Michigan Football head coach, Jim Harbaugh, said that free agent quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, could still be a great player in the NFL.

Harbaugh coached Kaepernick when the two were members of the San Francisco 49ers organization. Harbaugh chose Kaepernick over one first round draft pick and one time starting quarterback, Alex Smith, after the former showed great potential with both his strong throwing arm and long, agile legs. Kaepernick and Harbaugh led the 49ers to a good deal of success, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2012. Kaepernick has recently gained notoriety for his boycott of the National Anthem and his sub par play afterwards. Kaepernick is currently out of a job in the NFL, but Harbaugh said that if given a chance, the dual threat could become a great player.

“Again, you look at the history of the position and … myself, I don’t think I even started until I was 26, maybe it was 27. My fourth year in the league, I became a full-time starter. A lot of quarterbacks really come into their own in their late 20s and even their early 30s,” said Harbaugh. “It seems that these days people aren’t as patient. They want to label someone as being great or not being able to play, being a bust so quickly these days. Even after they label them great, then if a quarterback struggles for a season, all of a sudden they can’t wait to tear them down. Build them up to tear them down.”