Viral photo of LSU players wearing No. 5 to spite Jayden Daniels isn’t what it seems

A practice photo out of Baton Rouge blew up this week for all the wrong reasons after multiple LSU Tigers players were spotted wearing No. 5 jerseys at practice. 

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At first glance, fans on social media thought the Tigers were actively trolling Jayden Daniels by handing his old number out to a massive chunk of the roster. However, that is not what actually happened on the field. 

The photos, first posted by @AlexBoxWarrior, show two different players wearing No. 5 jerseys — one in a white defensive jersey and others in purple offensive jersey — mixed into the same practice session. Within hours, the shots were recirculated with viral captions claiming LSU had flooded the roster with the number as a shot at its former quarterback. 

LSU players sent a message to Jayden Daniels today after he felt disrespected that a player wore the #5

(📸 : @AlexBoxWarrior ) pic.twitter.com/XFe6KZqAjh

— Football Crave (@FootballCravee) August 13, 2026

Fans had fun with the false narrative on X, with one user writing, «They just created a million Jayden Daniels.» 

Another added, «LSU players response: troll game 1000%. Players wear #5.» 

A third posted, «Looks to me like the #5 being used quite well hahahaha everyone wearin it, poor Jayden.» 

The fourth viewer joked, «I will be a Lane Kiffin fan forever if he did that.» 

One skeptical X user claimed, «You fell for AI bait, they’re not actually wearing #5 in practice, you gullible idiot. The one player who was assigned #5 for the season is the only one wearing it.»

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However, the fans online completely missed a basic rule about how football practices work. Teams routinely give the same jersey number to two different players during training camp. This is normal because one player plays on offense and the other plays on defense. 

The real drama is actually about a jersey dispute that started earlier. Current LSU head coach Lane Kiffin gave the defensive No. 5 jersey to sophomore cornerback D.J. Pickett. This is the same number that Jayden Daniels wore when he won the Heisman Trophy under former coach Brian Kelly back in 2023. 

In that historic year, Daniels dominated college football by throwing for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 more TDs. Recording 50 total touchdowns, he pulled off one of the most explosive individual seasons in school history. But his individual greatness didn’t lead to team hardware. The Tigers eventually finished 10-3 overall after winning the ReliaQuest Bowl. 

However, Kiffin explained that Pickett was promised the jersey number when he originally signed with the school, adding, “When a kid is promised something to come to a school, he should wear it. So, I really don’t think that’s my decision. He should be honored with what he was told. So, he’s wearing it.”

Daniels’ family was not happy about this. A family spokesperson said they felt deeply disrespected by the university’s move. But Pickett told reporters that it was a number he was promised and that he wished Daniels the best. 

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