The 49ers’ turnaround is surprising to some. Not this rookie, who went through it at FAU
The San Francisco 49ers’ turnaround from four wins in 2018 to playing in Super Bowl 54 is one to marvel at.
But for rookie linebacker Azeez Al-Shaiir, it’s becoming a common theme in his football career after going through a similar situation during his college days at Florida Atlantic.
The Owls went 3-9 each of his first two seasons. As a junior, in Year 1 under Lane Kiffin, FAU went 11-3, won the Conference-USA championship and won the school’s first bowl game since
“I would always tell the guys it was kind of that same feeling for me ... and they would joke with me obviously because I’m a rookie,” Al-Shaiir said Wednesday. “Now, I tell them ‘I feel it. I feel it. This is what happened to us [at FAU].’ Now to see it actually all come through with this team, we have one more thing to finish and then it would be almost the exact same type of story.”
Al-Shaiir’s story is equally as remarkable.
Stints of homelessness during his high school days in Tampa after his family’s house burned down in 2012, forcing his mom and two younger brothers to bounce around from place to place before ultimately settling in a motel.
An ACL injury midway through his senior season at FAU, right when he was starting to make a name for himself and build some draft stock.
Going undrafted in 2019, in part because of that injury.
But he kept his dream alive. Al-Shaiir signed with San Francisco as a free agent thanks at least in part to some nudging by pass-rush coordinator Chris Kiffin (Lane’s younger brother and Al-Shaiir’s defensive coordinator in 2018) and has contributed when his name was called this year.
Making the active roster out of training camp. A regular contributor on special teams. Four starts early in the year when Kwon Alexander was out.
“He worked his butt off and tried to make his mark,” Chris Kiffin said. “He got his chance and made plays. He earned the respect of his teammates and coaches.”
Al-Shaiir credits Kiffin as a reason for his decision to sign with San Francisco after going undrafted.
“We have a great connection,” he said. “I know his family. He knows my family. Obviously knowing him for the last three years is great. ... Just with the familiarity with him and being close with him, I knew it would help me being all the way out here.”
Kiffin added: “Anytime you’re a coach, especially in the college game, to see a guy really succeed when he had his back against the wall in so many different ways through hard work and perseverance is very rewarding as a coach but more so it says so much about him.”
Practice update
Running back Tevin Coleman (shoulder) returned to practice in limited fashion on Wednesday. Alexander (pectoral) and safety Jaquiski Tartt (ribs) were also listed as limited.
Getting Coleman back would be a big boost for the 49ers against the Chiefs on Sunday. The combination of Raheem Mostert (772 yards, eight touchdowns), Matt Breida (623 yards, one touchdown) and Coleman (544 yards, six touchdowns) helped pave the way for the 49ers to have one of the best rushing attacks in the league. San Francisco averaged 144.1 rushing yards per game with an NFL-best 23 rushing touchdowns in the regular season.
“You always want to look at the health of the guys, and Tevin looked good today,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “It’s a shoulder injury, so there’s no issues with his legs. He’s running very well, like he always does when he’s healthy. We’ll see as the week goes how much the pain tolerance goes with his shoulder.”
It was the 49ers’ first on-field session at the University of Miami’s practice fields since arriving in South Florida on Sunday. The team went through a walkthrough on Monday and had an off day Tuesday.
The practice came a day after UM replaced the grass on at least one Greentree Practice Fields following an NFL Network report that the field was originally deemed “unsuitable.”
According to a pool report, Shanahan said the field was in good condition Wednesday as they went through their one-hour, 40-minute practice session. The team was in helmets and shells and worked on first- and second-down installations.
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 8:41 PM.
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