Saturday’s matchup between Miami and Florida revolved around a classic quarterback duel: Carson Beck leads the Hurricanes against DJ Lagway and the struggling Gators. But both schools could have had entirely different QBs on the sidelines if the circumstances had changed. Despite being courted by both programs during the 2023 recruiting cycle, this former 4-star quarterback never set foot on either campus.

In a recent post on X, CFBTalkDaily posted “SAD…JADEN RASHADA HAS BEEN BENCHED AT SACRAMENTO STATE…RASHADA is mostly known for being on his 4th school and for nearly getting a 15 million dollar NIL deal from Billy Napier and the Florida Gators.” Jaden Rashada has had a very odd college experience. The 22-year-old signal-caller has had a wild journey. He went from switching to Florida after Miami during the recruiting cycle, to arriving at Arizona State. He finally landed at Sacramento State through transfer portal. He is still a redshirt sophomore.

Rashada told CBS Sports, “It was a lot to figure out, honestly… This move had to be pretty critical and intentional… I missed the game. I love football. This is what I’ve been doing since I was a kid.” He has mostly been sidelined by injuries and roster conflicts, but he has never lost sight of his goal. Rashada spent a brief period at Georgia, trailing Carson Beck and Gunnar Stockton, before logging back into the transfer portal and eventually arriving at Sacramento State. He was the Hornets’ starting quarterback at the beginning of the season. He had a rough start in the first game, finishing just 11 of 27 passes for 107 yards with an interception. They lost that game 20-3.

After that, he was benched and Sacramento State looked to Cardell Williams to lead the team. Rashada still has two years of eligibility left after this year. He still has an opportunity to prove himself and get back on track despite being benched. But it’s not just about wins and losses. A reminder of the current state of college football is evident in the fact that Rashada is still caught up in a lawsuit against against Gators head coach Billy Napier along with a booster and a staff of the program. The case is over a failed NIL agreement.

Jaden Rashada’s NIL Lawsuit

Jaden Rashada was a highly sought recruit. According to 247 Sports Composite Rankings, he was the No. 81 overall in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 7 quarterback and the No. 6 overall player in California. He went to Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, California and had received over 30 scholarship offers.

After allegedly receiving a $9.5 million NIL offer, he initially committed to Miami. However, Florida’s four-year, $13.85 million offer persuaded him to change his mind. Rashada alleges that Napier, former employee by the name of Marcus Castro-Walker, and donor Hugh Hathcock had no intention of upholding the agreement when the payments failed to arrive. As a result, he transferred to Arizona State and then Georgia before re-entering the portal.

The judge in his case  permitted three fraud-related claims and a conspiracy count to proceed while dismissing three other counts, including contract interference and a separate civil conspiracy claim. Judge M. Casey Rodgers wrote, “(It) doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand how a purportedly fraudulent NIL deal initially valued north of $13 million could induce a teenager to choose a university he otherwise would not have.” Rodgers pointed out the “compelling narrative” that the defendants were using in concert to convince Rashada to leave Miami, even though they had no intention to do so. The ruling “will serve as a North Star for other athletes seeking justice after being done wrong on the NIL front by coaches and boosters,” according to Rusty Hardin, Rashada’s lawyer. As of now, court proceedings are ongoing.