Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has found belonging as Stanford football's general manager.

It might as well have been Christmas Morning for the Stanford Cardinal on Wednesday, as fans woke up to news that the university was receiving a $50 million gift for the football program from a former University trustee.

According to the university, Stanford philanthropist and former trustee Bradford M. Freeman, a member of the class of 1964, donated the money earmarked for the football program, specifically to help them compete in the new era of NIL and the transfer portal.

“This is a game-changing gift for Stanford,” said President Jonathan Levin. “It will help us to recruit top talent and compete at the highest level. Brad’s generosity and commitment to football will benefit our entire athletics department, as excellence in football will support success across all 36 varsity sports.”

This is huge news for Stanford as they work to maintain prestigious academics and marry it with elite play on the field. That has been tough in recent years, as the Cardinal have won just a total of 18 games since the start of the 2020 season, never winning more than four games in any one season.

Former Stanford great and now general manager, Andrew Luc,k released a statement on the gift as well:

“With Brad’s incredible gift, we are positioned to win on the field and build a bridge to a sustainable future for Stanford football,” Luck said. “The ability to support our players through new scholarships and institutional NIL will reinforce Stanford as the preeminent place in the country to be a football scholar-athlete. I believe that Stanford has the opportunity to be a leading program in college football, and we are entirely motivated to field championship-caliber teams.”

So far this season, the Cardinal are 2-3 with wins against Boston College and SDSU. With the new gift from Freeman, there is a hope that Stanford will be more competitive in the transfer portal and be able to compete for ACC titles in the near future.

Contact/Follow@College_Wire on X and@College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.

This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Stanford Cardinal gifted $50 million donation from alumni for football program

Reporting by Zachary Neel, Ducks Wire / College Sports Wire

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect