Jeremiah Trotter Jr. to Wear Father's Iconic No. 54 Eagles Jersey for 2024 NFL Season

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. will wear No. 54 for the 2024 season, the team announced Friday.

That's the same number his father wore on his way to the Eagles Hall of Fame through eight seasons with the club.

The Eagles traded up in the fifth round to draft Trotter out of Clemson with the 155th pick.

Now he will look to follow in the footsteps of his father, a 1998 third-rounder who was named to four Pro Bowls and earned one All-Pro nod during three separate stints in Philadelphia.

The Eagles noted that there could still be some number changes before Week 1, but Trotter figures to keep the number given its sentimental significance.

He said after the draft that he planned to ask the team for No. 54, per USA Today's John Leuzzi.

Before the draft, Trotter Sr. also told NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark that he was also hoping for his son to wear his old number.

"It would be a great storyline man," Trotter Sr. said. "To have another Trotter don the No. 54, it would be crazy. But I've been thinking about this for years, since he was 10 years old."

Trotter Jr. is joining the eagles after playing 26 games as middle linebacker for Clemson between 2022 and 2023.

He became a key part of the Tigers' defense over his final two college seasons, recording 104 solo tackles (177 total) and 12 sacks.

His 92.0 Pro Football Focus coverage grade ranks as the best among all FBS linebackers who took at least 600 snaps in coverage, according to the Eagles.

His father earned the nickname "Axe Man" as a member of a dominant early-2000s Eagles defense that regularly ranked tops in the NFL in pass defense and scoring.

After he was named a starter by former Eagles and current Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid in his second NFL season in 1999, Trotter Sr. broke out with 3.0 sacks and 120 combined tackles during his 2000 All-Pro campaign.

Although he left the Eagles twice to play two seasons in Washington and one with Tampa Bay, Trotter Sr. returned for his final NFL season in Philadelphia in 2009. He was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2016.

Now his son's own Philadelphia NFL career will begin Friday with the opening of the Eagles' rookie camp.