LSU cornerback DJ Pickett wore No. 3 last year, even though he was promised No. 5. This year, LSU fulfilled the promise to Pickett — while breaking its commitment to Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Regardless, Pickett isn’t giving up the number.
“I’ve worn the number my whole life, since I was four years old,” Pickett told reporters on Thursday, via Mark Schlabach of ESPN. “It’s the number I was promised. I wish Jayden the best. Good player, and he did real good here [at LSU]. So, that’s all.”
Pickett’s father, Damien, isn’t happy with what has transpired.
“We never in a million years would have thought that it would come to this about a number, but we’re here,” Damien Pickett told the New Orleans Advocate. “Again, my boy doesn’t really care for the attention. It’s disappointing considering that we’re getting ready to start the season.
“To have a situation like this happen right now, considering that Jayden is a legend at LSU and it’s out that he’s not supportive of my son wearing his number, is very disappointing. . . . We wish in a perfect world that [Daniels] would have given him his blessing, and just from Tiger to Tiger, wish my son well.”
The situation is a direct consequence of officially retiring, or unofficially setting aside, jersey numbers. At some point, someone else is going to want it. It puts everyone in a delicate spot.
Usually, the person who previously wore the jersey goes along with the request in order to keep things from getting publicly awkward. Daniels chose not to do that, and now everyone is dealing with an avoidable mess.
But it starts with LSU. The school made a promise to Daniels. If wearing No. 5 was a dealbreaker for Pickett, LSU should have moved on to another recruit. Instead, LSU made a separate promise to Pickett, and then apparently intended to pretend that never happened.
