Leonard Fournette thinks Jayden Daniels should stop fighting the No. 5 debate and move on.
The former LSU star addressed the controversy on a recent appearance on the “Fourth and South” podcast, offering a blunt reminder that the jersey belongs to the program, not any one player.
“I know Joe [Burrow’s] No. 9 hasn't been worn in what, three to four years, but somebody will wear it,” Fournette said. “I promise you, no player is bigger than the brand. No player is bigger than the LSU brand.”
Fournette also pointed to his own experience in Baton Rouge, saying LSU had already gone through a similar situation before he arrived.
“Before I got to LSU, Tyran [Mathieu] and Pat [Patrick Peterson], No. 7 wasn't worn for two years,” Fournette said. “I was the right recruit that wanted the number, and also I'm from the Seven Ward, so it represented my hood and my neighborhood where I'm from, and they gave it to me.”
That kind of perspective comes from someone who knows the LSU spotlight well. Fournette had a successful run with the Tigers, but he won’t be seeing his number retired.
Daniels’ case is different. He didn’t inherit a number with an established handoff history. He made No. 5 his own, then turned it into a Heisman-winning symbol during his historic 2023 season, putting up video-game-like numbers along the way.
When Daniels left LSU, the number looked like an obvious candidate to be retired. No one wore No. 5 after him, and that held through this year.
The situation shifted when sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett was allegedly promised the number during his recruitment to LSU. That promise wasn’t fulfilled until Lane Kiffin’s staff took over.
Under LSU’s athletic department policy, a jersey can’t be retired until five years after a player leaves the program. That means Joe Burrow still isn’t officially retired either, even though he’s now eligible.
There’s still time before the season for LSU and Pickett to change direction, but the No. 5 discussion doesn’t appear to be fading anytime soon.
In Other News...
Joe Burrow Just Entered LSUs Jayden Daniels Controversy
Joe Burrows name has now been pulled into LSUs latest jersey-number dispute, even if the Bengals quarterback and Tigers alum did not seem eager to make himself part of it. Burrow said he had only become aware of the ongoing NIL and number issue involving Jayden Daniels a few hours before being asked, leaving him to answer a question that had already become one more layer of an increasingly messy conversation around LSU football.
The former Tiger also said LSU once told him his No. 9 jersey would not be reissued, while allowing that such things can change down the road. The backdrop here is the schools handling of jersey numbers, including sophomore DJ Pickett moving to No. 5, the number Daniels previously wore before his legal action against LSU, and it has turned what might have been a simple equipment-room decision into a broader alumni-and-athletics story with no clean resolution yet. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Says Goodbye To The Coach Who Built A Dynasty
Skip Bertman, the man who turned LSU baseball into a national standard, has died at 88. His impact on the program went far beyond trophies, though there were plenty of those: five College World Series titles as head coach, plus a run as athletic director that overlapped with two BCS football championships and helped define an era across LSU athletics.
Bertmans legacy also lives in the players he coached and the bigger place he carved out for LSU on the national stage. A longtime fixture in college sports and a member of multiple halls of fame, he left behind a dynasty in Baton Rouge and a program that still carries the imprint of his influence, even as the school says goodbye to one of its most important figures. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels And LSU Just Turned This Into A Bigger Fight
Jayden Daniels LSU legacy has taken an uncomfortable turn, with his former No. 5 now worn by DJ Pickett and the school suddenly in the middle of a public dispute it probably did not want. Daniels has long been one of the most visible faces of the programs recent success, so even something as symbolic as a jersey number can carry real weight when it comes to how his time in Baton Rouge is remembered.
The tension escalated after Daniels camp sent LSU a cease-and-desist letter over the use of his name, image and likeness, a move that turned a familiar alumni story into a much messier one. StubHub even jumped into the conversation on social media with a nod to the dispute, underscoring how quickly it has spilled beyond campus. For LSU, the timing is awkward, too, with Daniels recovering from injuries from his 2025 season and reportedly healthy heading into 2026, which only keeps the spotlight on everything surrounding him. [Read more 🡒]