San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy couldn’t hide the emotion when he led a youth football camp at his alma mater, Iowa State, on June 22.
“They’ve followed me and they still have my back,” Purdy told reporters, according to The Gazette in Ames, Iowa. “For them to grow up and see me playing on the field, that could be them one day. So, for me, I get choked up when I see it. It’s special.”
Purdy played for the Cyclones from 2018 to 2021 before the 49ers took him with the final pick in the 2022 draft. The rest became history as Purdy rose to the starting job with the 49ers and led the team to a Super Bowl.
Purdy didn’t go into that when talking with the nearly 650 campers, instead getting them excited to play football.
“Man, I appreciate every single one of you guys,” Purdy told the children, according to The Gazette. “Man, I’m getting emotional. I’m back here, home. … Man, let’s play some football. You guys ready?”
Brock Purdy camp at Iowa State yesterday. 650 kids. Fun moment. Hometown Arizona kid having a great 2024. Super Bowl, marriage, giving back. Handling his business…
The children’s enthusiastic response: “Yeah!” Purdy worked with the youth on passes and doled out many high-fives throughout the camp.
Purdy’s father, Shawn, said he had reminded his son that he used to be one of those kids.
“I told Brock this morning, ‘Once, this was you,'” Shawn Purdy told Local 5 News. “He does such a good job of, you know, giving his best to the kids. And they’ll remember … this for a lifetime.”
“Every time I come back to Ames there’s just more development and it looks a little different,” Purdy said. “It’s just exciting because of the growth.
“Obviously, everybody getting behind Iowa State football and the program and the university, so to come back and just see new things, for me, it’s special, because I feel like all the guys even before me, we’ve tried to just continue to build this place,” he added. “To come back and see the progress is pretty cool.”
Brock Purdy Left Big Shoes to Fill at Iowa State
Purdy helped Iowa State succeed during his collegiate career, throwing for 12,170 yards and 81 touchdowns versus 33 interceptions. He led the Cyclones to four winning seasons and a Fiesta Bowl win during his time in Ames.
After Purdy graduated, the Cyclones dipped to 4-8 in 2022 but bounced back to 7-6 in 2023. Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht faces big shoes to fill because Purdy set more than 30 school records. But Purdy said he believed Becht can get the job done.
“He knows where he’s going with the ball. I feel like playing quarterback, it’s about making the right decision over and over and over again,” Purdy said, according to The Gazette. “Obviously, arm strength and all that stuff is cool. But if you can make the right decisions and be smart with the ball and let the defense play defense, you’re going to win ballgames doing that. Rocco does that.”
Brock Purdy: ‘It’s Like Another Language’
As for winning more games with the 49ers in 2024, Purdy said he had been working on his playbook mastery and mobility. The third-year quarterback emerged as an MVP candidate last season but came up short in the Super Bowl.
“It’s just the playbook, continuing to chip away at that, getting more familiar with it,” Purdy said. “It’s like another language, like I always say, so you’ve got to always be in it. And then physically, just my mobility and hopefully being able to translate that to being quicker and more elusive and things like that. I can always continue to get better in that regard.”
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Brock Purdy ‘Choked Up’ in Iowa State Return