The file on Colin Kaepernick

Early years

Colin Kaepernick grew up in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin before moving to Turlock, California at the age of four. In the fourth grade, Kaepernick wrote a letter that he would "go to the pros and play on the Niners or Packers." He was a three-sport athlete, and excelled at baseball in high school. In his junior and senior seasons, Kaepernick went a combined 56-for-176 (.318) at the plate with 24 RBI. As a pitcher he threw 146.2 innings -- including 16 complete games -- for a 15-6 record and a 1.38 ERA. In basketball, Kaepernick averaged 15.4 points per game as a senior.

College recruitment

Despite the success on the court and diamond, Kaepernick's ultimate goal was to play quarterback at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. He was ranked as a three-star prospect by rivals.com and the No. 34 best pocket-passer in his class, behind Matthew Stafford (ranked No. 1), Josh Freeman (No. 4), Sam Bradford (No. 12), Christian Ponder (No. 14), Andy Dalton (No. 23) and the current strong safety for the Seattle Seahawks, Kam Chancellor (No. 27). The University of Nevada-Reno was his only FBS scholarship, and he signed Jan. 10, 2006.

Freshman year

Kaepernick redshirted upon enrolling at Nevada. As a redshirt freshman, the Turlock product was thrust into the starting spotlight once starter Nick Graziano sustained a season-ending foot injury in the fifth game of the season. Playing less than 40 minutes, he totaled 384 yards passing, four touchdowns and 60 rushing yards in the 49-41 loss to Fresno State. The following week Kaepernick had his coming out party in a 69-67 (4 OT) loss against perennial power Boise State with five total touchdowns and 177 rushing yards.

Nevada-Reno quarterback

Kaepernick finished his redshirt freshman campaign with a 19-3 touchdown to interception ratio, 593 rush yards and six more rushing touchdowns. As a sophomore, Kaepernick won the WAC Offensive Player of the Year while he became just the fifth player in NCAA history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 more yards in a season (a feat he achieved in his last three collegiate seasons). He finished the season with 22 passing and 17 rushing touchdowns, helping lead Nevada to a 7-6 record. As a junior, he threw for 20 touchdowns and rushed for 16 more.

Senior year and the draft

Kap again won the WAC Offensive Player of the Year as a senior, joining Tim Tebow as the second quarterback in FBS history to throw and run for 20 touchdowns in the same season. He led the Wolf Pack to their most successful season ever with a 13-1 record. Kap finished his career with a 4.0 GPA. He scored a 37 on the Wonderlic and ran a 4.53 40-yard dash time (second fastest among quarterbacks) at the Combine. The 49ers traded up with Denver to select Kaepernick with the No. 36 overall pick.

Backup QB

In the preseason, Kap completed 24 of his 50 passes for 257 yards with five interceptions. He was the 49ers backup quarterback behind Alex Smith for the entirety of his rookie year and finished the season with five pass attempts for 35 yards. In 2012, Kap was used in the same capacity -- as Smith's backup -- but played sparingly in the Wildcat. In Week 9, the second-round pick replaced Smith after he suffered a first-half concussion. Kap finished the game 11-for-17 passing with 117 yards and added 66 rushing yards in a 24-24 tie.

Taking the reins

With Smith still injured, Kap started the following week on Monday Night Football. He completed 16-of-23 passes for 243 yards. The Nevada alum started the next game against the New Orleans Saints, although Smith was cleared to play. Kap again dazzled in the 31-21 win. He threw for 231 yards, a touchdown, and ran for 27 yards and another touchdown. That following week Kap was named the team's starter. He finished the regular season with 10 touchdowns, a 62.4 percent completion percentage, and five rushing touchdowns.

2013 Playoffs

In his first postseason start, and eighth start overall, the 49ers quarterback was downright dominant. He broke the NFL single-game record for most rushing yards by a quarterback with 181, which included a 56-yard scamper for a touchdown in the third quarter. The 49ers won 45-31 and moved on to the NFC Championship at Atlanta. The Falcons put San Francisco in an early 17-0 hole, but with the help of a balanced offensive attack, Kaepernick led the 49ers to a 28-24 win, scoring 28 of the final 35 points.

2013 Super Bowl

Super Bowl XLVII marked the sixth championship game for the 49ers. Kap got off to a slow start against the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense when he threw an interception to Ravens safety Ed Reed. The 49ers trailed 21-6 at halftime. Following a blackout, Kap led the 49ers back with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree. A 15-yard touchdown run by Kap brought the team within two, late in the fourth quarter. But the 49ers loss to the Ravens 34-31. Kap finished 16-for-28, 302 yards, one TD, one interception; seven rushes, 62 yards, one TD.

2013 Season

The 2013 season was a roller coaster ride for Kap. He started the season with a triumphant 34-28 win against the Green Bay Packers. He threw for a career-high 412 yards and three touchdowns in the game, taking advantage of the newly acquired Anquan Boldin. From there Kap struggled. He topped 255 passing yards just once in the next fourteen games -- that included lows of 113 passing yards (Week 5) and 91 passing yards (Week 9). He rebounded in Week 17 with 310 yards in the air for two scores in a 23-20 win over Arizona.

2014 Playoffs

In the opening round of the playoffs, Kap faced the Packers. He led the team with 98 rush yards. He helped the 49ers to a second playoff win with two touchdowns in a 23-10 win over the Panthers. In the NFC Championship against Seattle, the 49ers jumped to a 17-10 lead in the third quarter. Down by six with 3:32 left, Kap led the 49ers down to the Seattle 18-yard line. He threw a fade to Michael Crabtree, but the ball was tipped by Richard Sherman and intercepted by Malcolm Smith and the 49ers season was over.

Mega-extension

On June 4, 2014, the 49ers and Colin Kaepernick set and NFL record with a six-year contract extension that included $60 million guaranteed. The contract will keep Kaepernick in Red and Gold through the 2020 season and is reported to be worth up to $126 million.