Undoubtedly, No. 5 was to shine brightly on Tiger Stadium’s south endzone facade.
The night it took its rightful place, over 100,000 would rise and applaud an all-time great. His name, like other legends of the purple and gold, would be honored forever.
It’s the ultimate sign of respect.
For now, that’s on hold. All we have are legal measures and pettiness that is unnecessarily marring one of the best seasons and players the campus has ever boasted.
Jayden Daniels sent LSU a cease-and-desist order over the issuance of No. 5 to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett this week. Should LSU comply, Daniels’s pictures will be taken off the walls, jerseys out of the gift shops and awards out of the facility. His famous pass to Mason Taylor to topple Alabama gone from the pregame highlights. He’ll be scrubbed from campus over a digit on a shirt.
That can’t be described as anything but a shame just three years after he hoisted the school’s third Heisman Trophy.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabaugh is reporting that Daniels feels he’s being treated differently than fellow Tiger Heisman winner Joe Burrow whose No. 9 has not been worn since he stepped off the Superdome field a national champion in January of 2020.
The truth is that he’s not.
Both quarterbacks had their numbers put behind virtual caution tape until they were to be retired. In my 30-plus years following the program, I’ve never seen that done to a uniform number. Not Kevin Faulk. Jerel Myers, a freshman wide receiver, was immediately given the No. 3 in 1999. Not Glen Dorsey. Alex Hurst, a freshman offensive lineman, got No. 72 in 2008.
Daniels was treated exactly like Burrow. It just happens that Pickett asked for No. 5 instead of No. 9.
Brian Kelly deserves a lot of credit for handling this privately last season and abiding by Daniels’s wishes. If Daniels prefers the number not be worn and Pickett insists he wants it, someone has to be a grown up and make a decision that disappoints one party. Kelly did. Pickett agreed.
Pickett went back to the well with a new coaching staff with no ties to Daniels, and he got what he wanted. Now Daniels is upset, and a public embarrassment is the result.
As I wrote last week, Pickett covering Clemson and Ole Miss receivers in No. 5 this fall in absolutely no way tarnishes Daniels’s spectacular career at LSU.
Somehow Kevin Faulk is still revered in Baton Rouge, and the year he was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame both Andre Anthony AND Ty Davis-Price wore No. 3. On the bright side, now that Pickett is in No. 5, Faulk’s legacy is at least respected to the point that only Tre Wilson will wear No. 3 this fall. Ryan Kucherak wore No. 20 for the LSU baseball squad in 2024. Stunningly, Paul Skenes didn’t demand his picture be taken off the concession cups at The Box.
Now, let me take my tongue out of my cheek.
Kiffin, Daniels and Pickett all had a chance to do the right thing, and both players failed. Kiffin deferred to his current roster. Daniels won’t be helping LSU win any games this fall. Pickett will. That’s understandable.
It all feels like this is just one Heisman winner living in the shadows of another. That’s a petty and unfortunate game to play. Pickett faired just fine in No. 3 last year and should have stayed in it if there was opposition.
Everyone involved has more important things to deal with. Daniels is looking to get Washington back to the NFL Playoffs after a disappointing sophomore season. Kiffin has a mountain of expectations in a new job with a costly roster. Pickett is now the top corner on a team labeled a contender.
And legal action is involved over a jersey number.
The sad irony is that there was zero disrespect for Daniels in Baton Rouge as his representation is claiming. Telling the university you’re separating yourself will create plenty of it. What he incorrectly perceived initially will now become a reality.
As I wrote above, I don’t believe it ends like this. Pickett could very well show up to practice in No. 3 after all this. Maybe he plays the next two years in No. 5. Either way, Daniels will get a phone call in the coming years asking for his presence for a number retirement and a statue just like Burrow will. time should heal the wounds, and he should ultimately return to Baton Rouge.
Unlike Burrow, Daniels isn’t even eligible for that phone call for another two years due to the university policy that states an athlete must be five years removed from competition.
Tiger fans who watched Daniels will carry the fond memories of his brilliant play forever. However, if it’s respect he’s after, he’s created some extra work to grab that back.
In this instance, “That Kid Jayden” is acting like one.
