ON3 Reports Rashada Wants Out
According to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports, four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada has reportedly asked to opt out of his national letter of intent to the University of Florida.
The news came after recent reports hinted Rashada had not enrolled early on campus, which he planned on doing when he signed. Nakos mentioned the reasoning for Rashada’s decision came from “NIL missteps” resulting in him losing trust in Florida.
Jaden Rashada is one of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 recruiting class and was the gem of Florida’s class. Losing him is nothing short of a disaster for coach Billy Napier, who is just getting started there.
Father Denies Report
However, according to Brandon Huffman of 247Sports, Rashada’s father, Harlen, denied the report of his son requesting a release from his NLI.
Harlen Rashada may have refuted the initial report, but there was clear smoke this past week of something holding his son up from enrolling early. 247Sports and On3 believe it is NIL-related, and as of now they still could be working through this deal.
Jaden Rashada weighed in on the situation himself, per Hayes Fawcett.
There’s never a dull moment for Florida and this is no exception. Hope is still alive for the Gators to get this cleaned up and in the rearview mirror. With the limited competition in that position group, Jaden Rashada has a chance to be Florida’s starting QB out of the gates.
This is still an ongoing story and will be updated accordingly.
Update: Rashada Requests Transfer
After six days of waiting, there may finally be an ending to Jaden Rashada’s recruitment at Florida. Brandon Huffman has now reported that Rashada has officially filed a request to be released from UF.
This isn’t the resolution either party wanted, but new opportunities will arise for both sides. Florida is urgently looking to acquire another QB. Yesterday they visited 5-star LSU transfer quarterback Walker Howard, who has ties to coach Billy Napier during his time at Louisiana. Landing Howard would be an impressive move by Napier and completely turns the national perception of the program around.
He will enter his sophomore season more prepared to start than Rashada and immediately becomes the best QB in Florida’s room. Ole Miss has been reported as the top option in his recruitment, but with Jackson Dart being there, the path to start seems much easier at Florida.
As for Rashada, his recruitment still isn’t over. According to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports, Rashada’s potential destinations would include several Pac-12 schools. Rashada is a California kid and received offers from schools like California and Oregon. Miami shouldn’t be completely ruled out either as they just lost Jake Garcia to the transfer portal.
This saga caps off one of the wildest recruitments in recent memory and the very first NIL holdout. Perhaps it could be the first of many cases in this new era of college football.
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