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By Jordan Sigler
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Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels signed with LSU in 2022, giving two seasons to the Tigers before becoming the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders.
The legacy of the two-year starter at LSU (Daniels played three seasons at Arizona State) is under fire during the Tigers' training camp this summer after new head coach Lane Kiffin gave the No. 5 jersey, the same number which Daniels wore at LSU, to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett.
Per ESPN, an attorney representing Daniels informed LSU that the school can no longer use his name, image, or likeness.
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In statement from Daniels' spokesperson, the quarterback felt "disrespected" by LSU's choice to give the No. 5 jersey to Pickett.
"The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU's decision to give Jayden's number to another player," the statement reads.
"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."
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Pickett and his family both responded to Daniels' cease-and-desist regarding the jersey number on Thursday.
“About the number situation, it was my number my whole life, since I was 4 years old,” Pickett said, via Mike Scarborough of TigerBait.com. “It’s the number I was promised. Yeah, I wish Jayden the best. Good player. Did real good here, so that’s all.”
“If we would have been told during our recruiting process and they had said, ‘Hey, No. 5 is not being issued. We can’t promise you No. 5, but we can talk to Jayden and see what Jayden has to say. If he gives his blessing, he does. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t,’ (we would have) moved forward," Pickett's dad Damien said, via Nola.com. “If we were to have had a situation like that, it probably would not have blown up like this.”
Daniels wore the No. 5 jersey when he threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2023. He added 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, leading LSU to a 9-3 season and winning the Heisman Trophy.
Last week, Kiffin told reporters that he felt he needed to honor the promise that was made to Pickett about wearing the No. 5 jersey during the Brian Kelly era.
"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."
LSU has retired five total jersey numbers in its history: Billy Cannon (20), Tommy Casanova (37), Jerry Stovall (21), Charles Alexander (4), Bert Jones (7).
LSU requires five years to pass from when an athlete completes their intercollegiate competition before the program considers officially retiring a jersey. Winning the Heisman Trophy is one example of criteria that LSU cites as acceptable for a jersey to be retired.
At the heart of the battle between Daniels and Kiffin is the future of LSU versus its past. Daniels is defending his legacy, while Kiffin is trying to do what he can to keep his players happy so the Tigers can compete for championships.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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