The smile hasn't left Max Iheanachor's face since he was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and it was bigger than ever on Friday as he toured the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Ihaenachor, who will wear No. 71 for the Steelers, arrived in Pittsburgh on Friday morning and is loving life.
"Just even coming off the plane this morning, I'm thinking, I'm ready for this," said Ihaenachor. "It felt like a dream. That's what this is about, the excitement. I'm ready to just put on for Steelers Nation man and give it my all, come every day and work hard for sure."
When his flight landed this morning, the last thing he expected was to be greeted by fans cheering and yelling for him at the gate.
But that is exactly what happened.
"It kind of caught me by surprise," he said. "I was coming off the plane a little bit tired, and I saw everyone. It just gave me more energy."
He has come a long way in life so far, his family moving to the United States from Nigeria when he was 13 years old.
It was life changing.
"My parents did it for us kids, for all of us," said Iheanachor. "Just putting us in a better position to get the best education out there. They like lawyers and doctors, I'm not a lawyer and doctor, but close to it. They were excited. I am excited. Everyone was excited."
When he first came to the United States, football wasn't the plan for him. But after high school, it became a reality.
"My mom was worried a little bit, but it happened," he said. "I knew what I could handle it. At that point, after high school, I'm kind of growing. I know what I can do. So just making them understand my decisions and just in a respectful way. And it played out really well. So, I'm really just grateful. But it's really God. God is number one."
One thing he never expected when he left Nigeria was to be in the position he is today, the first-round draft pick of the Steelers.
"I'll be lying if I told you I did expect it," he said. "It's really just God. Shout out to him. Without him, none of this is possible. Shout out my parents also for bringing me out here to the States. I fell in love with sports, played basketball in high school. And after high school, I knew I wanted to play football, went to JUCO, started chasing the dream from there and just worry about every day, just trying to just get better and take care of myself for sure."
And now, he is living a dream.
"I'm walking around the facility, meeting everyone," said Iheanachor. "I'm going to do a photoshoot, so it's wow. It's crazy. I'm just excited, excited for sure."
