Andrew Luck ranked as one of 100 most famous athletes in the world

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is expected by many to become one of the new faces of the NFL alongside guys like Cam Newton and Russell Wilson, replacing players like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady as they near the end of their careers (which for Manning has already come).

Along with that reputation for Luck comes a lot of international fame, as it turns out. ESPN released a list of the 100 most famous athletes in the world today, taking into account a variety of things including salary, endorsements, social media presence, and Google search requests. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck checked in as the 69th-most popular athlete in the entire world in the ranking.

Luck is the eleventh American football player on the list, behind Cam Newton (32), Peyton Manning (38), Odell Beckham Jr. (40), Drew Brees (44), Russell Wilson (49), Tom Brady (52), Aaron Rodgers (53), J.J. Watt (56), Marshawn Lynch (60), and Eli Manning (66). Sixteen NFL players made the list in total.

There isn't a whole lot in support of Luck when it comes to the metrics ESPN was using for the list, as his annual salary was just $3 million, his endorsements $6 million, and his Facebook page garnering over 492,000 likes while he doesn't have a twitter page. The write-up for Luck did point out the obvious, however: he's poised for a massive new contract soon and his peak moment "probably hasn't happened yet."

It will be interesting to monitor Luck's popularity in future years to see how it grows. His salary will certainly make a huge jump shortly, and his endorsements could as well. And that's not to mention his play on the field, which figures to rebound after a rough 2015 campaign. It's fair to wonder how accurate this list is in determining world-wide popularity, but regardless Andrew Luck is in the top 100 according to ESPN.