On Tuesday, Luck made his most consequential move yet, firing head coach Troy Taylor. The decision, which he made in concert with University leadership but ultimately was his, came just days after ESPN reported Taylor was under investigation for employee abuse — a probe that had not been publicly known prior to the story's publication.

Stanford football coach Troy Taylor mistreated female staff members and tried to have an NCAA compliance officer removed after she raised concerns over rules violations, according to a report from ESPN.

The Stanford football program is in flux. The firing of coach Troy Taylor on Tuesday caught many off guard, even after allegations came out last week about mistreatment of staffers. Most high powered coaches survive those kinds of allegations.