Yahya Black

Yahya Black (born April 21, 2002) is an American professional football defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and was selected by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Early life Black attended Marshall High School in Marshall, Minnesota. He was rated as a three-star recruit and commit to play college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

College career As a freshman, Black notched three tackles with half a tackle loss. In week 4 of the 2021 season, he forced a fumble in a win over Colorado State. In the 2021 season, Black totaled 18 tackles, two pass deflection, and a forced fumble. He finished the 2022 season with 11 tackles with one and a half being for a loss, a sack, and two pass deflections. In week 7 of the 2023 season, Black notched four tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a safety, in a win over Wisconsin. That season, he started all 14 games for the Hawkeyes and tallied 51 tackles with five being for a loss, three and a half sacks, and five pass deflections.

Professional career

Black was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round, as the 164th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

NFL career statistics Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD 2025 PIT 17 3 28 10 18 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0Career 17 3 28 10 18 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0

Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD 2025 PIT 1 0 2 0 2 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0Career 1 0 2 0 2 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Personal life In November 2025, Black married his wife, Hailiy Okins.