Tag: Jaden Rashada

CBS Sports’ one burning question heading into Florida’s spring game

Is Graham Mertz the guy who can lead the Gators to success next season?

Florida football’s annual spring Orange and Blue game is a little over two weeks away and following a second-straight losing season, this year’s Gators squad has no shortage of questions heading into the intrasquad matchup. Now that Billy Napier has more than a full year under his belt at the head of the program, however, things should be becoming a bit more clear.

Unfortunately, the Orange and Blue are dealing with a troublesome issue under center. With [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] now departed for the NFL draft and the [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] saga leaving the Gators empty-handed in the 2023 recruiting class, the biggest question for the team remains at the most important position on the field: quarterback.

CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee recently surveyed the Southeastern Conference for each member school’s most pressing issue heading into April, including the question of whether transfer QB [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] is the guy to lead Florida to its first winning record in three seasons or not. Here is Sallee’s take on the topic.

Is Graham Mertz the guy? Anthony Richardson chose to leave for the NFL after one year as the Gators’ starter, and coach Billy Napier hit the transfer portal and lured Graham Mertz way from Wisconsin. Mertz signed with the Badgers with a lot of hype coming out of high school but failed to live up to expectations in Madison. If Mertz does take over as QB1, how will the offense change? Richardson was a monster on the ground, but Mertz doesn’t have that weapon in his arsenal. [autotag]Jack Miller[/autotag] is hot on Mertz’s heels this spring, but Napier has another transfer portal window that opens on May 1 to go shopping if he so chooses.

Florida’s annual Orange and Blue game is scheduled for Thursday, April 13, with a 7:30 p.m. EDT kickoff time inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.

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Steve Spurrier comments on Florida’s 2023 quarterback situation

Spurrier commented on the Florida Gators’ QB room heading into 2023.

If there’s one person whose opinion on the Florida Gators quarterback situation holds weight, it’s Steve Spurrier’s.

On a recent episode of The Tailgate, the Head Ball Coach brought up a conversation he had with Shane Matthews, one of Spurrier’s former quarterbacks when he coached the Orange and Blue back in the 1990s. In that conversation, Matthews asked the HBC what he thought of the Gators’ quarterbacks room. His response was one only the most important figure in Florida football history could give.

Here is what the HBC said about the Gators’ current quarterbacks room.

“I was talking to Shane and he said, ‘I’m not sure we have a great quarterback right now,’”

“I said, Shane, they told me that when I took the Florida job back in ’90. You gotta find somebody and coach the heck out of him.”

To provide some context, the Florida quarterbacks room could be confused for a carousel over the last few months. 2022 starter Anthony Richardson will not be returning after declaring for the 2023 NFL draft. [autotag]Jalen Kitna[/autotag] was arrested and dismissed from the team. That left former Ohio State quarterback [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] to take the field for the Gators’ 30-3 Las Vegas Bowl loss to Oregon State.

[autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag], a five-star quarterback prospect from California, signed his letter of intent in December and was expected to arrive on campus after playing in the All-American Bowl in Orlando. After he did not arrive on campus, a national saga played out with a reported $13 million name, image, and likeness deal that fell through at the center. He was released from his letter of intent in January and has since enrolled at Arizona State.

Add in Wisconsin transfer [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag], and the Gators went from a quarterbacks room with a projected first-rounder and five-star prospect, to two former transfers and [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag], a former three-star prospect, as the only scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.

It seems like the Heisman Trophy winner and national championship-winning head coach is a believer in developing the talent you have on the roster. While head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is expected to add another quarterback to the roster via the transfer portal, Spurrier may get his wish for 2023.

Whoever is brought in from the portal, the 2023 starting job is expected to come down to Mertz and Miller, two players who will have all spring to earn the job.

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Florida commit and target among ESPN’s 2024 recruits to watch

Take a look at who made ESPN’s list.

With national signing day and the 2023 recruiting class in the rearview mirror, attention turns to the 2024 class and the players that [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] will target.

The 2024 class is a big one for Napier and his staff. The 2023 class was the first one that Napier was in charge of for the entire cycle. After being hired in December 2021, Napier had little time to keep together a class that former head coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] put together. The 2022 class saw the program’s first-ever player from IMG Academy in Bradenton when Kamari Wilson signed with the Gators.

The 2023 class was an improvement from 2021 and showed what Napier prioritized in recruiting. According to On3, of the Gators’ 20 high school recruits, 16 were considered blue-chip prospects (four or five stars). 70% of the 2023 class consisted of players from the state of Florida, compared to just 25% from the 2022 class.

It seems like Napier is on pace to, at a minimum, maintain the same level of quality from the 2023 class. In a recent article by ESPN, Tom VanHaaren makes a point to mention Florida commit [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] as one of the three 2024 quarterbacks with a five-star grade. That is particularly important to the Orange and Blue, given the [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] saga that the program went through over the last six weeks. After his commitment in December, Lagway has been vocal about his openness to recruit for the Gators.

