Kyle Shanahan, the mastermind offensive coach leading the San Francisco 49ers into Super Bowl 58, wasn't always an NFL headliner.

His journey began not in the bright lights of professional football, but on the fields of Texas football. Shanahan, son of legendary NFL coach Mike Shanahan, didn't arrive at Austin on a pedestal, however, starting as a walk-on and appearing in 23 games during his junior and senior year, racking up 14 catches and 127 receiving yards as a wide receiver.

Texas wasn't just about playing for Shanahan; it was about learning from the best. Thanks to a phone call from Mike Shanahan, coach Mack Brown, who led Texas from 1998 to 2013, agreed to let Kyle Shanahan onto the team. Shanahan already had clear intentions to become a football coach in the future. Offensive coordinator Greg Davis, known for his innovative West Coast offense, became an early mentor, fostering Shanahan's offensive acumen.

His understanding of the game, fostered by his playing experience and mentorship, led him to pursue coaching after graduation. Shortly after completing his degree at Texas in 2003, Shanahan assumed the role of graduate assistant under Karl Dorrell at UCLA. He subsequently bounced around to five different NFL teams before becoming head coach of the 49ers in 2017.

Here's what you need to know about Kyle Shanahan's time at Texas Memorial Stadium.

Kyle Shanahan stats at Texas

Kyle Shanahan amounted 14 receptions for 127 yards in his career as a wide receiver for the Texas Longhorn, but never managed to find the end zone in his collegiate career.

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He initially accepted a scholarship from Duke University's Carl Franks but later opted to transfer as a redshirt freshman to Texas, where he began as a walk-on, and appeared in 23 games over his junior and senior year. He donned the Longhorns orange during the same era as star pass catchers Roy Williams, Sloane Thomas and B.J. Johnson.

Kyle Shanahan teammates at Texas

During his time in Austin, Kyle Shanahan was extremely close with a few select teammates. Shanahan, along with Bo Scaife, Rod Babers, Montrell Flowers, and Chris Simms formed a brotherhood they called "The Wood," with B.J. Johnson and Nathan Vasher as unofficial members, according to The Athletic.

The group name is based off the title of a 1999 romantic comedy starring Omar Epps and Richard T. Jones. The five-some spent most of their time off the field together, creating nicknames for each other (Shanahan was Shan-O) and even getting tattoos commemorating the group in 2002.

“He hasn’t changed that much,” Babers said of Shanahan to The Athletic. “I keep expecting him to change every time I see him, because I see him on TV and on the sideline, and I’m like, ‘That guy. I’ve got so many great stories about that guy. And that guy’s running an NFL team.’ … He partied as hard as anybody, had a great time. But when it’s time to flip the switch to football, he immediately could do it. And he’s as close to a savant as I’ve seen in the football world when it comes to breaking down actual ball.”

Despite only amounting 127 yards in his Texas career, members of "The Wood" praised Shanahan for his knowledge of the most intricate details of football, perfecting certain routes at the wide receiver position.

“He used to always run a great six route, 10 yards in from the slot,” Johnson said. “Every time we did one-on-ones, no one could ever stop him on that route.”

Even Shanahan's teammates could see a future in coaching at the professional level, a goal the future 49ers coach set his eye on during his time as a Longhorn. As he soaked up complexities about the game from his father as well as from his own point of view, Shanahan was already making an impact for Texas without putting up gaudy counting stats.

“The craziest thing back then is that when it came to football, he was almost like a coach then,” said Johnson, who started ahead of Shanahan. “Because he would always be in my ear telling me little things he could see from his point of view.”

Kyle Shanahan football career timeline

Kyle Shanahan played out his collegiate career as a wide receiver for the Longhorns after transferring from Duke as a redshirt freshman. He kicked off his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UCLA in 2003, and rose up the ranks of the NFL coaching tree to head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

• Duke (1998): Wide receiver

• Texas (1999-2002): Wide receiver

• UCLA (2003): Graduate assistant

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2004–2005): Offensive quality control coach

• Houston Texans (2006): Wide receivers coach

• Houston Texans (2007): Quarterbacks coach

• Houston Texans (2008–2009): Offensive coordinator

• Washington Redskins (2010–2013): Offensive coordinator

• Cleveland Browns (2014): Offensive coordinator

• Atlanta Falcons (2015–2016): Offensive coordinator

• San Francisco 49ers (2017–present): Head coach

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 49ers Kyle Shanahan's college football career at Texas, revisited