Jayden Daniels has lost a lot of goodwill with the LSU fanbase due to his actions regarding the No. 5 jersey. The Tigers gave the number to cornerback DJ Pickett, and the current Commanders QB responded with a cease-and-desist letter. He is facing a lot of flak from former LSU players, and now, a prominent CFB analyst has also jumped in.

“Sometimes you just got to man up and take responsibility, right?” Josh Pate said on his August 14 podcast episode. “If you’re telling someone, ‘Give me my Heisman back and stop putting my name in your mouth.’ Just say it’s you. Unless it’s not. And if it’s not you, get those people out of your camp. Even if they’re related to you. Get them out of your camp. Or at the very least, stop letting them make decisions for you.”

Daniels’ representatives sent the Baton Rouge program a cease-and-desist letter demanding that the school stop using his name, image, and likeness. ESPN reported that AD Verge Ausberry got the letter and that Daniels felt “profoundly disrespected” by the decision to issue No. 5 to another player. The former LSU QB had not been publicly challenging LSU’s right to assign the number until the dispute escalated this week.

On his part, Pickett has made it clear that he does not intend to back away from No. 5. He says the number is not something he picked at random after arriving in Baton Rouge. He has worn it since childhood and says LSU promised it to him during his recruitment. That’s why he does not appear interested in getting caught up in the controversy surrounding Daniels. For Josh Pate, Jayden Daniels’ stance is troublesome.

“This is not Pee-wee. It’s not Pop Warner. It’s not middle school. And it’s not even your sophomore year of high school,” Pate said. “Dude, you’re a full-grown man. You play in the NFL. You won a Heisman. It’s a jersey number. Deal with it.”

Pickett arrived at LSU as one of the highest-rated defensive backs in the 2025 recruiting class. As a freshman, he earned Freshman All-American recognition and played 13 games, starting 3. He finished the season with 37 tackles, three interceptions, and six passes defended.

It’s unclear whether Daniels was himself offended by the move to give his jersey number to Pickett or if it came from a person in his camp. Regardless, the LSU fanbase seems united in their disdain for how the situation is playing out. It’s even more laughable when you see that among other Heisman winners, only a select few got their numbers retired.

Travis Hunter got it at Colorado, and Joe Burrow’s number has yet to be worn at LSU. However, the likes of DeVonta Smith and Baker Mayfield do not have their numbers retired at their respective programs. On top of it, the controversy added unnecessary drama when Daniels is weeks away from the 2026 campaign with Washington.