Iowa Hawkeyes Legend Receives Critical Injury Update

This former Iowa Hawkeyes star has received a major injury update with the San Francisco 49ers.

Sep 19, 2015; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes tight end George Kittle (46) escapes a tackle by Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Lafayette Pitts (6) at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images / Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Iowa Hawkeyes legend and current San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle did not play in his team's Week 11 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks due to a hamstring injury, but fear not: it's not all bad.

When you hear "hamstring," you instantly think of an injury that will take several weeks to heal, but fortunately, Kittle's issue does not seem to be a long-term thing.

ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported that Kittle will actually have a realistic chance to return when the 49ers face the Green Bay Packers next Sunday.

Of course, San Francisco is likely going to treat Kittle with kid gloves.

With top wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk being out for the season, Kittle becomes that much more important to a Niners offense that has been a bit up and down in 2024.

In eight games this year, Kittle has caught 43 passes for 560 yards and seven touchdowns. He leds all 49ers pass-catchers in each category.

Kittle played at Iowa from 2013 through 2016 and is a prominent reason why the school has become widely known as "Tight End U."

The 31-year-old actually did not post big numbers with the Hawkeyes, accumulating 48 catches for 737 yards and 10 scores throughout his tenure at Iowa City.

He was then selected by San Francisco in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

That was when Kittle came into his own, as he hauled in 88 receptions for 1,377 yards while reaching the end zone five times as soon as his second NFL season.

Kittle has made five Pro Bowl appearances while also earning a couple of First-Team All-Pro selections.