Former 49ers running back Frank Gore has been a personnel advisor for San Francisco since being hired in July 2023, and in his role, he routinely takes road trips to scout college football talent.
But there's one prospect Gore doesn't have to go very far to scout.
In an exclusive interview with the Bay Area News Group’s Cam Inman, Gore detailed his latest scouting report: On his son, Frank Gore Jr.
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“Very good football player,” Gore told Inman. “Tough. Great eyes. Great feet. He’s going to do whatever it takes that the team that drafts him made the right decision. He’s got top-end speed. Some days he can go, some days he won’t.
“Great vision. Great heart. Stronger than what people think. But a good football player, man.”
The longtime 49ers running back, rightfully so, has nothing but high praise for his son. Gore Jr.’s stats and tape explain why.
The younger Gore totaled 4,022 yards and 26 rushing touchdowns on 759 rushes in four years at Southern Mississippi. He also posted 75 receptions for 692 yards and 26 receiving touchdowns.
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And in the East-West Shrine Bowl on Feb. 1, Frank Jr. turned a typical third-and-1 into a 49-yard touchdown run, ultimately taking home the game’s MVP honors and more support from his father.
“Everybody questioned him about the level he’d been playing, and at the East-West Shrine Bowl, he killed that," Gore explained to Inman. "He had a great week. That let him know he’s a football player.
“… I’m happy he got to play with Power Five guys at the Shrine Bowl, and look how it came out. He had a great week of practice and a lot of people felt he was the best one at the position. That’s a plus.”
Gore Jr., like his dad, isn’t the biggest guy, standing 5-foot-7 and 199 pounds, but the likely late 2024 NFL Draft pick is determined to impact the game’s biggest stage. For reference, his dad was 5-9 and 212 pounds during his NFL playing career.
The elder Gore was selected No. 65 by the 49ers in 2005. San Francisco will have 11 picks to work with in the upcoming draft, potentially spending one on Gore Jr.
But regardless of where the younger Gore ends up, his dad will continue to have his back.
“I’ve been a proud father,” Gore explained to Inman. “Just the process, how he’s handled it, man, he’s stepped up to the plate every time.”