It does not take a Stanford degree to understand the depths of the current mess soiling the athletic department, but it does require one to orchestrate the cleanup.
Good thing the face of the department is a 2012 graduate.
Officially, Andrew Luck is the general manager of the football program, a role he accepted in early December. In reality, Luck is the department’s most influential employee following the downfall of the two men who previously occupied that role.
Bernard Muir resigned as Stanford’s athletic director in February after steering the Cardinal into the ground — a truly remarkable feat given all the university has to offer.
And as we came to learn Wednesday from an ESPN report, football coach Troy Taylor has been investigated twice for inappropriate behavior directed at female staff members.
In theory, two investigations and six wins over two seasons could equal one dismissal. Why Taylor remains in his post is one of many questions left unanswered.
Here’s another: What hasn’t gone wrong for Stanford lately?
— The football program is coming off back-to-back 3-9 seasons under Taylor and faces a slew of challenges just to attain an acceptable level of mediocrity.
— The men’s basketball program, while led by a first-rate coach in Kyle Smith, hasn’t participated in the NCAA Tournament since March 2014.
— The women’s basketball program just experienced its worst season since 1987.
— The Cardinal’s new home, the ACC, is implementing a revenue distribution model that seemingly will make it more difficult for Stanford to compete in the major sports.
— The situation is no better financially, largely due to revenue woes. In the 2024 fiscal year, the Cardinal needed a $47 million subsidy from campus in order to balance their books, according to Stanford’s annual report.
— There is no athletic director, no interim athletic director and no timeline for naming a permanent athletic director.
— Meanwhile, president Jonathan Levin, who has been on the job since August, just implemented a hiring freeze and is undoubtedly preoccupied with the potential loss of hundreds of millions in federal funding.
It’s a rudderless ship with budget problems, performance issues and embarrassing behavior courtesy of the football coach.
All of which serves as an indictment of Muir’s tenure and a monumental challenge for a certain former quarterback with substantial authority and influence.
While not in charge of the athletic department writ large, Luck is responsible for the football program. He is Taylor’s boss and has a direct reporting line to Levin. And fixing Stanford athletics starts with fixing Stanford football.
Why? Because everything in college sports starts with football. Most schools learned that lesson years ago, which helps explain why Vanderbilt beat Alabama and Duke won nine games. Heck, even Cal has (begrudgingly) come to terms with the reality.
But Stanford’s prior administration was so fearful of football success — specifically, of creating the circumstances that allow for success — that it unwittingly set football on the road to the abyss.
Now that the curtain has been lifted on Taylor’s behavior, the mess is worse than imagined.
According to ESPN, he has been investigated twice for bullying and inappropriate comments toward female staff members.
The first investigation began in the spring of 2023, before Taylor had coached a single game. It concluded months later with a warning that he could be terminated if the behavior continued.
Yet despite a second investigation, which ended last summer, Taylor is preparing for the 2025 season.
Above all, Stanford cares about its money and its image, and the latter took a gut punch Wednesday with ESPN’s report. But if we assume he’s retained through the spring, Taylor will face a make-or-break season seemingly without the talent needed to navigate a schedule that includes Brigham Young, SMU, Florida State, Miami and Notre Dame.
Under normal circumstances, the athletic director is charged with evaluating the football coach. But Stanford hasn’t bothered to name an interim, much less started the search for Muir’s permanent replacement. And Luck’s unusual role, with a direct line to Levin, places him in charge of Taylor’s future.
Granted, Luck is well regarded throughout the department and across the university. He has the clout necessary with the admissions department, deep-pocketed donors and territorial bureaucrats alike to move the Stanford monolith in ways that benefit football.
To muster NIL resources.
To admit impact transfers.
To make clear why football should matter to the university and what must be done to make it relevant.
And, of course, Luck is well qualified to advise Taylor on tactics, personnel and roster composition.
(That said, the internal reporting lines must change if Stanford intends to hire an experienced, savvy athletic director. No administrator qualified for the job would accept the position without some control over the most important sport.)
Assuming Levin is, in fact, committed to revitalizing the football program, the process will take several years. Jim Harbaugh accomplished the feat in three seasons, in large part because of Luck.
But back then, the challenges were internal: housing for coaches; resources for recruiting; support from the administration.
With the advent of the transfer portal and the legalization of NIL and the coming era of revenue-sharing — changes that have forced the university to reassess what it means to support college sports — Stanford’s climb out of the gutter is that much more difficult.
“Like any institution, (Stanford) has its own quirks and culture,” Luck told reporters Wednesday during a football-related event before ESPN published the report on Taylor’s behavior.
“Part of why I’m here is I understand a lot of it and lived it as an undergrad and grad student, and loved it. It holds deep, deep, deep meaning for me. There’s a lot on the desk, what needs to be taken care of and how does it help Stanford get better today.”
The process starts with a mop and bucket.
*** Staff writer Cam Inman contributed to this report.
*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716
*** Follow me on the social media platform X: @WilnerHotline