Frank Gore may be approaching 37 years of age, but that won’t stop him from being the new kid in school now that he’s joined the Jets. If he has any trouble with that, he can ask his son for advice.
As the veteran running back prepares for his 16th NFL season after signing with Gang Green, his son, Frank Gore Jr., is getting ready for his freshman campaign at Southern Miss.
A running back who grew up near Miami just like dad, Gore Jr. is a three-star 2020 prospect out of Killian Senior High School. He was ranked the 65th best rusher in his class and the 131st best player in the state of Florida, according to 247Sports’ composite ratings. Gore Jr. did not get an offer from his father’s alma mater, Miami University, but he did from Kentucky, Chattanooga and Florida Atlantic before deciding on Southern Miss.
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Gore Jr. initially made a verbal commitment to FAU, but that was before Lane Kiffin left for Ole Miss. Once that happened, Gore Jr. flipped his commitment and joined the Golden Eagles in December.
“He’s got great vision,” Gore Sr. said last December. “He can catch the ball, he can run routes. I just want him to continue to work hard. Just whatever he does this year, I don’t want it to get to his head.”
That shouldn’t be an issue if the younger Gore considers all that his father has achieved. Gore Jr. can’t get too full of himself when he remembers that his dad is third on the NFL’s all-time rushing list.
He can, however, say thanks for showing him the way.
“I want to give a huge thank you to my dad for pushing me every day,” Gore Jr. wrote on Twitter last June, “and [for] just being a perfect figure in my life.”
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It’s funny to think about the older Gore suiting up for yet another NFL slate while his son starts his college career. But what if the two took it a step further?
If Gore Jr. were to make it to the NFL and his father was still around, they would become the first father-son duo to play in the same NFL season. Obviously, that’s a big if — Gore Sr. would be 40 three seasons from now and Gore Jr. would have to leave Southern Miss early — but the older back has always been something of an ageless wonder. If any father could hold off Father Time to make that happen, it’s Gore Sr. Of course, Gore Jr. has to also prove worthy of entry into the NFL.
Whether or not the Gores can achieve Griffey-like status remains to be seen, but if nothing else, both will play on high-level football fields in 2020. Regardless of how his first season with the Jets goes, Gore Sr. will be remembered as one the NFL’s all-time backs.
That’s quite the reputation for Gore Jr. to live up to, but he seems to be off to a good start. At the very least, he has his father’s approval.
“I’m very proud,” Gore Sr. said on NFL Network when his kid was still planning to attend FAU. “I’m a proud father.”