Isaac Guerendo has started just one game at running back since he was in fourth grade. Now the 49ers need him to start the final five games of the season.

Guerendo was a wide receiver in middle and high school. Then in college he was a backup running back – he only started one game. And so far this season he has only played 109 snaps.

This week, running game coordinator Chris Foerster was asked about Guerendo’s willingness to carry the load. Here’s what Foerster said, courtesy of the 49ers’ public relations department.

Q: I bet you’re excited about RB Isaac Guerendo’s potential because there’s obviously a bigger opportunity here. What do you think his readiness level is?

FOERSTER: “Oh, he’s more than ready. That was the good thing. Not having to jump in straight away. You heard that, I liked him from the start. The boy had this burst, this speed, and he managed to get into it easily, but right now he’s not letting up. So you still have to be careful, he hasn’t shown full performance in any NFL game up to this point. Now, will he be able to carry the load for all four quarters like Christian McCaffrey has in the past or not? I don’t know if we’ll see that as we move forward. And the other guys, Patrick Taylor Jr., have been here for a while. Of course we are looking forward to Isaac and will see how it turns out. But it will definitely be a challenge for us and a challenge for him because he has to carry the mail for us and do a lot of things over a longer period of time than he has done before.”

Q: You place a lot of emphasis on speed at running back in this offense. Is it safe to say that head coach Kyle Shanahan likes speedy running backs?

FOERSTER: “Well, you kind of are what you are. Speed ​​is nice. If you can get it, it’s important. Being a good defender and having a good feel for the run game and hitting the right lanes and doing things like that. He set all sorts of records in Washington with (former RB) Alfred Morris and we all know Alfred is no speed demon. So there’s a balance between being a good runner who gets it. It took a while for (Miami Dolphins RB) Raheem (Mostert) to get going in that offense before the speed really showed. It’s nice to have that home run threat. As you saw, it’s nice when Isaac broke some runs – at the end of the Dallas game, at the end of the Seattle game, where all of a sudden we were talking about it and calling it the “Angle Assassin.” You think you’re at the right angle, but at that speed you’re able to get that push and go further and more yards than most people would. So it’s nice to have speed.”

Download and follow the Cohn Zohn Podcast.