Brian Kelly isn't getting enough blame for the Jayden Daniels LSU saga

It's rare to see a legendary player turn against their program in college football, but when it happens it gets messy fast. The ugliness that can come from a program battling with a program icon is part of the reason that schools are hesitant to hire their alumni as head coaches as Scott Frost went from hero to Villain at Nebraska.

This week, a battle no one saw coming started to unfold when Jayden Daniels' lawyers sent a letter to LSU telling the Tigers to stop using his Name, Image, and Likeness.

LSU being asked to stop marketing one of their three Heisman winners, and most successful players in recent history wasn't the end of the saga either. According to Matt Moscona of LouisianaSports.net, Daniels' camp wants LSU to return the schools copy of the Heisman Trophy which LSU has no plans of doing.

Brian Kelly deserves all the blame for the Jayden Daniels saga

As the story has led to a ton of debate online and in the media, everyone is taking sides, blaming LSU, Lane Kiffin, and Jayden Daniels for the relationship souring. The figure that isn't getting nearly enough credit for mismanaging the situation is Brian Kelly who should be the central figure in this battle.

The reason that Jayden Daniels feels slighted by LSU is the fact that the Tigers are allowing Sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett to wear his number 5 this season. LSU retired Heisman winner Billy Cannon's no. 20, and no one has worn Joe Burrow's No. 9 since his departure, but Daniels No. 5 isn't getting the same treatment.

Now LSU could be blamed for not formally retiring Burrow's number along with Jayden Daniels', but it may be easier said than done with both currently playing in the NFL making it difficult for them to return for a ceremony.

Where the blame should be pointed to is Brian Kelly as he's the one who could've prevented this from becoming an issue. Kelly brought Jayden Daniels to LSU, and he won a Heisman under Kelly's watch so if anyone should know the impact the quarterback had on the program it should be his former head coach.

Lane Kiffin is allowing DJ Pickett to wear the number, but the reason why is because Brian Kelly and his staff promised the number to Pickett in order to lure the 5-star cornerback to Baton Rouge.

DJ Pickett spoke to the LSU media on Thursday as well where he laid out how the coaching staff promised him the number.

Jayden Daniels has every right to be upset with LSU's decision, and feel slighted by the program he played for. The Tigers are seemingly following one set of standards for Billy Cannon and Joe Burrow, but not for Daniels, so if they're not going to honor him in a way he feels is respectful, why should they be able to market him?

Lane Kiffin was put in an impossible place, especially in an era where the Transfer Portal is always a looming threat. Kelly's staff promised Pickett the number, but had him wear 3 last season which already makes the program look bad considering they didn't follow up on that promise. If Lane Kiffin tells DJ Pickett that the promise meant nothing, especially when the entire defensive staff remained in Baton Rouge it's easy to see how Pickett would lose trust in the staff, and it would send the wrong message.

The person who could've prevented this all is Brian Kelly as he didn't need to promise DJ Pickett the number, and if he was going to, he could've discussed it with Jayden Daniels. The number isn't fully retired, but no one wore 9 under Brian Kelly so he clearly saw the importance around the Heisman winners, yet didn't care enough to ensure the same was done for the one he coached.

In the end, hopefully this can reach a place where Jayden Daniels feels honored by the program he played for and where DJ Pickett isn't in the crosshairs because of it. The drama in Baton Rouge has been plentiful this season, and this drama is only adding to the number of distractions.

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