San Francisco 49ers tackle Austen Pleasants encourages youngsters at his football camp Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Patterson Field in Coal Grove, Ohio.
San Francisco 49ers tackle Austen Pleasants encourages youngsters at his football camp Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Patterson Field in Coal Grove, Ohio.
COAL GROVE, Ohio -- Big Red has found a home with the big red.
Austen Pleasants, affectionately called "Big Red" by Coal Grove football coach Jay Lucas for the former Hornets star's color of hair and beard, led his third youth football camp Saturday at Patterson Field.
Kids flocked to see the San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman, who at 6-foot-7, 335 pounds dwarfed the youngsters.
The kids might have just met a budding star. After stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers (twice), Chicago Bears (twice) and Arizona Cardinals (twice), the former Ohio University star has found a home with the 49ers.
"It's been a great fit so far," Pleasants said. "I'm really looking forward to training camp and the season coming up. I've been working really hard. It's been awesome."
San Francisco signed Pleasants Dec. 17 and four days later promoted him to the active roster. He played in three games, seeing 67 snaps. He didn't allow a sack or a quarterback hit. That was enough to prompt the 49ers to sign Pleasants to a $950,000 exclusive rights contract on April 17. The deal isn't yet guaranteed, but will be if Pleasants makes the 53-man roster.
San Francisco is known for turning lesser-known offensive linemen into starters. Jake Brendel, Ben Bartch and Daniel Brunskill are recent examples.
"I'm excited for the chance to get on the field and play and prove myself," Pleasants said. "I'm taking it one day at a time, one rep at a time and not trying to look too far ahead. I'm looking at a lot of hard work and am looking forward to it."
Pleasants said he's taken something from every place he's played, from Coal Grove to Athens to the NFL.
"Every stop along the way has given me learning experiences to make me the player and the man I am now," Pleasants said. "I try to draw on those things I've learned throughout the years."
Pleasants, who reports to training camp July 21, said the NFL is different. Someone always is trying to take his job.
"This business can be chaotic," Pleasants said. "At the end of the day, it is a business, but I feel good about where I am and it's always going to get better."
As for the camp, Pleasants said he owed it to the Coal Grove community and Lucas, who coached him, to help the youngster have fun and learn football.
"It's an honor to be able to come back and give back to my community," Pleasants said. "I want to give these kids an experience I had to go hours away to get. It's such a blessing to see the kids come out, interact with them and fun. I try to give back what I can."
Bay Area radio host Larry Krueger, who has covered the 49ers since 1997, said on a podcast Pleasants has impressed him greatly in recent workouts.
"He looks fantastic," Krueger said of Pleasants. "He's bigger, stronger, faster and more explosive than I remember. He can really move. Watch for this guy. I don't know if I've ever seen anybody (on the offensive line) move that fast for the 49ers. He'll challenge for the starting right tackle job. He's moving better than Trent Williams, who's going to be a Hall-of-Famer."
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