One 49ers Coach Surprisingly Named as a Future Head Coach Candidate

No one could've foresaw this coach on the 49ers being named as a future head coach candidate.

Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a San Francisco 49ers helmet at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The main issue with the San Francisco 49ers bringing Robert Saleh back is that it will probably be for a limited time.

Saleh didn’t immediately jump at rejoining the 49ers because he was pursuing vacant head coaching positions. That is surely still a goal of his, so he could be gone in a year or two.

He is the likeliest coach on the 49ers to become a head coach. However, Pro Football Network is thinking outside the box for this topic.

They have surprisingly named wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson as a future head coach candidate. They believe that Hankerson will be a popular name after 2025. 

“A third-round pick as a wide receiver in 2011, Leonard Hankerson had a brief playing career before becoming a coach in 2016. In that time, he quickly rose from being a high school wide receivers coach to becoming the wide receivers coach for the San Francisco 49ers,” wrote PFN analyst Jacob Infante.

“Under Hankerson's watch, Brandon Aiyuk turned from a strong complementary weapon to an All-Pro talent. He played a role in Jauan Jennings' development from a backup into having a 975-yard campaign in 2024. His wide receivers' performance and relationship with Kyle Shanahan give him promotion potential in the near future.”

Infante’s explanation is fairly sound despite it being short. I’ll take it a step further for him because I see the vision he has for naming Hankerson as a future candidate.

It makes sense for Hankerson to be a popular name after 2025 among all the coaches on the 49ers because he has a lot of youth on his plate.

Imagine the credibility he will gain if he turns Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, and Jordan Watkings into key players. He doesn’t even need all three to pan out this year.

Just getting two out of three of them to flourish is good enough. That will start to make Hankerson become an ascending name, but I don’t know about being a head coach.

While it makes him popular, he needs to become an offensive coordinator first. Jumping from position coach to head coach is wild and uncommon.

Saleh is still the likeliest coach on the 49ers to depart for a head coaching vacancy.