Yesterday's countdown spotlight focused on one of the biggest stars of the Todd Graham era in Will Sutton, but today we look at another player from the same era who's on the verge of becoming a star in a different way. With 89 days until kickoff, today we spotlight Fred Gammage III.
A local product out of Brophy College Preparatory High School, Gammage joined Arizona State as a walk-on in Graham's first season as the head coach. Unsurprisingly, he didn't see the field much, but did eventually earn a scholarship onto the roster due to his consistent hard work and effort in practices.
Gammage worked his way up the depth chart in his final year with the team, too. Working as the fourth receiver, he finished with 334 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 26 receptions, all career highs. In total, Gammage finished his college career with 537 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 52 catches, playing in 36 total games.
Rather than pursuing the NFL Draft, Gammage went to work at his alma mater, serving as an intern with the Sun Devil football program and assisting with the planning and coordination of recruiting strategies. After one year in that role, he was promoted to assistant director of player personnel under Herm Edwards.
Gammage continued to impress people, and it led to San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch calling him up with a job offer once the 2018 season concluded. Gammage joined the 49ers as a pro scout, helping to identify free agent and trade targets for a franchise that would reach the Super Bowl in Gammage's first year on the job.
After five years in that role, Gammage was promoted to the director of pro scouting for this past season. He now leads the organization's pro scouting operations, serving as the top resource when the team is considering any free agent signings or trades.
Gammage's rapid ascension within one of the most successful NFL teams of the last few years has generated buzz about him as a future general manager candidate. There are still one or two promotions between now and then, but Gammage has continued to produce in every role the 49ers have placed him, and the more the team succeeds, the more that Gammage will be considered to lead his own team one day.
Of course, nobody who watched Gammage in Tempe is surprised. From walk-on to valued depth receiver to personnel guru, Gammage is a man of many talents whose drive is unmatched. He serves as a great reminder that Arizona State can - and has - put their players into the NFL in a variety of ways.