LSU will always be part of Jayden Daniels’ legacy — he was one of the most electric players in program history and a Heisman winner who delivered a season Tigers fans will remember for years. But for now, LSU won’t be able to use his name, image, or likeness in any of their promotions.

And it's all because the program assigned the No. 5 jersey he wore during his Heisman season to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett. On Aug. 5th, Daniels’ attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry, asking the school to stop using Daniels’ in anything they do.

What started as a debate over a jersey number has turned into a standoff over who gets to control the story of one of LSU’s most iconic players.

LSU Made Two Promises

Pickett isn’t just some guy who wandered into the locker room and grabbed No. 5 off a hook. He was a five-star recruit, and by all accounts, LSU’s old staff told him during recruiting that it would be his.

He came in as a freshman in 2025 wearing No. 3, still managed to put together a strong year, earned freshman All-American honors, and led the team with three interceptions. So when Lane Kiffin took over, he decided to follow through on it.

“The kid’s promised something. He should wear it. It should be honored what he was told.”

And honestly, that’s not some wild take. It’s pretty straightforward. At the same time, Brian Kelly’s stance wasn’t crazy either.

Kelly told ESPN he believed Pickett had been promised No. 5, but also said Daniels didn’t want anyone else wearing it. And to his credit, Kelly didn’t want to start picking and choosing which legends get special treatment — especially when Joe Burrow’s No. 9 is still untouched after his Heisman and national title run.

So LSU ended up in the middle of their own contradiction. Pickett was told one thing during recruiting. Daniels was led to believe the number was basically off-limits. And once Kiffin got there, he was left trying to honor two different promises that couldn’t both be true at the same time.

On paper, LSU’s own policy actually lines up with Kiffin here. Daniels hasn’t been gone long enough to even be considered for a retired jersey — there’s a five-year waiting period. And per LSU’s rules, most numbers can still be worn again unless a coach decides otherwise. The only football number truly gone for good is Billy Cannon’s No. 20.

So no, Daniels wasn’t officially owed a retired jersey. That’s just not how LSU’s system works right now. But at the same time, it’s easy to see why he felt like he had something close to that — because for a couple years, it really did feel like No. 5 was being treated differently.

LSU Still Wanted The Jayden Daniels Story

Daniels’ two years at LSU were more than enough to etch his name all over the record books. In 2023 alone, he threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns with just four picks, then tacked on another 1,134 yards and 10 scores on the ground. That 208.0 passer rating wasn’t just good — it was an FBS record. He also became the third LSU player ever to win the Heisman. Not a bad resume for a couple seasons in Baton Rouge.

And LSU hasn’t exactly been shy about reminding people of it. The school still leans hard into that year, with their “That Kid Jayden” Heisman campaign front and center on their site. He’s still very much part of the program’s recruiting pitch and, honestly, their brand.

But Daniels’ NIL deal only allowed LSU to use his name, image, and likeness for 180 days after his final college game. That window closed back in 2024. So the jersey decision didn’t magically create leverage for Daniels — it just pushed him to actually use leverage he already had sitting there.

The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU’s decision to give Jayden’s number to another player.

Now, you can think that reaction is a bit much — and there’s an argument for that. At the end of the day, no player gets to permanently lock up a number in college football. All of that can be true at once without pretending LSU handled the optics perfectly here.

Because what this really comes down to is LSU trying to have it both ways: keep celebrating Daniels as a program-defining legend while also deciding the most visible piece of his LSU identity — his number — was fair game again.

Daniels couldn’t take No. 5 away from Pickett. So instead, he pulled back the one thing LSU never really gets to keep forever.

His name. His image. His likeness.

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