The [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] saga continues for Florida football but this time might mark the end of their courtship. On Tuesday, the five-star quarterback out of California officially submitted his paperwork with the NCAA requesting to be released from his letter of intent.
The journey has been a wild one from the start dating back to last June. At one point, the 6-foot-4-inch, 175-pound signal caller committed to the Miami Hurricanes despite the Gators being the heavy favorites to land him. Ultimately, the Orange and Blue prevailed but it turns out it would not last.
According to The Orlando Sentinel’s sources, Florida’s school-promoted NIL operation the Gator Collective wrote a check for $13 million despite not having enough funds to cover the bill. To make matters worse, the deep-pocketed boosters refused to help cover the expense of what is considered an absurd amount of money for a player who is not even the best in the nation at his position.
The young quarterback is reportedly back at home in the Golden State and had still yet to enroll in classes at the University of Florida as of Friday evening.
While it is tempting to place the blame on Rashada, the fault truly lies in the reinless NIL paradigm that is currently in place, which is more like the wild west than a well-maintained machine. The fact that a member of the Gator Collective could go rogue and throw out an exorbitant offer it could not back up is a perfect example of how this system is broken.
Rashada is a four-star prospect ranked No. 56 overall and No. 7 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 65 and 7, respectively. He is rated a five-star according to 247Sports.
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