LSU’s No. 5 has barely been touched since Jayden Daniels walked out of Baton Rouge with a Heisman Trophy and into the NFL. Around the program, it has carried the feel of an unofficial retirement. Fans simply didn’t expect to see it back on the field anytime soon. Then practice opened this week, and there was sophomore CB DJ Pickett wearing it. While that raised eyebrows, Lane Kiffin said it traced back to a promise made before he arrived.

“DJ is in five and that was a situation that was promised to him in recruiting here for him to sign here,” Lane Kiffin said via LSU Sports when asked why DJ Pickett had switched from No. 3 to No. 5. “I’ve done a lot of research on that with the family and the representatives and the people. I didn’t really have a decision to make.”

Lane Kiffin made it clear the commitment came from LSU’s previous staff under Brian Kelly, not his own. 

“It was promised to the kid,” he added. “I’m not going to get into that because I’m not going to judge something that I wasn’t here for but when a kid’s promised something to come to a school, he should wear it. And so at that point, I don’t really think that’s my decision. It should be honored for what he was told.”

Coaching staff come and go. But promises don’t just disappear with them. That’s basically what happened here. DJ Pickett signed with LSU as one of the biggest names in the 2025 class. The 6’4 corner was rated as high as the No. 2 CB in the country and the No. 11 overall recruit, so LSU knew who it was bringing in.

From the day he signed with LSU, people expected a lot. Then he went out and backed it up. DJ Pickett didn’t take long to become a regular in the secondary and finished his freshman year as a True Freshman All-American. He did all that wearing No. 3. Now he’s switching back to No. 5, the same number he wore in high school because of his older brother. That’s why this wasn’t just about changing jerseys. For him, the number has always meant something.

But again, nobody had touched LSU’s No. 5 since Jayden Daniels left after his Heisman season in 2023. The jersey sat untouched, almost like the program had put it away while everyone waited for the day it would officially be retired. Just like it’s the same with Joe Burrow’s No. 9. Now, that streak is over with a new player wearing it.

Even in the NFL, Jayden Daniels will be wearing No. 5. Washington punter Tress Way already owned the number. But instead of asking for money, he agreed to hand it over in exchange for the former Tigers’ QB sending his family to an LSU-Oklahoma game once his playing career ends.

Jayden Daniels will always be the first name LSU fans think of when they see that jersey. But this wasn’t about cutting a deal or making everyone happy. It came down to a promise. Lane Kiffin could’ve left No. 5 untouched, but he chose to honor what DJ Pickett had been told during recruitment.