Colin Kaepernick's Hometown Hopeful San Francisco 49ers Coach Chip Kelly Will Boost Career
TURLOCK (CBS13) — With a new head coach, residents in Colin Kaepernick's hometown are hoping for a resurrection in the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback's career.
Kaepernick was reportedly done with the franchise, but then the team hired former Philadelphia Eagles and University of Oregon head coach Chip Kelly.
It wasn't long ago that he was a three-sport star at Pitman High School in Turlock. His high school coach says the 49ers' new hire is a good one for Kaepernick.
After finding success succeeding Alex Smith on the 49ers roster, Kaepernick ended up benched in the 2015 season. Between injuries and his play, headlines wondering if he was done in San Francisco were swirling.
But now the talk around Turlock is Kelly will make sure their hometown star will stay with the franchise. Kelly likes running quarterbacks and Kaepernick likes to run.
"I think Chip Kelly is the kind of coach that can resurrect his career," Turlock resident Fred Patino said. "As a 49er fan that's what we're hoping for and as a Turlock fan that's what we're hoping for."
Now the question turns to whether Kaepernick will be ready for the season. The quarterback underwent shoulder surgery in November and likely won't fully recover from that until between March and May. Earlier this month, he also reportedly had surgery on his thumb and knee.
But there's one subtle vote of confidence.
The team's store reportedly took his merchandise off of clearance and back to full price.