Florida’s football program finds itself in hot water as the NCAA launches an investigation into its recruitment of quarterback prospect Jaden Rashada. Rashada had initially signed with the Gators in December 2022 but later had his national letter of intent revoked when his lucrative name, image, and likeness (NIL) package, reportedly worth over $13 million for four years, fell apart.
Ranked as the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback and No. 31 overall prospect in the 2023 ESPN 300, Rashada eventually enrolled at Arizona State, his father’s alma mater. Florida’s spokesperson, Steve McClain, stated, “We have been and will continue to cooperate with the NCAA… Because we follow NCAA policies about maintaining confidentiality, we are unable to offer additional comments.”
Recently, the Tampa Bay Times and The Associated Press obtained an NCAA notice of inquiry sent to University of Florida president Ben Sasse on June 9, revealing that the NCAA enforcement staff had initiated an investigation into the football program. Notably, Rashada’s name and the nature of the alleged NCAA rules violations were not mentioned in the letter.
Rashada had entered into an NIL deal with the Gator Collective, an independent fundraising arm not officially associated with the university. However, he sought release from his letter of intent when the collective allegedly failed to fulfill his NIL agreement. Florida officials granted Rashada’s release on January 20, 2023, and subsequently, the Gator Collective ceased operations.
Hailing from Pittsburg, California, Rashada was the highest-rated prospect in Florida coach Billy Napier’s 2023 recruiting class and was seen as the team’s quarterback of the future. He boasted an impressive high school record, throwing for 5,275 yards with 59 touchdowns at Pittsburg High School. Rashada had initially committed to Miami before switching his allegiance to the Gators. During his time with the Sun Devils, he passed for 485 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
The NCAA enforcement staff is intensifying its efforts to curb the use of NIL packages as recruiting incentives. Florida State recently faced penalties, including two years of probation, disassociation from one of its collectives for a season, a three-game suspension for offensive line coach Alex Atkins, and a three-year disassociation for a booster. These sanctions marked the first time the NCAA punished a school, coach, or collective for using NIL as a recruiting inducement and severed the relationship between a school and an NIL collective as part of the penalties.