Pittsburg High product Jaden Rashada is moving on from the University of Florida, reopening his recruitment less than two weeks before the next signing period.
Friday, Florida reportedly granted the five-star quarterback his request for a release from the letter-of-intent he signed last month after a $13 million Name, Image and Likeness deal he made with an independent university fundraising arm, Gator Collective, was terminated.
On.3.com was the first to report about Rashada’s release.
Rashada is visiting Arizona State this weekend, according to 247Sports.com. The quarterback’s dad, Harlen, played defensive back for the Sun Devils in the early 1990s and the school’s new coach, Kenny Dillingham, tried to recruit Rashada to Oregon when he was the offensive coordinator in Eugene.
“That would make sense for him,” Victor Galli, Rashada’s Pittsburg coach, told the Bay Area News Group on Friday. “His dad went there. It’s a good school and we’re here. We’re in the Pac-12, closer to home.
“I’ll support whatever he does. For him, I just want him to get this thing settled. I want him to get in school. He’s got enormous potential and I am looking forward to him doing what he does. My concern is for Jaden and his well-being and him just getting an opportunity to play football.”
Galli, who retired from coaching at the end of last season, watched the 6-foot-5, 190-pound Rashada throw for 3,055 yards and 32 touchdowns and run for 419 yards and seven TDs while leading Pittsburg to a state championship game this past fall.
“I want him to have fun,” Galli said. “I think towards the end of the season, he was really enjoying what we were doing. I saw him competing and smiling and having a good time, playing football. He’ll give it a lot of thought on his next move. He’ll be OK.”
New Pittsburg coach Charlie Ramirez said via text that he and Rashada, 19, spoke the other day.
“I have no doubt he’s going to bounce back from this ordeal and choose a school that he can grow with as a student-athlete,” Ramirez said. “He’s been good at focusing on what matters to him, which is community and family. Maintaining those principles will help him find the right fit.”
Galli said the saga hasn’t been easy.
“I know the whole process has been pretty stressful for him before all of this stuff,” Galli said. “I thought it was over where he could just dive in and play some football and really hone in on the tremendous talent that he is and hopefully have a chance to do some really good things in college and maybe play on Sunday someday.
“I just want this (stuff) to end for him so he can concentrate on being a college student and playing football and having fun. I know he loves the game. I feel bad for him. I want this to end for him so he can go and do what he was born to do.”
The unanswered question is will Rashada find a NIL deal close to the millions he was reportedly going to receive at the University of Miami before he flipped in November to Florida for what was supposed to be even more money?
In addition to Arizona State, 247Sports reported earlier in the week that Cal and Washington could be destinations for Rashada.
His finalists when he picked Florida were Cal, Oregon, Miami, Mississippi and Texas A&M.
The next signing period starts on Feb. 1.
