TAMPA, Fla. — The saga between the Florida Gators and blue-chip quarterback Jaden Rashada has come to an end.
The Gators’ top signee has filed for a release from his national letter of intent with UF. 247Sports first reported the news.
At least one notable procedural step remains. The Gators must still release Rashada, allowing him to choose a new school. Assuming that happens, the nation’s No. 56 overall prospect will be able to reopen his recruitment, starting another chapter in a wild recruiting process.
The California native initially committed to Miami in June — a surprise, as many analysts and observers expected him to choose UF. His name, image and likeness agent at the time told On3 that Rashada left millions of dollars on the table by choosing the Hurricanes.
It didn’t last. He flipped to Florida in November. This time, the NIL figure is reported to be even higher: $13 million. A dispute ensued over the coming weeks, and The Athletic reported that the Gator Collective tried to cancel the deal. Rashada signed with the Gators, anyway. Eventually. Coach Billy Napier delayed his signing day news conference by an hour, and Rashada’s name was added to the final list of signees.
That was short-lived. As early enrollees began showing up to Gainesville this month, Rashada did not join them. Rumors of a name, image and likeness dispute began bubbling, putting his Florida future in jeopardy. As of Tuesday evening, that future no longer exists.
His departure is a major blow to the Gators. As of signing day, Rashada was UF’s top recruit (he has since been passed by defensive lineman Kelby Collins) and was the Gators’ top rated quarterback since Will Grier.
