Report: Florida Under NCAA Investigation for Jaden Rashada Recruitment

Julia StumbaughJanuary 20, 2024

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The NCAA is investigating Florida football’s 2022 recruitment of ASU quarterback Jaden Rashada, according to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach.

Rashada backed out of his commitment to Miami in November 2022 in order to sign a letter of intent with Florida. He was released from that agreement one month later after the $13 million NIL deal he made with a collective fell through.

The NCAA informed Florida of its investigation on June 9, 2023, according to a letter obtained by the Associated Press.

Steve McClain, a spokesperson for Florida, told ESPN Florida “will continue to cooperate with the NCAA.”

“We hold ourselves to high standards of excellence and integrity on and off the field,” McClain said. “Because we follow NCAA policies about maintaining confidentiality, we are unable to offer additional comments.”

Florida head coach Billy Napier has previously said he was “not allowed to” discuss the details of what led to Rashada requesting a release from his national letter of intent in January 2023.

“I think 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,” Napier said in February 2023.

Rashada signed an NIL contract with the Gator Collective, a group not officially affiliated with Florida, after flipping his commitment to the Gators.

According to The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel and Andy Staples, the Gator Collective’s contract promised Rashada $13.85 million over four years for “minimal NIL services such as posting on social media and autographing items.”

That would have been the largest known NIL deal ever offered to a college player. After it fell apart, Rashada requested his release and the Gator Collective dissolved.

The NCAA’s investigation is part of a larger trend of preventing colleges from using NIL deals to attract players during the recruiting process.

Last week the NCAA announced Florida State had violated ethical conduct rules by offering a prospect an NIL opportunity during recruiting. The NCAA subsequently levied a series of penalties against FSU including fines, reductions in football scholarships and recruiting opportunities, and a one-year separation from the collective involved in the deal.