One player that could use a call from DJ Lagway is Hollywood, Florida, native [autotag]Joshisa Trader[/autotag]. The Chaminade-Madonna wide receiver is the top player at his position in the 2024 class. In addition to the Gators, programs like Ohio State, Miami and Florida State are all pushing hard to secure his services. Landing a player like Trader would go a long way in re-establishing the Gators as the best in-state option for top talent in the state of Florida.

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Napier speaks about bringing in transfer QB Graham Mertz

24 different quarterbacks were under consideration before Florida landed on Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz.

Billy Napier has done a great job of bringing in talent over the last two cycles to shape the Gators’ roster in his image and he has been able to do that at almost every position. Except for Napier’s one Achilles heel, which has been the quarterback position. But when you break it down, it really isn’t his fault.

Napier was given a gift from [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] when he inherited [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] as his starting quarterback. However, since the end of the 2022 season, the Gators’ quarterback room has been a revolving door of players exiting and entering for different reasons. Richardson declared for the NFL draft, [autotag]Jalen Kitna[/autotag] was arrested and dismissed from the program, former 2023 commit Marcus Stokes has his offer revoked after a video of him using a racial slur emerged, and everyone is familiar with the [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] saga that ended with Rashada enrolling at Arizona State.

Needless to say, Napier has been dealt bad hand after bad hand with his quarterback room.

That brings us to Wisconsin transfer quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag]. When speaking about the process that led to bringing Mertz to Gainesville, Napier said that the program evaluated 24 different quarterbacks. The Rashada situation seems to have been independent of bringing in a signal caller from the transfer portal, as Rashada would have given the Gators four scholarship quarterbacks. That number is consistent with other FBS programs’ quarterback rooms.

The Orange and Blue are now left with just three scholarship quarterbacks, two of which arrived in Gainesville via the transfer portal. While Gator Nation waits for [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] to arrive on campus in 2024, Napier will have to bring in another transfer, just to have enough depth to feel comfortable throughout the season. Napier even said as much, mentioning that the Gators would look for another signal caller when the portal opens up again in May.

Regardless of who Florida decides to bring in, the starting job for 2023 is expected to be a two-man race between Mertz and former Ohio State transfer [autotag]Jack Miller[/autotag]. Miller was the starter in Florida’s 30-3 loss to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl.

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Billy Napier open to boosting quarterback room this spring

We’re not sure who it will be and where he will come from, but the Gators are in need of some help in the quarterback room.

What was once a promising quarterback room in Gainesville has fallen like a house of cards over the past couple of months following the arrest of freshman [autotag]Jalen Kitna[/autotag] on child pornography charges, 2023 commit [autotag]Marcus Stokes[/autotag]’ rescinded scholarship offer after a video surfaced of him using a racial slur on social media, and the NIL fiasco that followed [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] saga.

Man, it has not been a fun time for the Gator Nation of late, especially with star quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] heading into the NFL draft despite still being a bit wet behind the ears.

Now that the 2023 recruiting cycle is officially over, head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his army of staffers are now turning their attention to the college football transfer portal in hopes of finding another scholarship quarterback to help add some depth to a thin corps. Essentially, there is a job opportunity open under center and the next month or two will serve as auditions for the part.

“I think if there’s an opportunity, there’s a player that passes evaluation,” Napier said according to Swamp247, “we certainly would be in the market for another player there.”

The Gators have already started the search for a new signal-caller, first checking in on former LSU Tigers QB Walker Howard, a former four-star prospect out of Lafayette (Louisiana) St. Thomas More in 2022 who was buried on the Tigers’ depth chart last season. However, 247Sports’ sources suggest that Florida has garnered very little interest from the young quarterback.

Also mentioned was former Washington quarterback Sam Huard, who was ranked No. 12 overall, No. 3 among quarterbacks and No. 249 among all prospects according to the 247Sports composite coming out of high school. However, the legacy football player chose California Polytechnic State instead.

The Gators currently have Wisconsin Badgers transfer [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag], [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] (a former Ohio State Buckeyes transfer) and [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag] as the three scholarship passers on the roster. Time will tell if Napier and Co. can pull off the coup and bring another solid talent in to beef up the competition.

‘Every college football coach would tell you they’re frustrated’ with NIL, says Billy Napier

Here are a few words from Billy Napier following the end of the 2023 recruiting cycle in regards to NIL.

First-year Florida football head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] was frustrated with the current state of college football recruiting in the name, image and likeness era after the fallout following prized quarterback recruit [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] request to opt out of his national letter of intent at the University of Florida. The Gators’ skipper spoke with Gator Sports’ Kevin Brockway on Wednesday on the topic but did not get too deep into the specifics.

“Every college football coach would tell you they’re frustrated,” Napier said. “We’re living in a fluid dynamic. There’s a lot of good things about NIL, but I think the combination of the NIL and the portal creates a dynamic you have the bad things about the NFL but none of the good things.

“We’re all aware of the issues and the parameters we’re competing in at this point. I think as time goes the market will settle down.”

NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from being involved in NIL deals which limits the amount of information Napier is able to disclose to the press.

“I wish we could get into specifics, but we’re not allowed to,” Napier said. “The reality is the current structure of NIL with third parties being involved, with agents being involved, with marketing representatives, with lawyers, with collectives, very fluid and I think a very unique dynamic.

