LSU clarified this week that multiple players wearing No. 5 jerseys during practice follows standard team procedures, after social media posts sparked false claims the Tigers were trolling former quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Practice photos posted by @AlexBoxWarrior showed two players in No. 5 jerseys – one defensive player in white and one offensive player in purple. The images were quickly recirculated with viral captions claiming LSU had given multiple players Daniels’ former number as payback.
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 jumped on the false narrative across social media platforms.
One user wrote, “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.”
One viewer joked, “I will be a Lane Kiffin fan forever if he did that.”
However, one skeptical 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.”
Teams routinely assign the same jersey number to offensive and defensive players during training camp.
This is standard practice because the players never share the field at the same time. The real controversy stems from an earlier jersey dispute between Daniels and the program.
Current LSU head coach Lane Kiffin gave the No. 5 jersey to sophomore cornerback D.J. Pickett. That’s the same number Daniels wore when he won the Heisman Trophy in 2023 under former coach Brian Kelly.
Daniels dominated college football that season. He threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns while rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 more scores.
His 50 total touchdowns marked one of the most explosive individual seasons in school history.
The Tigers finished 10-3 overall after winning the ReliaQuest Bowl that year.
Kiffin explained that Pickett was promised the jersey number when he originally committed to LSU. He told reporters, “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 expressed disappointment with the university’s decision through a spokesperson. They felt disrespected by the move to reassign his former number.
Pickett told reporters he was promised the number during recruitment and wished Daniels well.
