Too many cooks spoil the broth, and that’s what’s happening with LSU’s former quarterback Jayden Daniels. After Daniels’ lawyer sent LSU a cease-and-desist letter over the use of his NIL and the reassignment of his jersey number, things turned ugly. And now Outkick’s founder Clay Travis is urging him to fire the person who is forcing him to do this, even raising the possibility that his mother could be among them.

“Jayden Daniels should fire every person who advised him to send a letter to LSU complaining about his number being used,” Clay Travis wrote on X. “Yes, even if it was his mom. Extraordinarily dumb.”

The dispute started after LSU gave No. 5 to sophomore defensive back DJ Pickett, as he was promised so under former head coach Brian Kelly. Daniels wore No. 5 during his time at LSU, so his camp was unhappy that the school gave the same number to another player. 

Now, Regina Jackson, Jayden Daniels’ mother and agent, has also been drawn into the conversation. She is not only his mother but also an NFLPA-certified agent who now serves as his sole certified agent. She also serves as Daniels’ business manager. Given Jackson’s role in Daniels’ career and business affairs, Travis’ criticism potentially puts her in the conversation, although it has not been established that she advised Daniels on the LSU dispute.

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That said, Billy Cannon’s No. 20 is the only number that cannot be given to another player. Other retired jersey numbers can still be used in certain situations if the head coach allows it.

In Daniels’ case, No. 5 was never officially retired by LSU. Daniels also finished playing for LSU in 2023, and the school requires a player to wait at least five years after finishing his college career before he can even be considered for jersey retirement. Since Daniels has not reached that five-year mark, No. 5 was still available.

So, under LSU’s rules, the school had the authority to give No. 5 to DJ Pickett.

On top of it, Jayden Daniels distanced himself from the drama.

“I have been locked in on training camp, and that’s been my number one focus,” Daniels wrote. “I have a lot of gratitude for my time at LSU, and I’m proud of what my teammates and I accomplished there. Obviously there are issues to be worked out between my team and LSU, and I hope that it will get done privately.”

The statement has fueled speculation that Daniels did not want the dispute to become public and turn into something big, leaving questions about how much of the dispute was driven by Daniels himself versus the people representing him.

Daniels became only the third LSU player to win the Heisman Trophy, joining LSU legends Billy Cannon and Joe Burrow. That is why seeing another player wear No. 5 is difficult for him.

Even LSU’s former coach Brian Kelly did not want to give No. 5 to DJ Pickett without Jayden Daniels’ approval.

However, Lane Kiffin became LSU’s coach and made a different choice. And now there’s no going back.