Frank Gore arrives Monday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis as a member of the 49ers’ personnel department, and one obvious prospect is on his radar: Frank Gore Jr.
“I’ve been a proud father,” Gore said in an exclusive interview with this news organization. “Just the process, how he’s handled it, man, he’s stepped up to the plate every time.”
And now his namesake is on the NFL’s doorstep, following in the legendary footsteps of the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher.
Frank Gore Jr., after four seasons at Southern Miss, emerged as the offensive MVP of the East-West Shrine Bowl on Feb. 1 in Frisco, Texas. As he received that trophy, his admiring father recorded the moment on the field with his phone.
“Everybody questioned him about the level he’d been playing, and at the East-West Shrine Bowl, he killed that. He had a great week,” Gore said of his son. “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,” Gore added. “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.”
ON THE MOVE!!!!
Frank Gore Jr. (@stn_2lit) @SouthernMissFB | #ShrineBowl
pic.twitter.com/PpYNadgTib— East-West Shrine Bowl (@ShrineBowl) February 2, 2024
And the West gets the scoring started with a 48-yard touchdown run by Frank Gore Jr (@frankgore), reaching a top speed of 20.6 MPH. ⚡️
— Zebra Sports (@ZebraSports) February 2, 2024
A 49-yard touchdown run on a third-and-1 carry sparked Gore’s West team to a 26-11 win.
“I know there’s a lot of questions about me, because I’m from a small school,” Gore Jr. said, according to LoneStarLive.com. “So I had a chip on my shoulder to come in and sort of prove to everyone that I belonged.”
That should have been evident as he ran for 4,022 yards, the third-most in Southern Miss history. He ran for an FBS bowl record 329 yards in the December 2022 LendingTree Bowl in a 38-24 win over Rice.
That, along with grueling training sessions in South Florida ahead of the combine, may not translate to getting drafted in the early rounds like his father. But this month’s Shrine Bowl performance certainly should lead to the name “Gore” being called during the NFL Draft in late April; the 49ers are projected to have 11 picks.
“I tell people he had chances to go to a bigger school. Miami wanted him, and I did not want him to go, because I feel like he became a man when he went up out of here,” the elder Gore said. “Kentucky wanted him. He had opportunities to go to a Power Five (conference).
“I told him that if he’s OK being with his friends and he likes his coach, scouts who really watch tape will find him.”
Steve Smith Sr. on Frank Gore Jr.: “If you watch football, you can see Frank Gore Jr. and his dad in him with the way he carries his shoulder pads, the way he runs, the way he carries the ball and the way he finishes. I think Frank Gore Jr. has a great opportunity to show you…
— Sam Sklar (@sklarsam_) February 2, 2024
At 5-foot-7 and 199 pounds, he’s not quite as big as his father, whose 5-foot-9, 212-pound frame saw its way through tiny cracks and persevered long enough over 16 NFL seasons to run for 16,000 yards, the third-most in NFL history.
Gore was the 2005 draft’s third-round steal out of Miami. Most teams, including the 49ers, considered him a major health risk because of his knee and shoulder injuries. He played for the 49ers from 2005-2014, covering 11,073 yards in his No. 21 jersey that no one else has worn since he was ushered out as a free agent. He finished his playing days with the 2015-17 Indianapolis Colts, the 2018 Miami Dolphins, the 2019 Buffalo Bills and the 2020 New York Jets. A brief dalliance as a professional boxer followed.
This past year, the 49ers brought back Gore to launch his career as a personnel advisor, a year after he signed a ceremonial contract signifying his retirement. That also triggered the start of his five-year wait to become eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Offensive MVP Frank Gore Jr with a 49 TD run on the West’s opening drive and tonight’s offensive MVP with his father in attendance #EastWestShrineBowl pic.twitter.com/Eit5nMiuo5
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) February 2, 2024
Having long adored the York family that owns the 49ers, Gore spent this past year not only attending college games to scout players and 49ers games to support the franchise, but also relishing his time learning other aspects of the operation, from the business side with Paraag Marathe to the personnel and coaching departments with general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan.
“Kyle is a smart guy. I was surprised sitting around him how he really understands and knows players so well. A lot of coaches aren’t like that,” Gore said. “He really knows football players, bro. He really knows what to look for.”
Gore has proven to have a keen eye for talent, and he enjoys when the 49ers’ seasoned evaluators challenge him and ask for his opinion.
“Lynch asks me certain questions when we watch film, ‘What do you think about this, what do you think about that?’ But this being my first year, I want to respect those other guys (in the personnel department),” Gore said. “Just because I played ball, I don’t feel I know everything. I’d rather let them ask me what I feel about something instead of just jumping into it. That’s their field, man. I know I played ball but I still have to learn that field.”
In that case: What do you think about Frank Gore Jr. as an NFL prospect?
“Very good football player,” began the scouting report from his father and the 49ers’ novice advisor. “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.”
