Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak Press Conference

Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak

Press Conference – September 8, 2026

San Francisco 49ers

Welcome to Melbourne. I’m really keen on, you spoke about getting some speed on the team. Who are some guys that you’ve seen in the locker room that you’re really excited about for this season?

“I’m excited about all of them. I mean, a lot of guys putting in a lot of good work. We got a great core group of guys. Obviously, we’re excited about the new guys, [WR] Mike [Evans], some of our rookies, Strib [WR De’Zhaun Stribling], [RB] Kaelon [Black], a lot of guys. So, I’m just excited to see our guys who’ve been putting in the work go out there and put it on the field and start our season off. So, it’s been a good week and looking forward to the game.”

What kind of challenge is it preparing for Los Angeles Rams DLs Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett?

“It’s a very difficult challenge. Two of the all-time greats and two guys that can wreck a game plan if you don’t have a plan for them and you don’t have attention on them on every play. And so, that’s one of the many challenges of playing against these guys, is those two guys, but they’ve got good players on their entire defensive line, their entire defense. So, we got our work cut out for us, but we’re putting in the work and getting ready for it. But it’s going to be a huge challenge.”

How are you assessing the left guard situation? Do you have to factor in that it is those kinds of guys on the other side in terms of wanting someone with some experience in playing in the league? Or how did you assess that?

“I don’t think so. I think you play who you feel most comfortable with. I think I said this a few weeks ago though, it’s like, when you look at guard, there’s never any reason why guys can’t rotate as well. I mean, multiple guys can play in the game and we’ll see how the game goes with who we start and kind of how we want to do the rotation. But you’ve got to get a feel for how the game’s going and how guys are handling stuff. So, nothing’s settled, nothing’s determined right now. It’s not going to be based on experience necessarily. We’re going to go with who we think should start based on who’s had the best camp and kind of where they’re at and see how the game goes.”

Do you plan on rotating during the game or you have no idea?

“I don’t know. We’re going to have multiple guys up and multiple guys ready to go. So, whether they rotate or not, that’ll be determined how the game goes.”

It’s QB Brock Purdy’s fifth year in the league, and I just wondered how impressive has his growth been? It feels like he’s been labeled before as a system quarterback. It feels like that’s potentially very unfair. What has his growth been like and what development are you hoping to see from him?

“Yeah, I think you’ve seen a guy really in his fifth year who’s just kind of, in a lot of ways, mastered his craft in terms of his preparation, the way he approaches the offseason, the way he seeks to improve and get better every day. He’s very confident in himself and kind of his process, and that’s what to me is really jumping out this year is Brock’s process and the way he gets ready for a game, the way he handles an offseason. He has his way of doing it, and it works, and he’s really owned it. In terms of being in our system, I think he has really grown to be really comfortable. Whether he’s mastered things, I don’t know if he would say that, but he’s very comfortable in a lot of things, and he’s very capable of being challenged with new things, and he wants new things. And guys like that are a lot of fun to work with because they know what they’re good at, but they want to be challenged with new things and they can handle it. And Brock’s ready to go on and take on a new season. So, I’m real excited about where he’s at and looking forward to seeing how he plays.”

What’s it been like getting WR Deebo Samuel Sr. back in the mix?

“It’s been great. I’ve loved having Deebo back. I’ve loved his attitude, loved the way he’s been working at practice every day, being willing to help our team in any way he needs to. And, you know, we got to get Deebo the ball. We got to get him his touches like he’s going to get because he can affect the game in a lot of ways. And so, looking forward to seeing what Deebo can do.”

Is his attitude different from what it was in 2023?

“I wouldn’t say that. I mean, Deebo’s always been, to me, I’ve always had a lot of admiration for the way Deebo plays, the way he goes about his work. I mean, nobody’s more physical and explosive with the ball in their hand and the way he competes on game day. He’s been that same guy to me every day.”

What has WR Mike Evans brought to your group?

“A lot. He’s obviously the veteran presence, he’s seen a lot of football and he’s a very savvy, confident veteran football player who adds a lot of leadership qualities to our room. And he’s a matchup issue. And he’s a guy who, to me, what I’ve been most impressed about Mike is, Mike doesn’t ask a lot of questions. He doesn’t overthink a lot of things. Give me the route, tell me the play, I’m going to find a way to get it done. And I really respect that about Mike. He doesn’t overthink it. And he’s a competitor. And so, I really like what we’ve been seeing. He’s been out there practicing these past couple of days, looks good. And like everyone else, looking forward to the season and seeing how he can grow in our offense.”

