Four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada, who signed with Florida on Dec. 21 but did not show up on campus last week amid a name, image and likeness controversy, has requested a scholarship release, sources close to the program confirmed to The Athletic. 247Sports first reported the filing. Here’s what you need to know:
- Sources said the recruit’s family has been at odds with the football program since the Gator Collective terminated a NIL contract valued at more than $13 million.
- Rashada is the No. 56 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class and the No. 7 quarterback according to the 247Sports Composite. The Pittsburgh (Calif.) High graduate was among the highest-ranked quarterbacks the Gators have drafted in the past decade.
- He committed to Miami in June amid speculation of a $9 million deal, then transferred to Florida on Nov. 10.
- While Rashada participated in last week’s Under-Armour All-American event in Orlando, his father, Harlan, told The Athletic that the family headed straight to Gainesville for spring enrollment.
What happened?
Sources close to the program told The Athletic that a $13 million NIL deal struck between the Gator Collective and Rashada before he left for Florida in November began to fall apart last month. Rashada eventually signed anyway and publicly sounded enthusiastic about moving to campus and learning the offense. Last week’s enrollment delay surrounded a dispute over the value of a renegotiated NIL deal.
What does this mean for Florida’s quarterback situation?
The Gators recently landed Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz and have returning quarterback Jack Miller. They also have 2022 signee Max Brown, who redshirted last season. But Rashada was the high-profile, big-arm talent expected to adapt this spring and push for early playing time.
The commitment of elite 2024 quarterback DJ Lagway helps ease the tension, although Rashada’s departure creates a public relations headache for the football program. It also sheds light on the dangers athletic departments face in NIL deals forced to be negotiated by a third party.
“The University of Florida football program is really one of the victims in this case,” said a source familiar with the Gator Collective’s dealings.
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(Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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