The 49ers’ offense won’t look much different this season than it did in 2023, and the organization is more than happy with that.

Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams are back with the team after not practicing all summer, joining Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brock Purdy on a team looking to exact revenge after a narrow Super Bowl loss.

It’s easy to lose Samuel in the sea of ​​star talent, but the former All-Pro had 1,770 scrimmage yards in 2021 and brings an element to the 49ers’ offense that no one else can when he’s on the field. This year, Samuel also brings a brand new jersey number.

Below you can read why Samuel changed his number from number 19 to number 1 in preparation for the 2024 season.

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Why did Deebo Samuel change his number?

Samuel wore the No. 1 overall pick at South Carolina, but wide receivers were not allowed to wear single-digit numbers in the NFL when he was drafted in 2019. That change took effect ahead of the 2021 season, allowing receivers to wear any number between 1-49 and 80-89.

Former 49ers safety Jimmie Ward also wore No. 1 in college, however. Because Ward had seniority, he was given the first opportunity to switch to No. 1, prompting Samuel to stick with No. 19.

Ward left the 49ers after the 2022 season, but the move likely took a year because the NFL requires players to purchase the entire inventory of merchandise with their number on it if they request an immediate change. By waiting a year, Samuel could have switched to No. 1 without spending anything.

Samuel played in two Super Bowls with the 49ers, but he’s paying homage to his college days with the number change. Though he started out wearing No. 9 with the Gamecocks, Samuel finished his college career wearing No. 1 with a season of 882 yards and 11 touchdowns, helping him become a high second-round NFL Draft pick after missing most of the 2017 season to injury.

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Deebo Samuel South Carolina stats

Samuels’ college career was cut short by a broken leg suffered early in the 2017 season, but he rebounded mightily with 11 touchdowns in 12 games in 2018.

Samuel had such a strong start in 2017 that he might not have returned to school in 2018 had he stayed healthy, but the Gamecocks saw Samuel’s full potential in his senior season. Samuel finished his college career with 2,076 receiving yards, which currently ranks 11th in program history.

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Deebo Samuel NFL Stats

Samuel has dealt with nagging injuries at times throughout his NFL career, but on the field he’s a dynamic part of the 49ers’ offense.

The former second-round pick broke out in a big way in 2021, showing a great connection with Jimmy Garoppolo and amassing 1,405 receiving yards. Kyle Shanahan has also used Samuel extensively out of the backfield, accounting for 1,007 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns in five seasons.

Samuel’s path to another 1,000-yard receiving season will be complicated by the number of high-quality pass-catchers in the 49ers’ offense, but a fully healthy season could put him on track for his best production since that season in 2021.