San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Trent Williams believes head coach Kyle Shanahan possesses a unique ability to elevate his players, likening his coaching style to a "Jedi mind trick." Williams, a future Hall of Fame player, shared on The Pivot podcast that he learned more about football in a single 30-minute team meeting with Shanahan than in his previous decade as a veteran.
"The way he breaks it down is literally like something you’ve never seen. Down to the cornerback, where his weight is," Williams said. "Just the way he diagnoses football, I hate that everybody can’t witness it. I hate that everybody can’t because then it would be no question who’s the best coach in the league."
Williams emphasized that Shanahan's effectiveness stems from his ability to foster belief within the team. "The fact that he made us competitive, the fact that we believed that we could go win a Super Bowl, we literally believed. He made us believe. And it’s not because of what we had in the locker room, but what we had in a coach,” he stated.
This praise comes after the 49ers secured a decisive 27-7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the opening week of the 2026 NFL season. The performance was particularly noteworthy given the team's challenging offseason.
Shanahan himself sustained multiple injuries in a car crash prior to the start of training camp. Despite being limited initially, he returned to the sidelines for the season opener. He described the win as special, citing the "uncertainty" of the summer and the team's ability to adapt and perform in a new environment, having played the game in Australia.