Jayden Daniels stepped into his first preseason action for the Washington Commanders in their loss to the Detroit Lions, but the biggest conversation around him has had nothing to do with the box score.
The Commanders quarterback addressed his ongoing legal dispute with LSU publicly for the first time, and his message was simple: he has already said what he wanted to say, and now his attention is on Washington’s season opener.
Back on Aug. 12, ESPN reported that Daniels had filed a cease-and-desist order against LSU, his alma mater, saying the school could not use his name, image or likeness.
The Tigers never retired Daniels’ number, but he did not expect them to hand it to another player. LSU went ahead and allowed sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett to wear No.
Daniels made it clear he is moving on from the issue for now.
“I posted that. The statement is out,” Daniels said.
“But for me, now, I [am] just really focused on Commander football. I’ve said everything I had to say within the statement, and now I was really just getting ready for Week 1.”
That Week 1 matchup comes on Sun. Sept. 13, when Washington opens against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Commanders have not dropped a season opener to a division opponent since losing to the Eagles 32-27 in 2019, a year that ended with Washington at 3-13. Since Daniels took over at quarterback in 2024, Washington has split its season openers - losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024 and beating the New York Giants in 2025.
In Other News...
LSUs Running Back Battle Just Took A Turn Fans Didnt Expect
LSUs preseason camp has already started sorting out a few competition lines, and the running back room has been one of the most interesting to watch. Redshirt sophomore transfer Stacy Gage has been running ahead of junior Caden Durham on the depth chart, but a recent full-contact scrimmage reminded everyone that the picture is far from settled. Durham worked with the first team and broke off some significant runs, while Dilin Jones opened as the No. 1 back before leaving the scrimmage and not returning.
The bigger takeaway for LSU is that the Tigers are still testing combinations all over the field, not just at running back. The starting offensive line has been taking shape, the second team has seen movement, and even the defensive backfield is showing some tweaks, with Jhase Thomas getting work ahead of Tamarcus Cooley at safety. For a staff trying to build clarity before the opener, the backfield battle now looks like one of several places where camp could keep shifting right up until the final week. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Just Reinforced Why LSU Recruiting Never Slows Down
Nick Sabans latest reminder of why Louisiana matters in football circles traces back to the early 1990s, when he was an assistant with the Cleveland Browns and Bill Belichick asked him to figure out which state produced the most NFL talent per capita. The answer, Saban said, was Louisiana, and that view of the state as a deep well of football ability helped shape why he later took the LSU job. He has long tied that kind of talent base to what made recruiting in Baton Rouge feel different from other stops in his coaching career.
For LSU, the broader point is simple: the pipeline never really shuts off. The Tigers have stayed in the top 10 of recruiting classes in recent years, and Sabans remarks only reinforce the idea that Louisiana gives the program a built-in edge before the work even starts. Even as coaching staffs change and the recruiting landscape keeps shifting, LSU continues to benefit from being in one of the countrys most productive talent pools. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Now Has A Lane Kiffin Twist In A Bizarre Eligibility Battle
A strange college-football crossover has put DaeQuan Wright back in the middle of the conversation, with the Cleveland Browns rookie tight end reportedly planning to enter the NCAA transfer portal in hopes of returning to college for the 2026 season. Wright went undrafted, signed with Cleveland after a brief stint with the Eagles, and now his path back to the college game appears to hinge on an unusual eligibility ruling that has created a growing market for players trying to reset their careers.
LSUs connection to the situation runs through Lane Kiffin, with Browns head coach Todd Monken saying he recently heard from the Tigers coach about Wright. NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus has said Wright may have a case to return under the terms of a lawsuit and temporary restraining orders that would allow players to regain eligibility if they are waived by NFL teams, leaving the broader question less about where Wright wants to play next and more about whether the rulebook will let him do it. [Read more 🡒]