Florida top quarterback recruit Jaden Rashada is moving on from the Gators.
Rashada requested his release from his national letter of intent, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Sentinel.
Rashada’s decision ends a high-profile drama spotlighting the potential pitfalls of name, image and likeness deals given the lack of transparency and oversight. The 19-year-old California high schooler’s request leaves the Gators lacking quarterback depth and without the centerpiece of coach Billy Napier’s 2023 class.
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Rashada signed scholarship papers Dec. 21, but he never made it to Gainesville after an NIL deal for $13 million collapsed. Rated the nation’s No. 7 quarterback prospect by 247Sports composite rankings, Rashada planned to enroll early following the Jan. 3 Under Armour All-American game in Orlando.
Instead, he returned home to Pittsburg, Calif. When Rashada did not enroll, the rift became public involving the Rashadas, Napier’s program and the Gator Collective, a third-party entity that raises money from athletic donors to fund NIL deals for athletes.
High school athletes can receive deals before entering college in some states, including California, but not in Florida. Current legislation prohibits schools from contacting athletes about NIL opportunities, though changes have been proposed to allow more institutional involvement.
The deal with Rashada persuaded him to flip his commitment from Miami to Florida on Nov. 10 and attend the Gators’ 38-6 win against South Carolina on Nov. 12.
The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Rashada was expected to compete with Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz for the starting job.
Rashada’s release leaves the Gators with just three scholarship quarterbacks.
Florida targeted LSU transfer Walker Howard, a Lafayette native offered his first college scholarship by Napier when he coached Louisiana. Howard, a rising redshirt freshman, committed Thursday to Ole Miss.
Mertz, who started 32 games for the Badgers, was expected to lead a quarterback contingent featuring Rashada, rising redshirt freshman Max Brown and Jack Miller, a 2021 Ohio State transfer who started the Gators’ 30-3 loss to Oregon State in the Dec. 17 Las Vegas Bowl.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osgators.
