Jayden Daniels’ latest run-in with LSU has done something else too: it’s dragged Florida back into one of the roughest nights of the Billy Napier era.
ESPN reported that an attorney for the former LSU and current Washington Commanders quarterback sent the school a cease-and-desist letter, saying LSU can no longer use Daniels’ name, image, and likeness. The reported trigger is that sophomore DJ Pickett is set to wear No. 5 this season, the same number Daniels wore during his Heisman-winning 2023 campaign.
LSU never formally retired No. 5, but no one else wore it during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
For Florida fans, though, the number dispute is just the latest reminder of the game that essentially locked Daniels into the trophy.
That was LSU’s 52-35 win over Florida in 2023, a game that looked like it might slip away when the Gators grabbed a 28-24 second-half lead. Daniels ended that quickly. He threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns and added 234 rushing yards and two more scores.
That performance made him the first player in college football history to throw for at least 350 yards and run for at least 200 yards in the same game.
And the damage went beyond the box score. Daniels accounted for 606 yards by himself, and LSU piled up 701 total yards, the most ever allowed by a Florida defense.
As we wrote after that game in 2023:
“Jayden Daniels torched the Gators for the second straight season on Saturday. He became the first QB in FBS history to pass for over 350 yards and run for over 200 yards.
Ever.
In the history of the sport.
Since they used to wear leather helmets.
Ever.
And there are a wide range of reasons why Florida football gave up 701 yards against LSU, the most ever allowed by a Gator defense.
Ever.”
The loss itself wasn’t the issue so much as the way it happened. Florida lost on the road to the eventual Heisman Trophy winner. What made it brutal was watching one player carve up the defense in record-setting fashion while LSU set the program mark for yards surrendered by the Gators.
It also came during a miserable stretch for Florida. The LSU defeat was part of a five-game losing streak to close the 2023 season, and it followed the week before’s collapse against Arkansas, when Florida couldn’t even get its field goal unit onto the field at the right time.
There’s another twist in the No. 5 story, too. Pickett, the player now wearing Daniels’ number, was once a Florida target.
A five-star cornerback from Tampa who played at Zephyrhills in the class of 2025, Pickett drew real early interest from the Gators. Florida had him on campus several times, but that momentum faded in 2024, and he never made an official visit.
According to his 247 profile, Pickett was at Florida’s meltdown against Miami to open the 2024 season, and that was enough to finish things off.
In Other News...
Florida Just Gave Gator Fans A New Uniform Debate
Florida fans got a fresh look at what the program has lined up for 2026, and it already feels like the kind of wardrobe decision that will keep people talking well past the offseason. The Gators unveiled two alternate combinations, one featuring a blue helmet with an orange jersey and white pants, and another going all-blue, giving supporters a pair of modern options to debate before a snap is ever taken.
The bigger emotional pull, though, may be the throwback set honoring Steve Spurriers 1966 Heisman Trophy-winning season. Head coach Jon Sumrall sounded eager about bringing that look back during fall camp, but the schedule piece is still missing, with Florida not yet saying which opponents will get each uniform reveal. For a fan base that treats Saturdays like an extension of the brand, the uniforms themselves may wind up being almost as discussed as the games. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Holdover Suddenly Has A Real Chance In Buster Faulkners Offense
Amir Jacksons path at Florida has been anything but straightforward. The tight end saw limited playing time during the Billy Napier era even as the Gators leaned on two-tight-end looks, and at one point he had real reason to consider a transfer before Jon Sumrall helped convince him to stay. Now, with Buster Faulkner taking over the offense, Jackson is getting another look in a system that could reward his skill set in a different way.
Early camp reports have been encouraging, with Jackson showing more speed and looking like a player who could matter in 2026. Still, his next step will depend on how Faulkner wants to line up Florida and how much the offense asks its tight ends to do beyond the basics. If the Gators lean heavier on spread sets and blocking assignments, Jackson may have to keep waiting for the role that seems to be opening in front of him. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Abrams Is Fighting To Change His Place In Floridas Receiver Battle
Jalen Abrams has spent recent weeks trying to stabilize his spot in Floridas receiver rotation, and the path back starts with the simplest part of the job: finishing catches. The sophomore wideout has had several costly drops in recent games, the kind of miscues that can ripple through a drive and alter momentum, and hes been frank that the issue has been more about focus than talent. In response, he has put in extra work on his hands, including time with a jugs machine at home, as he tries to make sure his next opportunity looks more like the player Florida believes he can be.
Abrams also made a deliberate decision to stay with the Gators even with playing time far from guaranteed. For him, the appeal went beyond football, with the chance to remain close to home and finish his degree at Florida part of the appeal of sticking it out. Now he is trying to turn that patience into production, knowing the receiver battle wont ease up for anyone who isnt consistently dependable when the ball comes his way. [Read more 🡒]