Jayden Daniels wants No. 5 jersey back. Which Jax-area stars wear it?

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?