Pickett keeps No. 5 at LSU despite Daniels' NIL dispute
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- DJ Pickett told reporters Thursday he will not give up No. 5, calling it a number "I was promised" by LSU and one he has worn "since I was 4 years old"
- Jayden Daniels' attorney sent an Aug. 5 letter to LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry informing the school it can no longer use Daniels' name, image and likeness, per a copy obtained by ESPN
- Lane Kiffin confirmed former coach Brian Kelly promised Pickett No. 5 during his December 2024 recruitment, saying he was honoring a commitment made before Kiffin arrived and that "it wasn't done for whatever [reason]"
- Brian Kelly told ESPN he withheld No. 5 from Pickett because Daniels wasn't on board, drawing a parallel to Joe Burrow's No. 9 — untouched since LSU's 2019 national championship season
- Daniels posted to Instagram that his "sole personal focus is on Commanders' football" and expressed hope the dispute would be resolved privately, declining further public comment
- Damien Pickett, DJ's father, told The Advocate the dispute has made the family "want to wear the number more" and directed his anger at Kelly rather than at Daniels
Why it matters: LSU now faces a tangible cost: Daniels' attorney has formally restricted the program's use of his NIL, cutting access to a Heisman winner's brand at a school that has only one fully retired number (Billy Cannon's No. 20). Kelly's invocation of the Burrow precedent — No. 9 unissued since 2019 — signals LSU will need a written jersey-reissuance policy before future recruiting cycles.
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