The relationship between Washington Commanders quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and his former program, the LSU Tigers, has hit a rough patch. Despite enjoying a rosy period together during his college career, the team’s decision to give out his jersey number has not been well received by the legend, leading to action against the program. In response to the back and forth, Urban Meyer’s honest take is one of peace and harmony
The LSU Tigers received a cease-and-desist letter from Jayden Daniels’ attorney, requesting that the program desist from using his name, image, and likeness, and return its duplicate copy of his 2023 Heisman Trophy. The reason was because his No. 5 jersey was handed to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett ahead of the 2026 season. While there was no agreement between Daniels and the LSU Tigers to keep his number in honor of his legacy, it was a major expectation from Daniel.
“I’ll be honest with you, I spend about 4 seconds a day on it, and I read it, and I’m just like, come on Meyer said to Colin Cowherd on CFB ON FOX. “I mean, why not love your school, and your school loves you back, and I don’t know, for me to comment on it, Colin, I really have not given it any oxygen because that doesn’t interest me whatsoever.”
Jayden Daniels spent just two seasons with the LSU Tigers but the impact he made was as though he spent all five years of his college career with the program. During LSU’s national championship-winning season in 2019, Daniels was in his freshman season at ASU. He only moved to Baton Rouge in his senior season, before winning the Heisman Trophy in his final season. He threw for 3,812 passing yards and 40 touchdowns, and ran for 1,134 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns to finish off his final college campaign. Daniels was then picked with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders.
His impressive numbers merit honour, but the programme did not issue a statement at the time to keep his number out of circulation. There was no breach of agreement from the part of the school. Daniels has merely been victimised by an unspoken expectation that neither side has articulated.
Cowherd was forced to remind Meyer that questions about his legacy mean Tim Tebow’s No. 15 has been worn by several players since he left the programme. Meyer called him the best player in the history of college football. That is the legacy Tebow left in Florida. He is the first sophomore to ever win the Heisman Trophy, was nominated the final two years of his college career and won two national championships with the Gators. But there was no talk of retiring his jersey number after his college career.
DJ Pickett was rewarded with the No. 5 jersey for the promise made to him when recruited. He was the No. 6 overall prospect and No. 1 cornerback in the country for the 2025 class, and he backed up his ranking with a brilliant freshman season, posting 37 total tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and three interceptions. If the Tigers had any promise to keep, it was to Pickett, not Daniels.