Jayden Daniels gave LSU one of the greatest individual seasons in the history of college football. He won the Heisman Trophy. He became a superstar in Baton Rouge. He turned No. 5 into a number that LSU fans will forever associate with him.

But does any of that mean LSU should never give No. 5 to another player?

That question suddenly became much more interesting. Daniels’ representatives have informed LSU that the university is no longer authorized to use his name, image or likeness. At the center of the dispute is LSU allowing sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett to wear No. 5, the same number Daniels wore during his Heisman-winning career with the Tigers. Daniels’ family reportedly feels “profoundly disrespected” by the decision.

And there is another name hanging over this entire conversation: Joe Burrow.

Burrow’s No. 9 has not been worn at LSU since he finished his historic 2019 season by winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Tigers to a 15-0 record and national championship.

Daniels reportedly believes he is being treated differently. Maybe he is.

But here is where I have to play devil’s advocate.

 

Should Jayden Daniels Really Be Compared to Joe Burrow?

Both won the Heisman Trophy. Both became first-round NFL quarterbacks. Both produced spectacular seasons at LSU.

But their LSU legacies aren’t identical.

Burrow didn’t simply win the Heisman. He quarterbacked arguably one of the greatest teams in college football history to a 15-0 record and a national championship. Daniels won the Heisman in 2023 after producing an incredible individual season, but LSU finished 10-3 and did not compete for a national championship.

That doesn’t diminish Daniels’ greatness.

It does, however, raise a fair question: If Burrow is the standard, did Daniels accomplish enough at LSU to receive exactly the same treatment?

There is another difference worth considering. Daniels spent two seasons at LSU after beginning his college career at Arizona State. Burrow was also a transfer, arriving from Ohio State, so neither man was a four-year LSU quarterback.

That actually makes the comparison even more fascinating. If the argument is longevity, neither has the traditional four-year résumé. If the argument is individual greatness, both have Heismans. If the argument is team accomplishment, Burrow clearly owns the advantage.

So where exactly should LSU draw the line?

 

But Daniels Has a Legitimate Argument Too

There is another side to this. College football programs love celebrating their former stars. Their pictures are displayed. Their highlights are played. Their names become part of recruiting pitches. Their accomplishments help sell the history and prestige of the program.

Daniels’ position essentially forces LSU to confront an uncomfortable question: If my legacy is valuable enough for you to market, shouldn’t it be valuable enough for you to protect?

Daniels’ NIL arrangement with LSU reportedly permitted the school to use his NIL for 180 days following his final college game. That period has long expired, providing a separate legal basis for telling LSU to stop using it.

And perhaps Daniels doesn’t actually believe he owns the number forever. Maybe this is about respect.

Former LSU coach Brian Kelly had previously refrained from reissuing No. 5 out of respect for Daniels. Current coach Lane Kiffin has explained that Pickett had been promised No. 5 during his recruitment, and LSU ultimately honored that commitment.

That puts LSU in an interesting position. Respect the former Heisman winner? Or honor a promise made to a current player?

 

Here’s Where I Struggle With Daniels’ Position

A jersey number isn’t a championship trophy. And unless LSU officially takes a number out of circulation, I’m not sure a former player should expect nobody else to wear it. College football rosters are huge. Numbers get recycled. In some programs, certain numbers actually become traditions passed from one great player to another.

Imagine another LSU player wearing No. 5 and becoming an All-American. Instead of viewing that as disrespect, Daniels could view it as the beginning of a tradition. “You want No. 5? This is what comes with it.”

There is something powerful about that too.

The player makes the number special—not the other way around.

 

And Then There’s DJ Pickett

This part shouldn’t get lost. Pickett didn’t take Daniels’ Heisman Trophy. He didn’t erase Daniels from LSU history. He didn’t claim to be the next Jayden Daniels. He’s a current LSU football player wearing a number that was apparently promised to him during recruiting.

Now a young player’s jersey number has become the center of a national argument involving one of the most famous quarterbacks in football.

Is that fair to him?

I don’t think Pickett should have to carry the burden of deciding how LSU honors its legends. That’s LSU’s responsibility.

 

Maybe LSU Created This Problem

This controversy also exposes something bigger. Schools need clear standards for honoring legendary players.

What earns special treatment? A Heisman? A national championship? Multiple All-American selections? School records? Years in the program? Or some combination of everything? Because once exceptions start being made without clearly defined standards, comparisons become inevitable.

If No. 9 remains untouched because of Joe Burrow, Daniels has every right to ask why No. 5 isn’t receiving similar consideration.

LSU also has every right to answer: Because Joe Burrow’s LSU career was different.

That might be uncomfortable, but at least it’s a standard that can be debated.

 

The Bigger Question

I understand why Daniels feels disrespected. When you win a Heisman Trophy for a university, you probably feel like you’ve earned a permanent place in that school’s history.

And he has.

Nothing DJ Pickett does in No. 5 can erase what Daniels accomplished wearing it. But that’s also why I wonder whether Daniels even needs the number protected. When LSU fans see highlights of No. 5 running through defenses during that 2023 season, nobody is going to ask who that quarterback was.

They already know.

Jayden Daniels made No. 5 legendary because Jayden Daniels was wearing it.

Maybe the ultimate sign of greatness isn’t making sure nobody wears your number again. Maybe it’s knowing somebody else can wear it—and everyone still remembers exactly who made it famous.

So I’ll leave college football fans with this: Did Jayden Daniels earn the right to expect LSU to protect No. 5, or is he asking for something that should only come with an officially retired number?

And if Joe Burrow’s No. 9 remains untouched, is Daniels really being treated unfairly—or did Burrow simply earn a different level of recognition?