreciated the humor. As we know the Internet can be a cesspool of a lot of dark and weird things. And this just seems like good, clean. Yeah, good humor. I like it. I have a bobblehead of it, Rob. I will send you one for bringing it up.

[A]

Who made the bobblehead?

[B]

Oh, we did. At Stanford.

[A]

It was a Stanford giveaway.

[B]

It was a giveaway. It was a game giveaway, baby. I still got one.

[C]

Let me.

[B]

Where am I?

[C]

Hold on.

[A]

Oh, that is so good.

[B]

Let's go deep. Here you go.

[A]

Oh, it's right there.

[B]

Bobblehead box with a letter I. Can you read?

[A]

Give me a couple of the best lines from that. That box. There's got to be some great ones.

[B]

Like, Dear Mildred, my hand trembles in fervor as I write to tell you that while in preparation for upcoming battles, we have unearthed a most surprising bounty of relics. 20,000 by more precise count. All right.

[A]

I snorted. I snorted. Oh, my God.

[B]

I love that stuff.

[A]

I hope they come back. I hope they come back. And we hope Stanford football gets back to where you want it to be. And we're marching, baby. We're marching hands, man. Andrew, so good to see you, man. Enjoy the rest of the summer. Keep enjoying that World cup, too, my friend.

[B]

Oh, I feel like. I feel like I'm best friends with you, Rob. I see you on tv, like, every day now. I'm doing an interview. It's magic. How you doing?

[A]

It has even taken over coach's life. Coach is even watching soccer and commenting.

[B]

You got Coach Meyer on soccer.

[A]

We got every. I'm all over it for the last, what, two weeks? Two weeks since talking about two years.

[B]

That's awesome. We're still. We're all still growing, Coach.

[A]

Yeah, you're welcome inside the tent, Coach, but me and Andrew are in here already. We're. We're serving drinks, too.

[B]

And Coach, I always say, well, every time I see you, I bring up Jack Newhort who used to tell Urban Meyer stories. My Indian athletes Colts teammate living in Toledo, Ohio, man. So Jack says, what's up?

[A]

I love it. Andrew, thanks for spending some of your summer with us. Really appreciate it. Best of luck to you and Stanford going forward.

[B]

I appreciate it. Appreciate you guys. Go car, light it.

[A]

That does it for the triple option. Follow subscribe rate us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast, as well as across social media 3x option show. Remember, please submit your questions in the comment section. We're going to do a mailbag to wrap up season number two when the three of us are all back together. So fire us those questions. Thanks again as always to our amazing sponsor, Wendy's.