Louisiana Voice

By Paul Spillman

Can football season hurry up and get here? This summer of conflict and controversies just won’t quit and now another one has exploded in our own backyard.

Former LSU star quarterback and 2023 Heisman award winner Jayden Daniels has sent the university a cease and desist letter demanding LSU no longer use Daniels’ name, image, or likeness then followed that up with a demand LSU return its replica of Daniels’ Heisman trophy on display at the LSU Athletic complex.

What’s going on? Hurt feelings, mostly, coupled with a poor decision from a mom/agent with too much time on her hands. The spat surrounds the re-issuance of Daniels’ jersey number, 5, to sophomore cornerback D. J. Pickett. Daniels believes LSU promised him no one else would wear number 5, while Pickett was promised the jersey number during his recruitment.

LSU changed its policy on retiring jerseys in 2007. Prior to that a retired jersey meant the number was taken out of circulation, such as Billy Cannon’s number 20 or Pete Maravich’s number 23. But in 2007 LSU updated its policy to say that a player’s jersey would be retired but the number is not taken out of circulation and can be reissued at the discretion of the head coach.

In this case LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin approved Pickett switching from the number 3 he wore last season as a freshman to the number 5 Pickett was promised during his recruitment. Pickett was recruited to LSU under former coach Brian Kelly.

During a recent media availability Pickett said, “I’ve worn the number my whole life, since I was four years old. It’s the number I was promised. I wish Jayden the best. Good player, and he did real good here. That’s all.”

Kiffin didn’t add much, saying only that he had looked in to it and that if a recruit is promised something to sign he should receive what he was promised. During Pickett’s recruitment all the schools in his final list had agreed to the same stipulation, that Pickett could wear the number 5. Kiffin approved the switch.

Even though Kelly had promised the number to Pickett he had Picket wear number 3 last season because LSU did not get the buy-in from Daniels to reissue his number. Kelly had brought Daniels in as a transfer quarterback from Arizona State during Kelly’s first season as LSU head coach and Daniels won the Heisman in his second and final season at LSU passing for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns with a 72% completion rate and rushing for another 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. Only twelve college quarterbacks have ever passed for more than 3000 yards and rushed for more than 1000 yards in the same season. Kelly would naturally feel more of an obligation to Daniels than would Kiffin, who is obligated to winning now by keeping an All-American level cornerback from transferring over a jersey number.

According to reports both Kiffin and Pickett have spoken to Daniels but did not get Daniels agreement. Kiffin signed off on the switch anyway, prompting the response from the Daniels camp. Daniels’ agent is his mother, Regina Jackson.

The general consensus among observers is that it is Jackson more than Daniels pushing this issue. After the controversy became public Daniels, now the star quarterback for the NFL’s Washington Commanders, released a statement to the media expressing gratitude for his time at LSU and hoping for a “private resolution” adding his focus is on the Commanders’ upcoming season.

LSU has no rights to Daniels’ name, image, or likeness now that Daniels is no longer in school. A replica Heisman trophy is provided to the school of each winner, the school owns that replica, and LSU has no intention of surrendering its replica of Daniels’ Heisman trophy. It isn’t clear whether LSU is merchandising Daniels NIL by selling his jersey in the Gift Shop but it has reportedly been removed from display.

On social media the reaction has been overwhelmingly in favor of LSU, though not without plenty of cheap shots at the school and Kiffin. Because it’s Kiffin. And LSU. Brian Kelly is also taking his share of the heat for promising the number to Pickett but not following through and leaving it for Kiffin to deal with. Joe Burrow was even dragged in to it. Asked if he had any comments Burrow said he had only recently heard about it and hadn’t talked to anyone and declined to say anything more. But a persistent sportswriter asked if LSU had made him any promises and Burrow said he was told no one would ever wear his number again, then gave everybody an out by adding, “But you never know.”

Those who do side with Daniels point to the fact LSU’s other Heisman winners – Cannon and Burrow – have not had their numbers reissued. But as stated earlier Cannon’s number 20 is out of circulation and while Burrow’s number 9 isn’t it also hasn’t been worn since Burrow led LSU to the 2019 national championship.

And that brings up a topic most fans would rather avoid. Jayden Daniels had an amazing senior season at LSU. LSU has never had a quarterback with that particular skill set. If the Tiger defense had been up to the task LSU might have won another national championship in 2023. Instead that year’s team finished 9-3, then won a non-playoff bowl game in which Daniels did not participate. But Cannon won the Heisman the year after LSU won a national title and the same year as his Halloween night punt return to beat Ole Miss – a play iconic with LSU football. Burrow led an undefeated national championship team that is arguably among the best college teams ever. LSU has three Heisman winners but one is not like the other two – and no LSU fan wants to have that discussion. It’s unfortunate Daniels’ camp made the comparison in defense of their position.

But that’s what happens when the people around a star player have too much time on their hands and too much entitlement in their heads. From all appearances Jayden Daniels is a great guy and a great teammate. It would have been much better had Daniels released a statement expressing his disappoint with LSU but wishing Pickett a good season and challenging him to live up to the number. That would have been a classy move. Instead he’s stuck with his mom and her antics. And LSU is stuck, at least for the time being, with not being able to market a popular young NFL star as a recruiting tool. Everybody loses.

The start of the college football season cannot get here soon enough, but with three weeks still to go before LSU kicks off against Clemson on September 5 there is plenty of time for more bombshells and controversies. So grab a helmet, jump in the foxhole, and hope the season doesn’t blow up before it gets here.