Frank Gore Jr. is hoping to hear his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft. One of his most pivotal games of the 2022 season comes this Saturday against his father’s alma mater — the Miami Hurricanes.
The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles are traveling to South Beach for a showdown with the Miami Hurricanes this weekend. While this may not look exciting on the surface, there’s a particular family that will have a vested interest on both sides.
Frank Gore Jr., the starting running back for the Golden Eagles, is set to take the field against his father’s alma mater. Frank Gore Sr. is one of the most well-known and beloved NFL running backs of the last couple of decades.
Gore Sr. embodied the “hard hat” mentality as a runner, and due to his stellar genetics and unrivaled work ethic, the running back played football longer than 99% of his peers at the position.
Amazingly, Gore Sr. suffered not one, but two, torn ACLs during his time with the Hurricanes. Most of the time, just one of these injuries — especially in the early 2000s — served as a death nail to a ball carrier’s career. Not Gore Sr., though.
He returned as a senior to lead Miami in every rushing category, including yardage and touchdowns. The elder Gore fell just short of 1000 yards, but after proving that his knee wasn’t a long-term concern for teams, the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft.
For the next decade and a half, Gore Sr. would appear in at least 14 games in every single season aside from one. He rushed the ball at least 150 times in every season after his rookie campaign, recording 853 yards or more for 12 straight seasons.
While he was never a top-five player at his position, Gore Sr.‘s longevity stands head and shoulders above the rest. His 241 games played as a running back are the most in NFL history.
Now, with Gore Sr. officially retired from the league (and pursuing a boxing career), it is time to point our attention to his namesake — Frank Gore Jr.
Southern Mississippi recruited Gore Jr. as a three-star prospect from Miami. He only received three official offers, and rather than staying in state at Florida Atlantic or going to Tennessee to play for Chattanooga, the running back instead chose the Golden Eagles.
He features the same compact frame as his father, standing at 5-foot-8 and weighing in somewhere around 200 pounds. Their style of running is so eerily similar that it almost feels like Frank Gore Sr. just cloned himself.
Gore Jr. has led Southern Miss in rushing yards in both of his seasons with the squad. He racked up 1500+ yards on the ground, averaging nearly five yards-per-carry throughout his career to this point.
He entered the 2022 season still sitting atop the depth chart, with very little competition for touches. The Golden Eagles opened their first-ever season in the Sun Belt Conference against the Liberty Flames last weekend.
Frank Gore Jr. absolutely throttled the Flame’s defense, carrying the ball 32 times for 178 rushing yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by a 46-yard scurry to the end zone in the third quarter.
This was not enough to secure the victory, as the team lost 29-27 in a quadruple overtime thriller. Although his team fell short, Gore Jr. helped his stock with such an impressive performance and showed what he could do with a full workload.
Now, Gore Jr. has a chance to ascend draft rankings even more as he travels back to his hometown to play the Miami Hurricanes. Miami boasts the No. 15 overall ranking in the nation, and they have a handful of NFL players on their roster.
This is going to be the toughest test to date for Frank Gore Jr. in his collegiate career. Mario Cristobal inherited a strong roster that is ready to challenge for an ACC title in 2022. Gore Jr. is assuredly the focus of their game plan heading into Saturday.
Gore Jr. runs hard, is a deceptive athlete, and possesses the vision to succeed at the next level. He only had one catch against Liberty, so proving that he can be a passing threat out of the backfield is the next box that scouts will want to check off.
Gore Jr. doesn’t have gaudy touchdown numbers in his career, which is surprising for a player with the physical run style that he utilizes. A deeper look shows a simple answer as to why; Southern Miss has had an abysmal offense each of the past two seasons.
Ultimately, Gore Jr.’s NFL Draft hopes will come down to how he performs the rest of the season, with this matchup against Miami being a showcase. The NFL Draft Scouting Combine is another crucial part, and Gore Jr. should test extremely well athletically.
The added emotion of it being a homecoming should keep the juices flowing throughout the game. The game script could determine how Gore Jr. is used. If Miami charges to a resounding lead early on, there’s a chance that Southern Miss would look to throw more frequently, taking him out of the game for the most part.
It is a fun storyline to keep an eye on. Gore Jr. currently holds a day three grade from me, but I’ll be taking a close look at what he does this weekend against the Hurricanes. Based on his performance last weekend, Frank Gore Jr. is a realistic riser for the 2023 NFL Draft.