Linebacker Fred Warner found an unexpected training partner during his recovery from a season-ending ankle injury in 2025: the pool.
After going down in Week 6, Warner initially believed he would not return until training camp in 2026. As his recovery progressed, however, scans showed he was healing ahead of schedule, opening the door for a potential postseason return.
When the 49ers came off their late-November Bye Week and started on a six-game winning streak, Warner became determined to give himself every opportunity to get back on the field. To help speed up his healing process, the All-Pro linebacker began swimming at San Jose State University under the guidance of women's swimming and diving head coach Sage Hopkins.
"I was constantly dealing with swelling," Warner told Matt Barrows of The Athletic. "So when I would put it in the water and just kick, it was a natural flushing of the ankle. Every time I got out of the water, my ankle looked so much better than it did going in."
The veteran coach praised Warner's willingness to learn and shared videos throughout the offseason of Warner in the pool.
In a recent post, Hopkins said "Working with Fred has been a blast! He's an awesome guy, swims faster than you, and pretty good at football too… keep up the awesome work @fredwarner 💪🏼."
Warner replied: "You're the man Sage!🙏🏾🔥🤞🏾"
Warner's competitive nature also showed up during the sessions.
"He was immediately asking me: 'What would Michael Phelps do for a time on this? What would your fastest sprinter do?'" Hopkins told The Athletic. "And that made me realize it was going to be a motivating factor for him."
Warner did not return during the 2025 season, but he came close. Warner practiced ahead of the 49ers NFC Divisional Round matchup and later said he would have been ready to play in the NFC Championship Game had San Francisco advanced.
Now, even after being cleared to resume football activities, Warner has continued incorporating swimming into his training routine. He recently joked that the workouts still "whup" him, but one thing is for sure, the sessions have become a valuable part of his preparation heading into the 2026 season.
