Jaden Rashada’s Lawsuit Against Former Gators HC Billy Napier, Others Reaches Final Decision

Former top-100 Florida Gators signee Jaden Rashada has reached a settlement with Billy Napier, booster Hugh Hathcock, his company Velocity Automotives and former Florida staffer Marcus Castro-Walker regarding the well-known lawsuit the now Mississippi State quarterback started after an NIL-based disagreement during his 2023 recruitment.

Rashada, once a heavily sought-after prospect committed to the Miami Hurricanes before flipping to Napier and the Gators, claimed he was defrauded into signing with Florida with promises of an NIL deal worth over $13 million in his landmark lawsuit filed in May of 2024. He officially signed with the Gators in December of 2022 after a delay, but was released from the program a month later amid such disagreements.

Former Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier was named as a defendant in the lawsuit. | Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Rashada’s suit had slowly progressed through the courts as he continued his collegiate career, most recently moving to discovery after his claims of Fraudulent misrepresentation and fraudulent inducement (Count I); aiding and abetting fraud (Count II); conspiracy to commit fraud (Count III); and negligent misrepresentation (Count V) were all deemed legally valid. After a mediation conference on Feb. 10, a settlement was reached, though the specifics have been kept confidential according to court documents.

The trial was scheduled to begin on July 20 if no settlement had been reached.

Now settled, both Rashada and the group of defendants can finally officially move on from a situation that has often overshadowed their individual careers.

For Rashada, who has become rather infamous for his legal situation, he will now suit up for his fourth program in four years while having played just 278 career snaps and having passed for just five touchdowns compared to four career interceptions. After stops at Arizona State, Georgia and Sacramento State most recently, he now returns to the SEC with the Bulldogs projected to battle for the backup spot behind rising sophomore Kamario Taylor.

After stints at Arizona State, Georgia and Sacramento State, Rashada is now expected to compete for the starting job at Mississippi State. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

As for Napier, the other face of the lawsuit while at Florida, the head coach now prepares for his first season at James Madison after finishing with a 22-23 record with the Gators. Despite quickly replacing the elite quarterback signee Rashada with another a year later in DJ Lagway, he would never finish a season with more than eight wins in Gainesville, while being fired seven games into the 2025 season.

For the Gators program, now finally unburdened by the negative press of such a legal situation, Florida will look to continue improving its NIL management and strategy, which has already seemingly made huge strides since the controversy. Under new head coach Jon Sumrall, the program now looks to return to a once-prominent standard after three losing seasons in the past four years, with the first steps starting this spring camp, scheduled to begin March 3.

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