Chargers News: Ladd McConkey Talks Jersey Number Change

Why he's no longer No. 84.

Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey (84) runs a drill during Georgia football's Pro Day in Athens. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

New Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey, selected with the No. 34 pick in the second round of April's 2024 NFL Draft after a four-year stint with the Georgia Bulldogs, revealed why he isn't wearing the No. 84 jersey he rocked in college, writes Daniel Mayes of the Dalton Daily Citizen.

“I just grew up and (No. 15) was my number in middle school and high school,” McConkey said to a media scrum after the club's Friday practice. “No. 84 wasn’t my choice at Georgia, but I feel like I made it my own. I just wanted to go back to 15.”

McConkey grew up in Chatsworth, Georgia, and went to North Murray High School there before committing to join the Bulldogs.

“It’s a new place and a new uniform and new people,” McConkey noted of joining Los Angeles. “But I’ve still got to go out there and run routes, catch the ball, block and do all that stuff. It’s different in aspects, but it’s still football.”

McConkey could be counted on to have an outsized role for a rookie this season, as Los Angeles has a pretty thin wideout room in terms of its experienced vets at this point. The All-SEC Second Teamer and two-time CFP national champ will need to step up.

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