Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
A collage features former LSU Tigers football stars Leonard Fournette and Jayden Daniels.
While Jayden Daniels is busy throwing a temper tantrum over the fact that LSU dared to allow someone else to wear his college number, former Tigers star Leonard Fournette proved that things don’t have to be that way.
Daniels, who won the 2023 Heisman Trophy on an LSU team that went 10-3 and finished with a win in the ReliaQuest Bowl – a game he did not play in – sent a cease-and-desist letter to his alma mater after coach Lane Kiffin allowed star cornerback recruit DJ Pickett to wear the No. 5.
Pickett was reportedly promised the number when he was being recruited by former head coach Brian Kelly. But Daniels found the move offensive given the way LSU has handled other jersey numbers of star players, namely Joe Burrow, who notably won the Heisman in an undefeated, national championship-winning season.
However, a number of former LSU stars disagreed with Daniels’ handling of the situation, and you can count Fournette among them.
Leonard Fournette Was Happy To Give Out The No. 7 To Current LSU Players
The No. 7 is iconic within the Tigers’ program, dating back to quarterback Burt Jones in the 70s.
In modern times, superstar cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu, a Heisman finalist in his own right, popularized the number.
Fournette, a Louisiana native and five-star recruit, took over the number in 2014 and went on to become a consensus All-American and a top-five pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
But unlike Daniels, he wants players to continue to wear the number. So much so that he recently returned to campus and awarded the number to tight end Trey’Dez Green and linebacker Whit Weeks.
That’s not all, though.
Leonard Fournette was back in Baton Rouge this week to honor Trey’Dez Green + Whit Weeks with the coveted No. 7.
The #LSU icon also took the time to provide the team with chains – gifting DJ Pickett a No. 5 chain on Wednesday.
“Gotta bless the 5.”
🎥: @shopgld pic.twitter.com/SELlqIcuTj
— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) August 28, 2026
Fournette seemingly took a direct shot at Daniels by handing out a custom No. 5 chain to Pickett.
Clearly, Fournette is happy to celebrate the success of his college program. Perhaps Daniels will get there one day. But for the time being, the two sides remain at odds.