Colin Kaepernick names 2 college football coaches in letter to the New York Jets
It has been a while since the NFL world saw former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in action. The last time he set foot on the gridiron professionally was during their January 2017 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
After he started kneeling during the national anthem in every game of the 2016 preseason, Kaepernick found himself in a tough spot, which ultimately led to him being released by the team.
Now, Colin Kaepernick is looking for an opportunity to make a potential comeback in the NFL.
New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles in his debut game and now will be out for the rest of the season. Zach Wilson has been taking up the responsibility of the starting QB on the roster, but he has been failing to make a long-lasting impression on fans with his performance.
Amid all the turmoil that is going on in the team' s quarterback department, Kaepernick recently wrote a letter to Jets owner Joe Douglas, seeking a window of opportunity and asking them to try him out in their practice squad.
But what's more interesting is that Colin Kaepernick used the names of two college football coaches as references who could vouch for his talents and work ethic.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and UCLA coach Chip Kelly were both named in the letter as people who can vouch for Kap's abilities.
One might wonder how are Harbaugh and Kelly related to Colin Kaepernick. Well, it is because both of them acted as the head coach during Kap's stint with the San Francisco 49ers.
Jim Harbaugh joined as the head coach back in 2011, after which he named Kap as the starting QB over Alex Smith in 2012.
Harbaugh departed to join Michigan after the 2014 season and was succeeded by Jim Tomsula. However, he was fired after a dismal 5-11 season in 2015 and Chip Kelly was brought in to take over Tomsula, which was also ultimately Kaepernick's last season in the NFL.
Even Kelly did not have great success with the 49ers as he recorded a disappointing 2-14 season and was also fired from the position.
That is when the team brought in then-Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who then went on to release Colin Kaepernick since he did not fit in his playbook for the 49ers.
Which college team did Colin Kaepernick play for?
Kap did not receive a lot of football scholarships in college. Most of his offers came for baseball since he played football, baseball and basketball in high school. However, hewent on to receive an offer from Nevada and ultimately signed with them in 2006.
After redshirting his first season, Colin Kaepernick made his debut in 2007 as the backup quarterback. But a year later, he went on to become a great quarterback for Nevada, and was awarded the WAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2008.
He finished his college football career with 10,098 passing yards and 82 passing touchdowns, while also rushing for 4,112 yards and 59 rushing touchdowns.