Pac-10 Position Breakdown Quarterback: Stanford Cardinal

Cardinal fans are buzzing after a very good offseason on The Farm. Although 2008 ended with three losses, there is a lot to like about the direction that head coach Jim Harbaugh is taking this program.

At the center of the excitement stands redshirt freshman Andrew Luck. Luck was the prize recruit of the 2008 recruiting class, and thus far, he has lived up to the billing.

The 6-4 225 pound Luck enjoyed a superb spring and left camp as the favorite to win the starting job for Stanford over incumbent, Tavita Pritchard. He closed out spring practice with one the best performances of any QB in the conference this off-season, going 18-of-25 for 352 yards and five touchdowns in the Cardinal and White game.

Those kind of numbers, even in a spring game, are very impressive considering the fact that Stanford had the 103rd ranked passing attack in America one season ago.

Luck’s size and arm strength have coaches drooling over the possibilities for the passing game in 2009. If you factor in power running back Toby Gerhart’s ability to keep the defense honest, it could be a potent offense for Stanford this fall.

Luck spent all of last season running the scout team for the Cardinal, and he familiarized himself with Harbaugh’s system in the process. His first year in Palo Alto was also productive in terms of physical maturation. He grew one full inch and put on 20 pounds of muscle from the time he left high school to spring of 2009.

Luck went to Stratford High School in the football-rich state of Texas. Rivals.com rated him as the country’s most accurate passer in the class of 2008. Scout.com tabbed him as the No. 4 QB in the nation. Although it is hard to characterize Luck as a true dual-threat, he did manage to rush for 2,085 yards in his high school career.

Besides his impressive football resume, Luck was valedictorian of his class at Stratford High, therefore encompassing everything Stanford wants out of a student-athlete. While Luck has not won the job officially, he has the mental and physical tools that Harbaugh looks for in a starter.

Amidst all of the enthusiasm surrounding Luck, senior Tavita Pritchard looks to regain control of the starting QB job that he has had for the past two seasons.

While he lost an edge in April, Pritchard is not out of the running yet. He has had mixed results in his time at Stanford so far, but can be a solid game-manager and has a knack for alluding pressure with his mobility.

Plus, can you really count out a QB that beat USC at the Coliseum in his first career start? At 6-4 215 pounds, Pritchard has good size and provides Stanford with an insurance plan in case Luck does not pan out.

Junior Alex Loukas is Stanford’s other QB that could see time. Unfortunately, Loukas tore his ACL just as spring was beginning and will not be back until after the first few games of the season.

When he does come back, the 6-4 223 pound Illinois native will provide the Cardinal with another experienced QB. He played in eight games last season, including engineering a game-winning scoring drive against Arizona. Loukas is a great athlete and makes plays with his feet often.

My Take

I think Jim Harbaugh has a QB that he can build around with Luck. Pritchard may play at some point this season, but it won’t take long for Luck to be the guy. If the coaching staff manages his growth properly, I think Luck could develop into a big time passer.

The last time the Cardinal had a really talented QB was with Trent Edwards, but Edwards didn’t have the kind of team around him that Luck will. Harbaugh can recruit, and when he brings in these next few recruiting classes, look out for the ‘Furd.

-Sam Saig, www.allpac10.com