Jarryd Hayne NFL: San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Tomsula gives NRL superstar glowing rap

JARRYD Hayne’s San Francisco 49ers NFL coach Jim Tomsula has spoken for the first time about the NRL superstar and could hardly have been more complimentary.

SAN Francisco 49ers coach Jim Tomsula has described Jarryd Hayne as “courageous ... or flat nuts” for walking away from NRL stardom to start from the bottom in the NFL.

Speaking to the media for the first time about Hayne, Tomsula lauded the former Parramatta Eels fullback for having the bravery to attempt such a radical career change.

“The other thing that gets me too, that excites me, he is ‘the guy’ in Australia,” Tomsula said. “Lawrence (Okoye) was ‘the guy’ in England. You were all huddled around a table to talk to them.

“They were the best at what they were doing and in both situations they walk away from that to start something new, to start at the bottom. That hits me. That’s something different about who you are and your make up.

“There’s a lot of courage involved right there - or you’re flat nuts. Either way, that could work for us, right?”

Jarryd Hayne, third from the right, appears at a pre-season training workout with NFL players including 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Jarryd Hayne has earned a glowing rap from his San Francisco 49ers coach. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Hayne departed Australia last week and headed straight to Arizona to begin training at the EXOS facility alongside 49ers teammates Colin Kaepernick, the franchise’s star quarterback, and running back Alfonso Smith.

Romans 8:31 #blessed #grinding #living #DreamChasers #week1 mad love for the welcoming @kaepernick7… https://t.co/SnkXSg72bq

— jarryd hayne (@jarrydhayne_1) March 23, 2015

“@GibsonIain: And the Back #49ers This is the view that the DE-FENCE will see, as he cuts his way to the END ZONE! pic.twitter.com/UB5GfFjung” 👌

— jarryd hayne (@jarrydhayne_1) March 26, 2015

Tomsula said he will initially position Hayne as a running back, but could shift him depending on the pace and quality of his transition from rugby league.

The incoming 49ers coach also spoke glowingly of Hayne’s “explosive qualities”.

“He’s playing a position that’s not like anything else he’s done,” Tomsula said. “Everything is completely brand new. That’s a hard transition.

“When you get to a guy playing rugby and his skillset is as a running back - that’s where we’ll start him, I’m not going to tell you that’s where he’ll end - you’ve got a guy who’s used to being down field catching a ball with people running at him.

“You’ve got a guy who’s used to making tackles in open spaces. You’ve got a guy who’s used to catching the ball, carrying the ball, being in open space and avoiding. Obviously with the explosive qualities that he has, you can’t help but be excited.”

Originally published as Jarryd Hayne NFL: San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Tomsula gives NRL superstar glowing rap