ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — When Frank Gore Jr. hit the practice field for the first time as a member of the Buffalo Bills, it brought back great memories from his high school days.

"I loved it here. What they say? 'Hey ey ey ey?' I love that," Gore said after a rookie minicamp practice earlier this month. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Bills signed RB Frank Gore Jr. as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Miss

  • He's the son of former Bills and NFL great Frank Gore 

  • Gore Jr. is focused on proving doubters wrong and carving his own place in the NFL 

While chants of the "Shout" song sound familiar to him — the name sounds familiar to Bills Mafia.

His dad, Frank Gore Sr., played for the Bills just five years ago. And like his famous father, Gore Jr. is a running back, and signed with Buffalo as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi.

"Knowing that my dad wanted me here, I wanted to be here," Gore Jr. said. "When me and [running backs coach] Kelly Skipper met over the [draft] process, I just got the vibe that he’s the type of coach that I need to get better, the type of coach that I want to become the best player that I could possibly be."

The elder Gore spent just one season with the Bills in 2019 toward the end of his long and illustrious career — one that saw him rack up 16,000 rushing yards — third most in NFL history. 

Now, the younger Gore is trying to carve out his own spot in the league with the backing and conficdence of one the best from his own bloddline. 

"My dad has been preparing since I was like 14 years old for this," said Gore Jr. "So when he says that, he says that confidently because knows what he pushed me, the tests he put me through and I’m never going to back down so that’s why he’s so confident about it."

Gore Jr. finished his college career No. 3 all-time in rushing yards at Southern Miss. While some draft analysts believe he might have an uphill climb to be an impact player in the NFL — he has the drive to prove them all wrong.

"There was no way 2,257 people is better than me in this draft," Gore Jr. said. "Now that this process is over, I’m a Bill and I’m here to compete. I’m here to push my teammates and push the running back room and try to get on special teams."

And with the sage advice from another former No. 20 in Bills red, white and blue, Frank Gore Jr. has all the foundation he needs.

"Continue to work hard. Never let someone tell you what your future holds because they’re not in your position," Gore Jr. said of words of encouragment from his father. "Just come every day head down, take steps forward and don’t worry about anything you can’t control."