A jersey number just turned into a legal fight. Jayden Daniels, the guy who won LSU its third Heisman in 2023, has told the school it can no longer use his name, image and likeness in any capacity, and it all traces back to one digit: No. 5.
ESPN obtained the actual letter, and it doesn't mince words. Daniels' attorney sent it to LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry demanding the school "immediately cease and desist from any further issue use, display, publication, distribution, promotion, commercialization, or other exploitation of Mr. Daniels' NIL in any manner or medium." That's lawyer-speak for take my name off everything, and it came after LSU let sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett wear No. 5 this season, the number Daniels wore when he threw for over 3,800 yards and won the Heisman two years ago.
LSU never officially retired No. 5. That's the crux of the dispute. Lane Kiffin has said Pickett was promised the number during his recruitment, and former LSU coach Brian Kelly backed that up, saying he held off issuing it because he wanted "a full commitment from another Heisman Trophy winner" first. Kiffin addressed the situation on LSU's own broadcast last week, before this thing blew up into a legal matter.
Lane Kiffin explained on an LSU broadcast why Pickett was given No. 5, saying the number was promised to him during recruiting.
Then it escalated. Daniels' representatives reportedly asked LSU to hand over its own copy of his 2023 Heisman Trophy. When a player wins the award, two identical trophies get made, one for the winner and one for the school's trophy case. According to Matt Moscona of LouisianaSports, Daniels' camp wants LSU's copy sent to him so the school can no longer display it. That's the family saying, in effect, we're done here.
There's an obvious comparison point sitting right down the hall from this whole mess: Joe Burrow's No. 9. Nobody at LSU has worn it since Burrow's 2019 national title run, even though it was never formally retired either — the program just quietly stopped issuing it. Daniels and his camp clearly feel he deserved the same unofficial treatment, and one fan reaction summed up the growing sentiment pretty simply.
Doesnt Jayden Daniels deserve to have his # retired at LSU
For now, LSU hasn't budged, and per Pete Nakos, the school also hasn't awarded No. 7 or No. 18 this fall, numbers that carry their own history in Baton Rouge. Whether that's caution after this backlash or just normal roster business is unclear. What is clear is that a program that's produced three Heisman winners now has to figure out a jersey-retirement policy on the fly, with a former MVP-caliber NFL starting quarterback and his lawyers watching every move.