The [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] saga may have wrapped up its Florida chapter, but there is still a lot of story to be written.
Over the weekend, 247Sports’ Brandon Huffman reported that the former UF commit was on Arizona State’s campus for a visit. Rashada officially requested his release from his national letter of intent from the University of Florida last week, with the Gators releasing him later in the week. His father, Harlen, played for the Sun Devils in the 1990s, with Jaden growing up familiar with the Pac-12 program.
The five-star quarterback from Pittsburg, California, has a relationship with Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, dating back to Dillingham’s time at Oregon. Before Rashada’s original commitment to the Miami Hurricanes in June 2022, the Ducks on his shortlist of teams he was considering committing to.
Rashada’s commitment to the Hurricanes sparked outrage among the Florida fan base, with head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] publishing an open letter to fans shortly after, preaching patience as he rebuilds the Gators’ football program. The patience paid off, with Napier landing double-digit four-star recruits in the month following the letter.
In November, Rashada flipped from Miami to Florida in one of the highlights of Billy Napier’s tenure thus far; Rashada then signed his LOI in December. Up to that point, the future was bright for the Gators with their presumed future signal-caller. He was expected to report to Gainesville after participating in January’s All-American Bowl just a short drive away in Orlando.
When Rashada did not report, concerns arose about a potential bump in the road between him and Florida. It later came out that a NIL deal worth a reported $13 million check failed to clear, causing the rift between the Gators and Rashada.
If Rashada ends up playing for Arizona State, he would join the ranks of current LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and former Florida quarterback [autotag]Emory Jones[/autotag] as the Sun Devils’ signal caller. On the flip side, wide receiver [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] came over from ASU to help bolster up the receiver corps for Florida in 2022 — and looks to do the same in 2023.
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