Former Iowa Hawkeyes Star Provides Encouraging Message to 49ers

Former Iowa Hawkeyes star George Kittle spoke encouraging words to the San Francisco 49ers.

Nov 17, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; George Kittle stands on the sideline with injury against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

George Kittle is one of the best former Iowa Hawkeyes players currently playing in the NFL. After a solid, but not great career with Iowa, he has gone on to become one of the best tight ends at the professional level.

Every Hawkeyes fan saw major talent and potential in Kittle. There was never a question that he would be an NFL player, but no one could have seen what his career would become.

Originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft with the No. 146 overall pick, Kittle has made Iowa proud.

Unfortunately, his team, the San Francisco 49ers, have struggled this season. They ended up getting blown out by the Green Bay Packers in Week 12 NFL action by a final score of 38-10.

With the loss, Kittle and the 49ers are now just 5-6 on the season. They are definitely in jeopardy of missing the playoffs if they can't turn things around in the near future.

Despite the bad situation that San Francisco finds itself in, Kittle spoke out and showed his leadership. He is far from quitting on the season and provided major words of encouragement to his teammates.

"My optimism is not broken by any means," Kittle said. "We still have a lot of very talented players. We will get some guys back. And I still have full trust in the coaching staff to put our guys in position to make plays, and I got no worry about that. But definitely an uphill grind, and gonna see what we're made of, which I'm looking forward to."

So far this season with the 49ers, Kittle has racked up 49 catches for 642 yards and eight touchdowns. Throughout his NFL career, he has caught 509 passes for 6,916 yards and 45 touchdowns.

Those numbers are a stark contrast from his college career. During his time with the Hawkeyes, he totaled 48 catches for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns in four years.

All of that being said, these leadership skills are impressive to see from Kittle. Hopefully, the former Iowa star can help lead his team back to winning and be a big part of powering them into the playoffs when everything is said and done.