"Giants quarterback Eli Manning was a teammate of 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis for one season at Mississippi.

And Manning good-naturedly expressed disbelief Wednesday that he wasn't a college teammate of the Niners' other team captain, running back Frank Gore.

Manning said he hosted Gore during a recruiting visit, presumably in the fall of 2000, when Gore was a senior at Coral Gables (Fla.) High. In Manning's mind, Gore's visit went well, but the Super Prep All-American signed with Miami.

"He committed!" Manning said, laughing, when asked about his inability to close the deal. "I kind of thought I had a good visit and took care of him. He was calling me a few weeks later, making sure we run the counter play. I told him we run the counter play, all he needed to do was come here."