49ers News: It’s Monday Sr
ASHBURN, VA - AUGUST 06: Head Coach Mike Shanahan (R) of the Washington Redskins talks with his son Kyle Shanahan (L) offensive coordinator for the team during Redskins training camp on August 6, 2010 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) | Getty Images49ers rookie lost scholarship offers, then his grandmother. How he picked up the pieces (paywall)
Every day for half a decade Black saw Carolyn. She was there for him, and him for her. Before her retirement Carolyn often vacationed in Virginia Beach. She would occasionally book weekend stays at oceanfront hotels for her and the boys.
Black was 18 when she died in 2020. That was the first time in my life that I've had to face death," he said. Carolyn had a heart attack one January evening. Kaelon, Ky'Ron and Stacy found her the next morning. I think it gave (Kaelon) another gear of understanding life," William said. You can be here one day and be gone the next." Kaelon would learn a lot about loss that year.
By the time he was a junior at Salem High School in Virginia Beach, Black had received Power 5 scholarship offers from Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Those came in a span of two weeks. East Carolina, a Group of 5 program, also offered. It seemed just the beginning of what would be a robust recruitment process. Then things quieted. So as Black entered his senior season, he committed to Virginia Tech.
His text to the running backs coach at the time was met with no response. Black eventually found out through one of his high school coaches that Virginia Tech rescinded the offer. Having apparently completed their recruiting class at his position, Wake Forest also withdrew. Not to mention East Carolina, whose head coach had been fired. Black had to start from scratch.
Why am I not getting offers and I'm pretty much one of the best players on my team, one of the best players in the area and in the state?" Black recalled thinking. Nothing was just making sense at the time."
...Splitting time with a lead back seemed to have a unique effect on Black. He did not waste carries. Last season with the Hoosiers, Black surpassed 1,000 rushing yards (1,040) on fewer than 12 rushes per game for the College Football Playoff national champions. RB1 Ronan Hemby also got to 1,000 yards (1,120). But only two running backs in the Big Ten reached the 1,000-yard mark despite having fewer than 200 carries. Black was one of them, having made a habit of getting vertical at 5-foot-10 and 208 pounds....The more we watched, studied these backs and really stacked them all together, you saw a guy who got the most out of every run that he put on tape," said Kubiak, who added that Black was one of the best players on the field" for Indiana's CFP run.
Ultimately snubbed by the NFL combine, Black used the Senior Bowl to answer for his lack of pass-catching production at Indiana, where over the course of two seasons and 29 games played he managed eight catches for 42 yards and zero touchdowns. General manager John Lynch was apparently moved by the showcase."
49ers insider doesn't dismiss Mac Jones returning after 2026
I would not rule out the possibility that Mac Jones is around for a while... [I]f Mac Jones doesn't get off the sideline this coming season, is there any team that would view him as a starter in 2027?" Maiocco said on a recent episode of the 49ers Talk podcast, via Nick San Miguel of Niner Noise."
One 49ers undrafted free agent worth getting excited about
Eason arrived in Knoxville as an oversized inside linebacker. He left Knoxville just as oversized-a 323-pound lane-clogger of a defensive tackle," Davenport wrote.
Eason finished his collegiate career with 105 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, five passes defensed, and two fumble recoveries. During the 2025 season, he posted a career-high 31 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and three passes defensed while starting all 13 games.
Eason moved into the trenches without sacrificing his athletic twitch," The Athletic's Dane Brugler wrote in his pre-draft analysis. He is at his best in the run game when he utilizes his length to establish an anchor and strain through engagement. However, he tends to be too reactive, which can put him in trail mode. He has pass-rush potential with his get-off and heavy hands, but he relies more on effort than a tactical rush plan."
A lack of statistical production and uneven tape led to Eason going undrafted. But the physical tools are there-enough so that he has a puncher's chance of carving out a rotational role along San Francisco's defensive front," Davenport wrote."