If you're a public figure, one piece of advice should stick with you above all else: Never become the main character on Twitter. Sure, an NFL quarterback like Jayden Daniels might want to be the center of attention because of a great play or a thrilling victory, but that's very different from becoming a meme. That's exactly what Daniels has become, and it's entirely self-inflicted.
Here's the TL;DR on Daniels' current situation: Angry over LSU's decision to let sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett wear his No. 5 jersey, Daniels sent the Tigers a cease and desist letter informing the school they can no longer use his name, image and likeness.
Some have sided with the Heisman winner, considering Joe Burrow's No. 9 has not been reissued since he graduated, calling it a disrespect to go against Daniels' wishes. However, it seems a majority find the whole saga petty. LSU hasn't retired the No. 5 or No. 9 and Pickett was promised the number when he signed with the Tigers.
In the meantime, the jokes started pouring in.
Best Jayden Daniels 5 memes
We'll start with the most devastating tweet. New York Mets official account on X dropped the hammer on Daniels by posting the score graphic for their 4-1 win over the Nationals on Friday night: "Stopped at 4 out of respect for Jayden Daniels."
Stopped at 4 out of respect for Jayden Daniels #LGM #MetsWin pic.twitter.com/t0blh86TNM
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 15, 2026
And the Mets weren't the only MLB team getting in on the fun. MASN's Orioles account credited Gunnar Henderson for his two-run homer on Friday like this: "Went from 4 to 6 runs out of respect for Jayden Daniels."
Went from 4 to 6 runs out of respect for Jayden Daniels pic.twitter.com/DfNb8nlRqi
— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) August 15, 2026
Minor League Baseball even joined the pile on while noting that a suspended game from the day before would resume on Friday at 5:05 p.m. in the fifth inning.
"Hope that's okay with Jayden Daniels."
yesterday's game will resume 5:05 PM tonight in the 5th inning ...
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 14, 2026
hope that's okay with Jayden Daniels. https://t.co/cQuQXr054I pic.twitter.com/VP5eml0lHO
The crux of the meme is this: We all need to ask Jayden Daniels permission to use the No. 5 from now on.
StubHub was one of the first major brands to make the joke on Thursday: "Effective immediately, we will no longer offer tickets in groups of 5. Out of respect for Jayden Daniels, we're only doing 4 or 6+. Thank you for your understanding."
Effective immediately, we will no longer offer tickets in groups of 5. Out of respect for Jayden Daniels, we're only doing 4 or 6+. Thank you for your understanding. pic.twitter.com/MT9lohBrot
— StubHub (@StubHub) August 13, 2026
Country music site Whiskey Riff joked about Alan Jackson changing the lyrics to "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" to "It's Four O'Clock Somewhere."
Alan Jackson has changed the name of his song to "It's Four O'Clock Somewhere" out of respect for Jayden Daniels. pic.twitter.com/ip4wu4p2sC
— Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) August 14, 2026
NASCAR Truck Series champs TRICON joked that Corey Heim would be driving the No. 4 truck instead of the No. 5.
Out of respect for Jayden Daniels, Corey Heim will no longer be running the No. 5 tonight at Richmond Raceway. pic.twitter.com/lpucsXq23T
— TRICON (@TRICONGarage) August 14, 2026
Football teams were also all over it. Columbia football in FCS went viral for posting a picture of their field without the 5-yard line "out of respect for Jayden Daniels."
Out of respect for Jayden Daniels, we have removed the 5-yard line from our field
— Columbia Football (@CULionsFB) August 14, 2026
F.I.G.H.T. #RoarLionRoar 🦁 // #OnlyHere 🗽 pic.twitter.com/g97iauEyXr
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL posted a picture of defensive end Willie Jefferson with the caption, "Hope Jayden Daniels is okay with us posting this." Jefferson wears No. 5.
Hope Jayden Daniels is okay with us posting this #ForTheW pic.twitter.com/0iMgP4Kwx9
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) August 15, 2026
Even tweets that weren't joking about the Jayden Daniels situation got flooded in the comments. Like when West Virginia announced a No. 5 Pat White Throwback jersey.
ALL WHITE FOR 5 ⚪
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) August 15, 2026
The Pat White Throwback Replica Jersey is LIVE now!
Rep No. 5. Wear White. Pack Milan Puskar Stadium.
👕 Secure your jersey → https://t.co/tR11XK0wEj
🎟️ Tickets to the home opener → https://t.co/KzOImULx1n
We'll see you on Sept 5️⃣ pic.twitter.com/rkLlG5kfL2
"Super disrespectful to Jayden Danies, but Pat was him."
"Did you get Jayden Daniels' permission?"
"What does Jayden Daniels think about this?"
"Did anyone think about Jayden Daniels?"
@JayD__5 lawyers rn pic.twitter.com/8VB4oydJt6
— McBee (@McBeeHS) August 15, 2026
The memes are so pervasive, I half expect my mom to text me a Jayden Daniels 5 joke by the end of the day.
It just goes to show that some fights aren't worth bringing into the public eye. Was it worth it for Daniels to destroy his relationship with LSU over the No. 5 jersey? Was it worth having that dispute turn into the meme of the summer in the sports world?