“We’re living in a time in college athletics that we’ll look back upon. I think ultimately NIL is a strength for the Gators. We’re very pleased with where we’re at relative to our current players, all the athletes and what we’ve been able to accomplish in a short amount of time.”

Of course, Florida’s head coach harbors no ill will toward the young prospect, even after all of the drama.

“I still have the utmost respect for him and his family,” Napier said.

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Final 247Sports composite team recruiting rankings following NSD

National signing day is officially in the rearview mirror for the 2023 recruiting cycle. Take a look at where Florida landed among the top 25 teams.

The end of college football’s 2023 recruiting cycle has come and gone with Wednesday’s national signing day, bringing a crazy year of flips and failed NIL deals that have turned the collegiate gridiron into a new wild west for incoming prep prospects. Unfortunately for Florida football, the Gators spent a great deal of time at ground zero as the sport continues to work through its growing pains.

Now that the cycle is officially over, it is time to take a look at where all of the programs landed after the dust settled. Among the many publications tracking the progress of each respective team is 247Sports, which updated its recruiting rankings accordingly now that all is said and done.

Take a look below at the 247Sports composite top 25 following national signing day. There were quite a few shakeups in comparison to our previous update in mid-January, especially in the wake of the [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] saga. Note that the changes in rankings are in comparison to our last list.

Uncommitted TE Duce Robinson explains why he delayed signing

One big name who we didn’t get a decision from is Duce Robinson, who’s now the top uncommitted player in the cycle.

Now that National Signing Day has come and gone, pretty much all of the elite recruits from the class of 2023 have chosen a college. Yesterday, the nation’s No. 1 Athlete Nyckoles Harbor committed to South Carolina and the top undecided quarterback Jaden Rashada picked Arizona State.

One big name who we didn’t get a decision from is Pinnacle (Ariz.) tight end Duce Robinson, who’s now the top uncommitted player in the cycle.

In an interview on ESPN, Robinson explained that he simply doesn’t know where he wants to play yet and wants to have full conviction when he does.

Robinson (6-foot-6, 225 pounds) is the top-ranked tight end in 2023 and is No. 17 overall in this class according to the composite rankings.

28 different schools have extended offers, but Robinson has narrowed his list down to a handful of finalists. Georgia remains the heavy favorite but USC, Alabama, Texas and Oregon are also reported to still be in the mix.

More football news

4-star TE Walker Lyons commits to USC

Updated 2023 Top 100 recruit rankings

Four-star QB Jaden Rashada commits to Arizona State

Kenny Dillingham has his QB1 for the future. Arizona State’s recruiting has skyrocketed under its young coach, who is obviously connecting with players.

On Wednesday, Arizona State and first-year head coach Kenny Dillingham earned a commitment from four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada, a former Florida Gator commitment.

Rashada, the No. 44 overall player and sixth-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2023, announced his commitment to Arizona State during national signing day on Wednesday.

Rashada recently received a release from his letter of intent with the Florida Gators and re-opened his recruitment. Arizona State, TCU and California were potential suitors.

Rashada threw for 5,687 yards and tossed 67 touchdowns during his high school career. He was a finalist at the Elite 11 camp and played in the Under Armour All-America Game.

Including transfers — the Sun Devils could set a record in terms of volume alone this period — the ASU class ranked 46th. It included 46 total players: 20 high school and junior college commits plus 26 transfers.

Rashada’s commitment alone vaults ASU to 25th nationally in the pre-signing day rankings.

Rashada choosing Arizona State shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise. His father, Harlen Rashada, played defensive back for the Sun Devils in the mid-1990s.

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Jaden Rashada commits to ‘my childhood dream school’ Arizona State

In a statement released on his social media page Rashada announced that he’s committed to Arizona State. 

Pittsburg (Calif.) four-star prospect Jaden Rashada came into National Signing Day as the top uncommited quarterback in the country. He’s now made his choice.

In a statement released on his social media page Rashada announced that he’s committed to Arizona State.

“Just want to start off by thanking the Lord for my journey and the strength to get through whatever was & is put in front of me, thank you to everybody who truly knows me for me! Just want to keep this short and let it be known I’ll be attending Arizona State University, my childhood dream school, my fathers alma matter, a place where I’m happy and a school where the Head Coach has always had my back! Glad to truly be home! Can’t wait to carry on the family name at the University and start my journey! Forks up!”

Rashada’s recruitment has been the most volatile of this recruiting cycle. He initially committed to Miami, then flipped to Florida. However, a reported $13 million NIL deal with a booster organization fell through, and Rashada requested and was granted a release from his National Letter of Intent.

Soon after, several new schools got into the race but TCU and Arizona State emerged as the favorites to get him.

No matter how they got it done, the Sun Devils have landed a potent dual-threat QB in Rashada. As a Senior, he threw 32 touchdown passes and rushed for seven more scores. He’s ranked No. 6 at his position and No. 82 overall in his class.

Arizona State’s 2023 class is now ranked No. 36 in the country.

More football recruiting news

No. 1 Athlete Nyckoles Harbor chooses South Carolina

Folsom (Calif.) 4-star TE Walker Lyons commits to USC