Andrew Luck’s college football career had only
ended roughly 40 hours earlier, and already his father found
himself shooting down rumors.
The first of many they’re likely to hear over
these next 3 1/2 months leading up to the NFL Draft.
No, Oliver Luck said Wednesday afternoon, his
famous son hasn’t chosen an agent yet. The family hasn’t even
started the process.
MIAMI
Andrew Luck’s college football career had only
ended roughly 40 hours earlier, and already his father found
himself shooting down rumors.
The first of many they’re likely to hear over
these next 3 1/2 months leading up to the NFL Draft.
No, Oliver Luck said Wednesday afternoon, his
famous son hasn’t chosen an agent yet. The family hasn’t even
started the process.
“We’re getting on that,” Oliver Luck said in the
hours before the Orange Bowl. “That’s still a ways off.”
But first, there was the pleasant task of
watching West Virginia, the school at which the elder Luck starred
at quarterback three decades ago and where he now serves as
athletic director, pile up crazy points on Clemson en route to an
easy win.
This was just the third BCS appearance in
Mountaineers history, but for Luck it was his second big-time bowl
in three days.
The Luck family traveled to Arizona for Monday’s
Fiesta Bowl, an overtime loss for Stanford. While the rest of the
family, Andrew included, flew back to Morgantown on Tuesday, Oliver
and his daughter Emily, a high school senior, made the trip to
South Florida.
This made two straight Orange Bowls for Oliver.
He was here last January for Stanford’s blowout win over Virginia
Tech, even got to meet Dolphins owner Steve Ross and GM Jeff
Ireland.
Luck and Ross talked on the field for about 15
minutes.
“We had a nice, pleasant, good chat,” Luck said.
“It was a very positive impression.”
Most of the talk centered on then Stanford coach
Jim Harbaugh, at whom Ross made sideline goo-goo eyes. Andrew Luck
had yet to announce his draft plans, so there was some information
gathering there, too.
“(Ross) was certainly interested in watching the
game,” Oliver Luck said. “He asked me a number of questions about
the Stanford team and how they were able to turn things around from
a 1-11 season.”
Whatever Luck told Ross, it was apparently
enough to get him to gas up his private jet and head cross-country
to meet with Harbaugh.
We all know how that turned out.
What no one can predict at this point is whether
Ross and the currently coachless Dolphins will have occasion for
another sitdown with Oliver Luck and whichever agent Andrew
picks.
“I’ve tried to raise all the kids so they can
make their own decision,” Luck said. “Clearly, this is going to be
Andrew’s decision on his representation or his team that will work
with him.”
Luck was talking in terms of a management team,
but he could just as easily have been phrasing it the way many
expect things to go this spring.
As in, the NFL team Luck will choose to work
with, a la Eli Manning eight years ago.
The Colts hold the No. 1 overall pick, but they
just blew out their front office and have coaching uncertainty.
Colts owner Jim Irsay sounds willing to pay $28 million to keep
Peyton Manning around, but does that mean he’s willing to trade
Luck’s draft rights?
Already the early talk has the Colts’ potential
asking price at three first-round picks and two more
second-rounders.
Mind boggling.
“There’s a lot that can play out over the next
two or three months,” Oliver Luck said. “The Colts are making some
personnel moves, obviously. I really can’t speculate on where my
son may end up or what the Colts may do. I know as little or as
much as anybody else, quite honestly.”
For now.
Soon the pendulum will swing, and the leverage
will rest on Luck’s side.
No less an authority than Jimmy Johnson recently
called this year’s No. 1 slot “the most valuable draft pick
ever.”
What does Oliver Luck think when he hears talk
like that?
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Jimmy Johnson,”
he said. “He was a great coach. He’s a good personnel guy. He’s
awesome. His comments speak for themselves. I’d rather not
comment.”
Smart family, those
Lucks.
