DJ Pickett’s father: Jayden Daniels’ cease-and-desist ‘makes us want to wear the number more’
By Ethan Stone
Published:
DJ5 has a nice ring to it…
LSU cornerback DJ Pickett made the news Wednesday night when attorneys representing former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels sent a cease-and-desist letter to LSU, informing the program that it can no longer use Daniels’ name, image and likeness in promotional material (and more) for the school.
The letter stems from LSU’s decision to allow Pickett to switch from No. 3 — the number he wore last year — to No. 5 for the 2026 season. Daniels wore No. 5 during his 2023 Heisman trophy campaign and had apparently been told by the school that his number would not be assigned moving forward, similar to how Joe Burrow’s No. 9 has not been used since the former Tiger helped LSU win a national title in 2019.
On Thursday, Koki Riley of Nola.com spoke with Pickett’s father, Damien Pickett, regarding the situation. Pickett Sr. told Riley that DJ will not be switching numbers any time soon.
“Honestly, man, this right here makes us want to wear the number more,” Pickett’s father said, via nola.com. “LSU has not said anything to us about the number, about us being able to wear the number. Coach (Lane Kiffin) has been in full support of my son through this process.”
It’s worth noting that Daniels’ cease-and-desist is not searching for a legal route to keep his No. 5 jersey from being worn this season. Instead, it seems to be more of a retaliatory action because the Daniels family feels, as they put in the letter, “profoundly disrespected.”
Kiffin’s role in this situation has not been fully explored yet. According to the original report from ESPN, Kiffin said on Aug. 5 that Pickett was told he would be able to wear No. 5 while being recruited to Baton Rouge. Brian Kelly, who was Pickett’s coach at the start of last season, said the following when asked about his decision to keep Pickett from wearing No. 5 his freshman year.
“I just wasn’t prepared to do it until we got a full commitment from another Heisman Trophy winner,” Kelly told ESPN. “We didn’t want to issue No. 9, so you can’t treat one differently from the other.”
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