How often do you see him next to Stribling, either on the practice field or meeting room, locker room? And do you see those two spending a lot of time together?

“I wouldn’t say I’ve noticed it a ton. It hasn’t stood out to me, but I know they have been working together and I know Strib has been eating up whatever information he can get from Mike, from everybody really. Strib’s been absorbing a lot, but I wouldn’t say anything stood out to me in terms of their relationship.”

Does his maturity level stand out?

“That’s what we’ve said kind of all along. It’s one of the reasons why we drafted him is kind of how he is, how he’s carried himself, the way he was in college, the way he played, his character on tape in college is what we loved. And it’s only shown up here since he’s been here. He’s a very mature, smart young man and he’s a good football player. He’s got a bright future.”

RB Kaelon Black had a pretty strong preseason. What do you expect from him and his impact come game time on Friday?

“Yeah, he did have a good preseason, had a really good training camp. We expect Kaelon to go, when he gets in there and gets his touches, to run very hard like he’s been doing, to add some explosiveness to our run game. And I expect Kaelon to play like he’s been playing all preseason, to be on his details, to be on it in pass protection, in the pass game, and go out there and execute and add a spark to our offense when his number’s called upon.”

Do you see that maturity in Kaelon the same with Stribling?

“100%. I think those two guys are really in the same bucket for me. It’s why they’re ready to go out there and help our offense right now. It’s how they’re wired and they’re ready to go.”

It feels like the Shanahan offense is spread over half the league at this point. In your experience working with Kyle, what separates him and keeps him kind of at the pointy end of the spear as the league looks at offense?

“Obviously Kyle’s had a lot of influence on this league in terms of the style of offense we play, running the ball, marrying run and pass together, all those things, but to me it’s just the preparation. I think Kyle, the way he looks at the game, the way he attacks defenses, and then the way he is with players, getting guys ready to play, getting them to play confidently, it’s pretty special. And, I think Kyle would say this, it’s not about the idea, it’s not about the scheme, it’s the work you put in, the way you get players confident to go out there and execute it. And nobody’s better at that than him. So, it’s been pretty cool for me to be around and see him do it.”

Now that you and your team have been here for a few days, what’s your thought on Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay’s game plan coming here just 24 hours before the game?

“I think this is unprecedented for both teams and nobody wants to stand up here and speculate right now, ‘Oh, this is the right way to do it.’ I think both teams have their reasons for doing it the way they’re going to do it. People are probably going to speculate after the game, ‘Well, this was better than the other,’ but at the end of the day, we’re going to go out there and play. It’s an unprecedented situation. We believe in the way we’re doing it. They believe in the way they’re doing it and we’re going to play the game. So, it’s really at the end of the day, it’s all there is to it.”

How has TE George Kittle looked in practice over the past couple of weeks?

“Yeah, he’s looked good. I’m super impressed with how he’s looked considering the injury he had and how quickly he got back out on the field and just committed to his rehab. And it’s been pretty cool to see Kittle out there looking like himself to me and looking fresh. And how that affects him on game day and how much, what the workload is, that’ll be determined, but he looks good to me. He’s practicing full speed. He’s getting a ton of reps. So, I feel like we’re in good shape.”

So, your expectation is that he’ll play?

“Yeah, we’ve got to see how it gets through the rest of the week. We got two more practices, but Kittle looks good.”

What does Strib bring to your offense this year?

“Yeah, he’s a tough, physical, very good athlete that’s playing the wide receiver position. And that’s what we’ve loved about him from day one. His physicality, his competitiveness, how smart he is. He’s a rookie who’s absorbed a lot and we’ve put a lot on his plate, and he’s responded to those challenges. He’s going to be a big part of our offense and just looking forward to seeing him out there and getting him going.”

Just one more on getting here a little bit earlier. Do you feel like the city is behind you guys?

“I have not been out interacting with the fans, but we’ll see. I hear it’s going to be more Niners fans, but we’ll see when we get out there.”