Jaden Rashada is headed to another school, for the second time in his career. Hopefully, this saga won’t be as messy.
The Arizona State quarterback announced via social media Thursday he had entered the transfer portal after a single year in Tempe. He, of course, only arrived in Arizona State following a fiasco at Florida involving an allegedly reneged $13 million NIL deal.
In his announcement, Rashada thanked his teammates and the Arizona State coaching, academics and cafeteria staff and said he was “seeking the best fit for my career.”
Rivals’ Adam Gorney subsequently reported Georgia is planning to make a serious run at Rashada. A return to the SEC East would sure be interesting.
Jaden Rashada’s college career has been a wild ride so far
The saga around Rashada’s Florida deal is unavoidable while discussing his career. He was ranked by Rivals as the No. 11 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2023 and signed a letter of intent with the Gators, but requested and was granted a release after a deal fell through with the Gator Collective, Florida’s NIL arm.
A contract obtained by the Athletic showed the Gator Collective had promised Rashada up to $13.8 million, with $500,000 up front and six-figure payments every month as long as he remained with the school. It was an unprecedented deal, with more money than most NFL rookie contracts and minimal obligations.
However, the collective proceeded to miss the first payment, leading to Rashada reopening his recruitment and landing with his father’s alma mater at Arizona State. The situation later became the subject of an NCAA investigation.
Rashada proceeded to become something of a feel good story when he was named the Sun Devils’ Week 1 starter, but he only started two games before missing the rest of the season with an injury. A quarterback battle loomed for Rashada in his sophomore year between last year’s leading passer Trenton Bourget and Michigan State transfer Sam Leavitt.
Instead, Rashada opted to look elsewhere.
Source Agencies
