Controversy swirls over $13 million NIL deal for Florida QB recruit Jaden Rashada

Controversy is swirling over a $13 million NIL deal that was supplied to — and later apparently reneged upon — a Florida quarterback recruit.

G. Allan Taylor, who covers the Gators for The Athletic, revealed a wild story on Friday about how an NIL collective at Florida supplied a contract to Jaden Rashada, a four-star recruit from California, value an eye-popping $13 million.

On Nov. 10, Rashada signed that take care of the Gator Collective, an NIL booster group run by former Florida baseball participant Eddie Rojas.

“I’d enterprise to say the Gator Collective is paying extra assured cash than any group within the nation,” Rojas mentioned in April. “After I write a contract, I wish to ensure that we even have the cash in our account.”

The Athletic reviews that the deal “presumes” help from Florida booster Hugh Hathcock, who himself donated practically $13 million to this system final 12 months.

On Dec. 7, Rojas despatched a letter searching for to terminate the NIL deal. It’s unclear what modified, and the Florida administration was studying concerning the specifics on the fly as the colleges and their coaches and athletic workers usually are not imagined to be straight concerned with the transactions.

Nonetheless, Florida introduced Rashada as a part of its recruiting class on Dec. 21.

“I simply suppose there’s a excessive degree of belief on each ends there,” Florida head coach Billy Napier mentioned of Rashada on the time. “I’m actually enthusiastic about what he’s going to convey to our staff. … Can’t praise Jaden sufficient relative to who he’s as an individual, as a pacesetter, his character. Jaden is a man who got here right here and fell in love with the College of Florida and actually related with lots of people right here. It was honest.”

Whereas Rashada was nonetheless indicating his intent to play at Florida as just lately as final week, he has not but enrolled, and the deadline for early spring enrollment is Friday, Jan. 13.

Rashada’s father, Harlen, who performed defensive again at Arizona State, denied earlier this week that his son had filed for a launch from Florida. Harlen instructed 247Sports that they had been “working by way of some issues proper now with Florida and hoping that they get resolved quickly.”

The Athletic reviews that there’s the potential for litigation, and that Rashada has been supplied a lesser deal, nonetheless value north of seven figures, to enroll at Florida, offered he agree to not search to implement the earlier contract.