The new offensive tackle at American National Football League (NFL) outfit, Pittsburg Steelers, Maxwell Iheanachor (aka Max) will wear jersey number 71 with the team he joined on Friday, Sports247 reports.
Iheanachor, who was born in Nigeria but moved with his parents to USA when he was 13 years old, joined The Steelers as number 21 pick in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft on Thursday.
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This marks a symbolic change for Iheanachor, who preferred jersey number 58 during his student days at East Los Angeles College and Arizona State Sun Devils in USA’s National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).
“Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 NFL Draft first-round pick Max Iheanachor will wear No. 71, according to the team. Andrus Peat most recently wore No. 71, taking the field during six games last season.
“Before him, Nate Herbig (2023-24), Joe Haeg (2021) and Matt Feiler (2017-20) owned the digit. Coincidentally, Iheanachor played with Peat’s younger brother, Keona Peat, at Arizona State.
“Iheanachor wore No. 58 with The Sun Devils, but no Steelers player has worn the unofficially retired number since legendary linebacker Jack Lambert called it quits in 1985;” a report by Brendan Howe revealed.
Sports247 also gathered that Iheanachor and his college pal, Jordyn Tyson made history when they were picked in the 2026 NFL Draft, making it the first time in 25 years that Arizona State has had two players selected in the first round.
 outfit, Pittsburg Steelers, Maxwell Iheanachor (aka Max) will wear jersey number 71 with the team he joined on Friday, Sports247 reports.){kind=link}