Kyle Terada- USA TODAY SPORTS
Rumors are swirling around the web this afternoon that Stanford Cardinal offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton will soon be named the new offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts, replacing Bruce Arians who recently accepted the head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals.
Should the news turn out to be true with a formal announcement, it would make perfect sense. Hamilton has been given a large part of the credit in helping to mold and improve the game of former Stanford quarterback and current Colts quarterback, Andrew Luck, and the reunion between the two could be just the edge Luck needs in his sophomore season in the NFL.
Hamilton has a great deal of NFL experience, having previous stints with the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears prior to his time at Stanford, so the move back to the NFL from the college ranks should be a smooth transition for him.
Maintaining some familiarity in the course of constant change is so important in the NFL, especially for young quarterbacks who do the majority of their substantial development in the first few years of their careers. Hamilton and Luck already have a great working relationship that should be bolstered by the opportunity to help the Colts improve upon their surprising 2012 season and make their way back into the playoffs in 2013 – possibly for an even deeper run in Luck’s second year under center.
It looks like the Cardinal will have to find someone to fill the rather large hole left behind by Hamilton alongside David Shaw — but something tells me they won’t have much of a problem doing so, given Stanford’s stature as one of the most improved programs in college football over the past few years.
—
Kris Hughes is the College Football Network Manager for Rant Sports. You can follow Kris on Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook
