San Francisco 49ers second-year wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is making a change after only one season in the NFL.
Pearsall, who wore No. 14 for the 49ers last season, changed his jersey to No. 1 for his second season. He wore No. 1 during his two seasons at the University of Florida after wearing No. 19 during his three years at Arizona State.
His reversion back to his last college number comes after WR Deebo Samuel, who previously wore No. 1 was traded to the Washington Commanders. ESPN’s Ben Solak dug into the very scientific art of NFL jersey numerology and couldn’t determine whether the number change will be good or bad for the 49ers’ 2024 first-round pick.
Via ESPN:
49ers WR Ricky Pearsall has changed his jersey number from 14 to 1, his college number. Those are good vibes. The last 49er to wear No. 1 was Deebo Samuel Sr., the career 49er who was just traded to the Commanders. Those are spooky vibes. Jury’s still out on this one.
Samuel only wore No. 1 for one season with the 49ers and it coincided with a down year for him from a production standpoint. He spent his first five seasons wearing No. 19, and made the change to his college number (No. 1) for what turned out to be his final season in San Francisco.
We’re rolling with the change being a good one for Pearsall. He was wearing No. 14, which is not a good wide receiver number, even in the modern era of WRs more frequently donning numbers between 10 and 19. That 14 just wasn’t quite right, and the move to No. 1 is a good omen for the start of his second NFL season.
Look no further than the last time Pearsall changed to No. 1 on his jersey. That came in his first year with the Florida Gators, and that year he turned in a career highs in receiving yards (661), yards per rececption (20.0) and receiving touchdowns (five). The following season he churned out a career-high 65 receptions while also setting a new career-best with 965 receiving yards. Pearsall also rushed for 175 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries at Florida after posting 78 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries at Arizona State.
Year 1 was rough for Pearsall with a hamstring injury costing him the first part of training camp, and a shoulder injury costing him the opportunity to play in the preseason. Once he got healthy, he was shot in a robbery attempt the weekend before the regular season started, and he spent the first six weeks of the regular season on the Non-Football Injury list.
A number change to a good WR number sets Pearsall in motion for a quality second year in the NFL, and he should be on track to avoid the issues that befell Samuel after his change to the same number.
Science.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers WR tempts fate by changing jersey number after one season
Reporting by Kyle Madson, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
