Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has been the butt of several jokes in the sports world since he voiced his displeasure at the LSU Tigers allowing cornerback DJ Pickett to wear his No. 5 jersey next season. Daniels reportedly escalated his feud with the Tigers by asking them to return the copy of the Heisman Trophy, which he won in 2023.
Analyst Mocks Jayden Daniels LSU Jersey Drama
During Saturday’s segment of the “Rich Eisen Show,” Rich Eisen referenced Daniels’ LSU saga in a conversation with Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning. Lanning talked about whether Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel sought permission from Oregon legends Justin Herbert and Marcus Mariota to wear their numbers in Eugene.
“When Bo Nix arrived, did you have to call up Justin Herbert to ask him if it was okay to give him No. 10? You had to clear it with him?” Eisen asked.
“Man, I think I know where you’re going here,” Lanning replied. “No, obviously, Dillon Gabriel wore Marcus’s (Mariota) number here. Each place is different. I can only speak on our situation, and we’ve been really fortunate that we’ve got a lot of people working on that stuff.”
“I think our players have always had a better awareness, maybe even than me as a coach. It’s not something you think a ton about as a coach, I’ll be honest,” Lanning added. “You want to respect everybody that’s ever been part of your program. Like Dillon, he had worn different numbers. But ultimately, he said, ‘I’d really like to wear eight. Let me call Marcus and make sure I have his blessing.’ That was on him. I can’t take any credit for that. That’s him thinking ahead.”
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Nix joined Oregon from Auburn in 2022 and took the No. 10 jersey previously worn by Herbert, who had an accomplished career in Eugene before being selected No. 6 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Nix finished on the Heisman Trophy podium after a stellar 2023 season in Eugene. According to PFN’s CFB QB Impact Metric, he posted an impact score of 95.9, ranking second behind Daniels.
Gabriel joined Oregon from Oklahoma in 2024 and established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the country, finishing on the Heisman Trophy podium.
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As Lanning mentioned, Gabriel called Marcus Mariota, Oregon’s only Heisman Trophy winner, to get his permission to wear the No. 8 jersey.
On the other hand, LSU has had three Heisman Trophy winners, including Billy Cannon (1959), Joe Burrow (2019), and Daniels (2023).
Cannon’s No. 20 has been retired and is permanently unavailable, while no one has worn Burrow’s No. 9 jersey since his historic 2019 season.
