RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Oct 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) is interviewed after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Washington Commanders star quarterback Jayden Daniels emerged as a legitimate superstar with the LSU Tigers, blossoming into the eventual No. 1 overall pick and a Heisman Trophy winner. However, there now seems to be a major rift between Daniels and the program.
The superstar quarterback is now reportedly refusing to allow LSU to use his name, image, and likeness after he felt “profoundly disrespected” by the program’s decision to allow another player to wear his No. 5 jersey.
‘Profoundly Disrespected’
The dispute between Daniels and LSU centers around LSU’s decision to allow sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett to wear the No. 5 jersey that Daniels wore when he won the Heisman Trophy back in 2023. Pickett wore a No. 3 jersey during his first season with the Tigers in 2025 when he was named a freshman All-American. However, he was wearing the No. 5 jersey when the Tigers opened preseason practice last week, and Daniels is not happy about it.
“The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU’s decision to give Jayden’s number to another player,” the statement from Daniels’ spokesperson said via ESPN . “Jayden and his family had every reason to believe that his number would remain a meaningful part of his LSU legacy and would be honored and protected in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the university.”
While Daniels’ jersey hasn’t been officially retired by the Tigers, the statement claims that Daniels told LSU that he did not want anyone else to wear his number.
“Jayden made it clear that he did not want his number given to another player, and he believed his wishes would be respected,” the statement said. “His Heisman Trophy-winning season and everything he accomplished on and off the field cemented his place in LSU history. To see his number given to another player is incredibly disappointing and feels like a failure to honor the significance of what Jayden accomplished at LSU.”
ESPN reports that Daniels believes he is being treated differently than Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, whose No. 9 jersey hasn’t been worn at LSU since he won the Heisman Trophy and led LSU to a 15-0 record and a national championship in 2019.
Lane Kiffin Addresses the Issue
During a press conference on Aug. 5, LSU head coach Lane Kiffin told reporters that Pickett had been promised he could wear No. 5 when he signed with the Tigers in December 2024.
“DJ is in [No.] 5, and that was a situation that was promised to him in recruiting here, for him to sign here,” Kiffin said. “I’ve done a lot of research on that with the family and the representatives and the people, so really I didn’t have a decision to make. It was promised to the kid; it wasn’t done for whatever [reason]. I’m not going to get into that.
“I’m not going to judge something [that was done] when I wasn’t here. But when a kid is promised something to come to a school, he should wear it. So, at that point, I don’t think that’s really my decision. We should honor what he was told.”
Former LSU coach Brian Kelly told ESPN on Wednesday that he did believe the No. 5 jersey was promised to Pickett during his recruitment, but Kelly chose not to issue it to him because Daniels wasn’t on board with Pickett wearing the number.
Kelly pointed out that the team hasn’t given anyone Burrow’s No. 9 jersey since he won the Heisman, and he wasn’t prepared to give out Daniels’ No. 5 jersey against his wishes, either.
“I just wasn’t prepared to do it until we got a full commitment from another Heisman Trophy winner,” Kelly said. “We didn’t want to issue No. 9, so you can’t treat one differently from the other.”
Kelly was fired on Oct. 26, 2025. Kiffin became the team’s next head coach several weeks later and has seemingly decided to issue Pickett the number against Daniels’ wishes.
The post Jayden Daniels feels ‘profoundly disrespected’ by LSU appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions .
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