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"Recruiting is a funny business," Luck, now a Stanford junior, said during Wednesday's Fiesta Bowl news conference.
Rated a five-star national quarterback prospect, Luck was offered a scholarship by OSU but wound up committing to and signing with Stanford. While the Cowboys flourished with Zac Robinson at quarterback in 2007-09 and with Brandon Weeden in 2010-11, Luck has been a two-time All-American and two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up for the Cardinal.
In hindsight, it's not a surprise that Luck was attracted to academically advanced Stanford. He was the co-valedictorian of his Stratford senior class of 450 students. He is studying architecture at Stanford. He attended high school in Texas but wasn't a born-and-bred Texas kid. Luck is a native of Washington, D.C., and spent several of his childhood years in England and Germany as his father, Oliver Luck, was the general manager of two World League of American Football teams.
But Andrew Luck's success at Stanford is a constant and painful reminder to University of Texas fans that the Longhorns let a Houston high school superstar slip away to the West Coast.
Over the last two seasons, Longhorn quarterbacks have completed 58 percent of their passes for 4,962 yards, with 10 more interceptions (31) than touchdown passes (21). During the same period, Luck completed 70.3 percent of his passes for 6,508 yards, with 67 touchdown passes against only 17 interceptions.
While Stanford's two-season record is 23-2, the Texas record is 12-12. Luck acknowledges having had recruiting conversations with Longhorn coaches, but there was no scholarship offer.
When Luck was a senior at Stratford, Darron Thomas and Robert Griffin III also were seniors in what typically is prime recruiting territory for UT - Thomas at Houston's Aldine High School and Griffin at Copperas Cove, Texas.
Thomas landed at Oregon, leading the Ducks to last season's national championship game. Griffin was recruited by Oklahoma State and by Texas. OSU wanted him as a quarterback. Texas wanted him to play wide receiver. Griffin signed with Baylor to play quarterback and went on to capture the 2011 Heisman Trophy.
A fourth-year junior, Luck is expected to forfeit his senior season and enter the 2012 NFL draft ? and is expected to be the No. 1 pick overall. Presuming that he will graduate to the NFL, Luck plays his final college game when the Cardinal faces Oklahoma State in Monday's 7:30 p.m., ESPN-televised Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium.
"He is the total package," OSU defensive coordinator Bill Young said of Luck. "That's why he is predicted to be the first guy in the draft. Great player."
In 2006, before his junior season at Stratford High School, Luck was introduced to OSU coach Mike Gundy during a Cowboy satellite camp in Houston.
"I thought (OSU) had a program committed to winning," Luck recalled on Wednesday. "I remember they were going through a big push when I was in high school - remodeling a stadium - and I was inundated with information about that.
"You could tell they were very committed to becoming a winning program, and they have done that in the past couple years with great players."
Oklahoma State's starting quarterback in 2006 was Bobby Reid, who had been a nationally prominent Houston-area recruit from Galena Park North Shore.
"All the kids were interested in him," Luck said. "I remember being impressed with the program when I was recruited."
While recruiting Luck in 2007, OSU was more secure at quarterback than it realized. As a sophomore in 2007, Robinson supplanted Reid as the starter and went on to become the Cowboys' career leader in total offense. Weeden was a walk-on in 2008. Since becoming the starter before the 2010 season, Weeden has broken every significant school record for passing while leading the Cowboys to a 22-3 record and the 2011 Big 12 championship.
Fiesta Bowl
Vs. StanfordAt Glendale, Ariz.
7:30 p.m. Monday
TV: ESPN-25
Radio: KFAQ am1170
Original Print Headline: OSU, Texas: Luck-less tales
Bill Haisten 918-581-9387
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com
Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/articlepath.aspx?articleid=20111229_93_B1_CUTLIN986207&rss_lnk=2
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