LSU has spent the past week dealing with an unusual fight over a jersey number. The argument involves their former Heisman winner, Jayden Daniels, a current five-star cornerback, DJ Pickett, and a program with a very particular way of honoring its legends. Now Cam Newton has picked a side.
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“When I ask the question, you can’t be in the middle. I choose a side. I do not agree with Jayden Daniels,” the former Auburn Heisman winner said on his August 15 podcast. “Jayden Daniels should have thought about this before he committed to LSU. In LSU football, Billy Cannon’s No. 20 is the only jersey number permanently unavailable to future players. So, you didn’t read the fine print.
“You didn’t take into consideration that this is a program that acknowledges greatness. But as far as cementing numbers, they don’t do that. You should have chosen accordingly. You should have stayed at ASU. So, I do not agree with Jayden.”
Newton’s comments came after Daniels’ representatives sent LSU a cease-and-desist letter over the school’s use of his name, image and likeness following the decision to give his No. 5 jersey to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett. ESPN reported that Daniels’ attorney sent the letter to LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry on Aug. 5.
The letter said LSU was no longer authorized to use Daniels’ NIL, and Daniels said through his attorney that he felt ‘profoundly disrespected.’
The dispute started when Pickett switched from No. 3 to No. 5. The former five-star recruit says LSU promised him the number during his recruitment. Lane Kiffin inherited that commitment when he became head coach, and he has stood by the decision to honor it. Former LSU coach Brian Kelly also acknowledged that Pickett had been promised No. 5, although the school waited before actually assigning it after Daniels left.
Daniels did not arrive at LSU as a freshman with the No. 5 already attached to his name. He transferred from Arizona State in 2022 and spent two seasons in Baton Rouge. And at LSU, Daniels finally found his potential. For starters, in 2023, the now-Commanders’ QB threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns. Never mind he also ran for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns, and won LSU’s third Heisman Trophy. Because of that, his case for special treatment is easy to understand.
There is also an important technical point behind Cam Newton’s statement. LSU currently has four football jerseys retired. That includes Billy Cannon’s No. 20, Tommy Casanova’s No. 37, Jerry Stovall’s No. 21 and Charles Alexander’s No. 4. Bert Jones’ No. 7, though, is scheduled to be retired in November 2026. Yet LSU’s bylaws make a distinction between a retired jersey and a permanently unavailable number. Cannon’s No. 20 is the exception.
LSU’s official policy says the numbers worn by Cannon and several other pre-2007 legends can never again be worn by future student-athletes. For jerseys retired after Jan. 1, 2007, however, a current player can still wear the number at the discretion of the head coach. That is why Casanova’s No. 37, Stovall’s No. 21 and Alexander’s No. 4 can technically return to the field. So Newton’s point has some historical backing.