Norm Hall / Stringer
Marquise Goodwin is set to get back on the track. Goodwin, who left the University of Texas as a long jump star, in addition to being a highly-touted receiving prospect, hasn’t run in a track and field event since 2016, when he was with the Buffalo Bills.
Goodwin failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games with the Bills, but finished 10th in the long jump in the 2012 London Olympics and was a two-time national champion at Texas.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch, Goodwin had essentially given up on track when he signed with the 49ers in 2017, but now has his sights set on Olympic trials from June 19-28 in Eugene, Oregon, before training camp takes place.
Goodwin told reporters that his plans will take place in offseason, according to Branch.
“It’s just offseason,” Goodwin said. “It’s all on my off time. I use it as part of my training. What I do in long jump — track and field — definitely correlates to what I do as a wide receiver. Being fast. Being explosive. Putting my foot down. It’s the same mechanics that I use in football.”
In 2017, the 49ers stated: “Marquise informed our organization quite some time ago that he has no intentions of competing in track and field and has been entirely focused on his football career for more than a year.”