(Via Chris Mezzavilla)
It’s not like we didn’t know this was the case, but it’s interesting to hear it confirmed.
49ers general manager John Lynch told Murph & Mac on Friday that while the starting quarterback job is Jimmy Garoppolo’s for now, rookie Trey Lance is nipping at his heels ahead of Saturday’s preseason opener.
“That’s up to Kyle [Shanahan]. That’s up to our head coach,” Lynch said on KNBR. “He makes the decisions on who’s playing and what not. But I think it’s Jimmy’s right now and Trey’s pushing. I think that’s where it’s at.”
It would appear Lance has come along way from day one of training camp, when Shanahan made it clear there was no quarterback competition. Ever since then, reporters and those watching Lance have swooned over his performances in practice. The public will get to see it for the first time on Friday, where Lance is expected to play most of the first half.
Lynch said that Lance has been the real deal since he’s stepped foot in the facility.
“Everybody wanted to know, ‘Tell me about this kid,’” Lynch said. “He’s been awesome. He’s been everything we thought he would be and more. He was good from day one when he walked in here in the offseason, and I think a testament to what we thought he was and his work ethic.
“You could tell right away when Trey got back here, he had been working, and it was evident in the way he was calling plays and the way he was processing. … There were some mechanical things in his fundamentals that Kyle and the group had asked him to work on, and he went and did that.
“That’s what we thought we were getting, and the early returns are really good. And he’s got a good way about him. His teammates really respect him. He and Jimmy have had an incredible working environment together where, yes, it’s a competition, but they’re both really good to each other.”
Listen to the full interview below.