Former University of Nevada coach Chris Ault has been praising the progression of Colin Kaepernick.

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback was promoted to the starting lineup part-way through the regular season, which was his second year with the team.

Ault, who was Kaepernick's coach at college, told NFL AM: "I'm going to tell you something about Kaep. He is the guy that I found, and you saw it last week, his patience and his poise to understand his role.

I think [49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh] and that staff have just done a super job with this guy and they have given him things he can do and do well. If his role is to pull the ball and run it, he's going to do it and, if not, he'll hand it off.

"He came to my camp, so I had him for two days, got to work with him, see his ability, his athleticism. From that point on, we didn't jump right on it, but he was a prospect."

The 49ers will play the Baltimore Ravens in this year's Super Bowl on February 3.