STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has decided to stay in college to get his degree instead of immediately cashing in on the riches of being in the NFL.
Luck announced his decision Thursday, more than one week before the deadline for underclassmen to apply for entry into the 2011 NFL Draft. Luck, who sat out his first year as a redshirt, has two years of eligibility remaining, but he is on track to graduate next spring.
"I am committed to earning my degree in architectural design from Stanford University and am on track to accomplish this at the completion of the spring quarter of 2012," Luck said in a statement issued through the school.
Stanford said Luck wasn't available for further comment.
Luck's decision to stay at Stanford comes as coach Jim Harbaugh is being wooed by NFL teams for a possible job. Harbaugh met Wednesday with officials with the San Francisco 49ers and talked with the Miami Dolphins on Thursday.
New Denver Broncos chief football executive John Elway has said he hopes to interview Harbaugh for that team's job.
It's unclear whether or not Luck's decision to stay in school will impact Harbaugh's decision about an NFL job. If Harbaugh does leave Stanford, the opportunity to coach Luck next season likely will make Stanford a plum assignment.
Luck was the runner-up this season to Auburn's Cam Newton for the Heisman Trophy and now will be one of the favorites for next year's award.
Luck capped this season by completing 18 of 23 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns in the fifth-ranked Cardinal's 40-12 victory over No. 12 Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl on Monday night. That helped Stanford (12-1) extend its school record for wins in a season and has the Cardinal poised to finish in the top five of the AP poll for the first time since the unbeaten 1940 team ended No. 2.
Luck, the son of former NFL quarterback Oliver Luck, is a major reason why Stanford has gone from a one-win team in 2006 before Harbaugh arrived to one of the top teams in the country. Luck has led Stanford to a 20-5 record in his 25 career starts, only missing last season's Sun Bowl loss to Oklahoma with a broken right index finger.
"This is a win-win for him," Oliver Luck said. "He gets to spend another year at Stanford, be part of team that will be highly ranked again next year, finish his degree and enjoy Palo Alto.
"It's not like the NFL is going anywhere, it's one of the best-run leagues in the world. It will still be there when he graduates."
Luck's father, the athletic director at West Virginia, said that the possibility of an NFL lockout or being selected No. 1 by the Carolina Panthers didn't influence his son's decision.
"Call him old school," Oliver Luck said. "He comes from a faction of people who believe you go to college to pursue your degree."
One of Andrew Luck's teammates who won't be back is linebacker Thomas Keiser, who told the Cardinal he intends to forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the draft. He started in all 13 games this season and finished with 38 tackles and nine sacks.
Luck has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 5,913 yards and 45 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in his career. He also has rushed for 807 yards and five scores. That athleticism, along with his strong, accurate arm and on-field poise, had some scouts salivating at his potential.
Harbaugh, a former star quarterback at Michigan and in the NFL, has called Luck the greatest player he has ever been around.
Luck set school records for TD passes (32), completion percentage (70.7 percent) and passing efficiency (170.2) this season. He's already being mentioned alongside Elway, Jim Plunkett, John Brodie and Frankie Albert as one of Stanford's great quarterbacks.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
