DJ Pickett, Lane Kiffin push back on Jayden Daniels' LSU number demands: 'It's the number I was promised'

DJ Pickett, Lane Kiffin push back on Jayden Daniels' LSU number demands: 'It's the number I was promised'

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DJ Pickett, Lane Kiffin push back on Jayden Daniels' LSU number demands: 'It's the number I was promised'

DJ Pickett, Lane Kiffin push back on Jayden Daniels' LSU number demands: 'It's the number I was promised' originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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LSU is firing back at Jayden Daniels after news of the former Tigers star's legal challenge against the program broke on Thursday morning.

Daniels' lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter barring the Tigers from using his name, image and likeness going forward. At the root of his frustration with his former team was its intention to award the No. 5 jersey he wore during his splendid college career to an active player, star cornerback DJ Pickett.

Daniels was arguably the best player in college football across his two-year run in Baton Rouge, culminating with a Heisman Trophy, one of three in program history. That wasn't enough to prevent the Tigers from stonewalling their former standout. Based on comments from Pickett and LSU head coach Lane Kiffin, the program doesn't appear to have any intention of changing course following Daniels' lawyers' filing.

Here's a look at how Pickett and Kiffin responded to Daniels' efforts to block LSU from reissuing his signature digit.

MORE: Why Jayden Daniels sent LSU the pettiest cease-and-desist over jersey number

DJ Pickett, Lane Kiffin push back on Jayden Daniels' LSU number demands

Pickett shared his thoughts on the Tigers' tiff with Daniels after practice on Thursday.

"I've wore the number my whole life, since I was four years old," Pickett said. "It's the number I was promised. I wish Jayden the best, good player. He did real good here, so, that's all."

Kiffin, meanwhile, reaffirmed his commitment to honor Pickett''s request for the No. 5. Pickett, a five-star prospect from Tampa, wore No. 3 en route to claiming freshman All-American honors in 2025.

"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, per ESPN. "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.

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What did  DJ Pickett say about Jayden Daniels number controversy?

Pickett had little to say regarding Daniels' cease-and-desist letter, praising Daniels for his success with the Tigers. Notably, nothing he said suggested that he plans on switching out of the No. 5 kit in 2026.

What did Lane Kiffin say about Jayden Daniels number controversy?

Kiffin vowed to honor LSU's promise to give Pickett his signature digit.

"I'm not going to judge something [that was done] when I wasn't here," Kiffin said on Aug. 5. "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."

When pressed on whether the No. 9 jersey — immortalized by Joe Burrow during his Heisman-winning 2019 season — is also up for grabs, Kiffin pleaded the fifth.

"I'm not going to get into that," Kiffin said on Thursday. "There's a lot to numbers and whether they're retired, whether they're not, different versions. I don't have an answer."

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Why is Jayden Daniels upset about DJ Pickett wearing his college number?

An attorney representing Daniels informed LSU that it can no longer use his name, image or likeness, per ESPN. The program reportedly drew its former standout's ire after allowing Pickett to wear the No. 5 jersey that Daniels sported en route to capturing the Heisman Trophy in 2023.

"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. "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."

According to the statement released by the Daniels family, the Commanders quarterback did not give the Tigers his blessing to allow another player to wear his jersey number.

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Former LSU boss Brian Kelly confirmed that he believed the No. 5 kit was promised to Pickett during his recruitment. Kelly, who was fired nine weeks into the 2025 season, said he opted against surrendering the number out of respect for Daniels, who made clear his wishes for the digit to not be reissued.

"I just wasn't prepared to do it until we got a full commitment from another Heisman Trophy winner," Kelly said, per ESPN. "We didn't want to issue No. 9, so you can't treat one differently from the other."

Daniels posted a statement on Thursday acknowledging "there are issues to be worked out between my team and LSU" but reiterating that his "sole personal focus" is on the Commanders.

LSU has retired the jerseys four of its past players: half back Billy Cannon (No. 20), defensive back Tommy Casanova (No. 37), half back Jerry Stovall (No. 21) and running back Charles Alexander (No. 5). The program plans on retiring a fifth — former quarterback Bert Jones (No. 7) — on Nov. 14.

Importantly, LSU's retirement policy, as laid out on its athletic department website, asserts that any number retired after Jan. 1, 2007 can still be issued, "subject to the discretion of the head coach."

LSU's jersey retirement policy also states that an athlete must have completed their athletic career for five years before being nominated for jersey retirement. The policy says an athlete must have demonstrated "truly unusual and outstanding accomplishments, such as winning a Heisman Trophy or National Player of the Year award," and should be based on the total LSU career.

Other notable LSU athletes to have their jerseys retired include men's basketball stars Bob Pettit (No. 50), Pete Maravich (No. 23) and Shaquille O'Neal (No. 33), as well as women's basketball standouts Seimone Augustus (No. 33) and Sylvia Fowles (No. 34).

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