DJ Pickett Refuses to Give Up No. 5 Jersey Despite Jayden Daniels’ LSU Feud

DJ Pickett isn’t giving up the number. LSU’s sophomore cornerback addressed the ongoing dispute with former Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels for the first time publicly on Thursday, and his message was simple: he’s keeping No. 5.

“About the number situation, I wore that number my whole life since I was four years old. That’s the number I was promised,” Pickett told reporters following LSU’s Day 8 fall camp practice, according to a video shared by Zack Nagy on X. “I wish Jayden the best. A great player and he did real good here. That’s all.”

#LSU cornerback DJ Pickett took the podium following Day 8 of Fall Camp to address the Jayden Daniels situation.

Pickett wishes Daniels the best – but will remain in No. 5.

“It’s the number I was promised.”

Pickett’s entire statement from Thursday: pic.twitter.com/7quUGqopAs

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) August 13, 2026

The comments come after a chaotic week in Baton Rouge. Daniels, now entering his third NFL season with the Washington Commanders, had an attorney send LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry a cease-and-desist letter dated Aug. 5, informing the school it could no longer use his name, image and likeness, according to ESPN. The letter itself does not mention Pickett or the jersey by name, per a separate WAFB report, but instead argues LSU’s contractual authorization to use his NIL has expired.

The underlying issue is clear enough. LSU handed Pickett the No. 5 jersey at the start of fall camp on Aug. 5, the same number Daniels wore during his Heisman Trophy-winning 2023 season. No Tigers player had worn it since Daniels left for the NFL.

Daniels’ camp says he feels “profoundly disrespected”

A spokesperson for Daniels told ESPN the quarterback and his family were caught off guard by the decision. “The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU’s decision to give Jayden’s number to another player,” the spokesperson said, adding that Daniels believed his wishes on the number would be honored.

The dispute has since escalated beyond the NIL letter. According to Matt Moscona of LouisianaSports.net, Daniels’ camp has also asked LSU to return its copy of his 2023 Heisman Trophy. That report has not been independently confirmed by LSU, and multiple outlets, including Yahoo Sports, note the school has no intention of complying. LSU has also indicated it’s undecided on how far it will go to honor the cease-and-desist letter, which is not a legally binding document.

Head coach Lane Kiffin, in his first season at LSU, largely stayed out of the specifics when he addressed the situation with reporters Thursday, though he has reportedly spoken with Daniels’ representatives directly.

The Pickett family says they were promised the number

DJ Pickett’s father, Damien, gave his own account of the situation to The Advocate, saying the family didn’t learn about the cease-and-desist letter until ESPN’s report broke Wednesday. “It’s not really pertaining to my son, but he’s been put in the middle of something that has nothing to do with him,” Damien said, according to NOLA.com.

Damien Pickett also said the family’s frustration is directed more at former coach Brian Kelly’s staff than at Kiffin, who he credited with “honoring what was promised to my son.” Pickett wore No. 3 as a freshman last season, an All-America campaign, before switching to No. 5 for 2026 with Kiffin’s approval.

Here’s a snapshot of where the two Heisman-tied jersey numbers at LSU currently stand:

That contrast — Burrow’s No. 9 sitting unused for six years while Daniels’ No. 5 was reissued after three — has fueled much of the fan pushback toward LSU rather than Daniels, even as reaction to Daniels’ own response has been mixed.

Why this matters heading into the season

None of this changes what’s actually at stake on the field. Pickett is expected to be a key piece of LSU’s secondary this fall as the Tigers prepare to open their season against Clemson in a matter of weeks. The jersey dispute, whatever its outcome, has already put a first-year starter in an uncomfortable spotlight before he’s played a snap of the season.

For Daniels, the fallout is more about legacy than logistics. He has no ongoing football relationship with LSU, and the NIL cease-and-desist letter functions largely as leverage rather than a practical roadblock for the school. But the Heisman Trophy request, if accurate, signals this isn’t just about a jersey number anymore.

Daniels addressed the situation briefly himself in an Instagram post Thursday afternoon, writing that he has “a lot of gratitude” for his time at LSU and hopes the issue “can all be resolved” privately, while keeping his public focus on Commanders training camp.