Stanford Cardinal QB Andrew Luck will return to school for the 2011 football season instead of declaring for the 2011 NFL Draft, according to a Tim Kawakami tweet. Kawakami is reputable, and he’s citing Mercury News colleague Jon Wilner, but still it’s just a tweet, so take it for what it’s worth.
Luck staying in school would change things significantly for the Carolina Panthers, who’ve already set their hearts on Luck according to some. This would improve the odds of Georgia Bulldogs WR A.J. Green, Clemson Tigers DE Da’Quan Bowers, LSU Tigers CB Patrick Peterson, and uhh pretty much the entire rest of the SEC at going No. 1 overall.
Other quarterback options for the Panthers, including Arkansas Razorbacks QB Ryan Mallett and Auburn Tigers QB Cam Newton, aren’t expected to be top-10 picks as of yet, though who knows how Newton will be looking after the BCS National Championship Game and a round of workouts.
Update: CSN Bay Area is confirming the news.