No. 5, it turns out, is in the football spotlight right now.
The catalyst is Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who sent a cease-and-desist letter to LSU last week over the Tigers' decision to re-issue his No. 5 jersey instead of retiring the number permanently. It's two and a half years after he won the Heisman Trophy wearing the number in 2023. Jayden Daniels,
it turns out, wants his No. 5 back.And since then, the football world and the Internet have reacted, massively.
StubHub's corporate account joked that it would no longer offer the option to buy five tickets — just four or fewer, or six or more — "out of respect for Jayden Daniels." Columbia University posted an image of its field with the 5-yard line removed. Baseball's
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp got in on the fun on Aug. 16, issuing a fake apology for infielder Johnny Olmstead playing under Daniels' number. And the jokes roll on.
So 5 is the magic number in sports right now, and as it turns out, around the Jacksonville area, the No. 5 jersey is a popular one for high school football.
Here are some of the Northeast Florida players listed with the No. 5 jersey, as listed by their respective athletic departments on MaxPreps. Note that some teams have yet to officially publish roster numbers for the new season, which begins Aug. 21 for Florida High School Athletic Association football programs.
Selected Jacksonville-area players wearing No. 5 in 2026
Baker County: WR Hudson Hodges
Bolles: LB Christian Hayes
Bradford: WR/DB Jordan Cason
Episcopal: QB Justice Turpin
Fleming Island: TE/LB Levi Cox
Jackson: RB Jaysahn Patton
Mandarin: RB Shaunqueze Foster
Parker: QB Derrell Monroe
Ponte Vedra: TE Trent Player
Providence: RB Zac Laguens
Raines: DB Tacori Allen
Ribault: DB Taevaughn Winters
St. Augustine: DB Ma'kari Spencer
Tocoi Creek: WR Jathan Dehaven
Trinity Christian: LB Kasir Jennings
University Christian: DB Josh Lauchner
West Nassau: RB Smo Green
White: RB Rontrez Loyd
Yulee: LB JJ Etienne
Nease's Tim Tebow and Jayden Daniels: The Heisman connection
And then there's Nease.
Unlike LSU, Nease actually has retired its No. 5 jersey in honor of a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.
That's Tim Tebow,who set numerous local and state passing records (some of them since surpassed) with Nease between 2003-05, including an FHSAA championship as a senior while rocketing into the national recruiting spotlight. Tebow attained totals of 9,940 passing yards and 95 touchdowns in his three years at the St. Johns County school.
From there, Tebow signed with Florida and helped the Gators to national championships in 2006 and 2008, and earned the Heisman Trophy in 2007 while wearing the No. 15 in Gainesville. He still ranks fourth in passing yards (9,285), tied for second in passing touchdowns (88), sixth in rushing yards (2,947) and first in rushing touchdowns (57) in Gators history.
Nease retired Tebow's No. 5 on Oct. 19, 2012, prior to a game against Menendez.
Oakleaf has also retired its No. 5 jersey for linebacker Shaquille Quarterman, the Knights' first All-First Coast defensive player of the year in 2015. Quarterman went on to play college football at Miami and spent five seasons in the NFL, including 63 games with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jayden Daniels wants No. 5 jersey back. Which Jax-area stars wear it?
