Scouting Report and Career Outlook: Gators QB Commit Jaden Rashada

Breaking down the skill set of elite Florida Gators quarterback commit Jaden Rashada.

Photo: Jaden Rashada; Credit: Zach Goodall 

Despite some turbulence along the way, the Florida Gators have landed their guy.

Pittsburg (Calif.) High quarterback Jaden Rashada may have taken a long, winding road in committing to the Gators, but he's arrived as the quarterback of the future in Gainesville nonetheless.

Labeled as the No. 3 quarterback and No. 7 overall player in the 2023 cycle by SI All-American's rankings, Rashada's flip to Florida is a monumental gain for Billy Napier and his staff for a number of reasons. 

To preview what Gators fans will see from the talented passer in the future, All Gators provides an in-depth analysis of Rashada's skill set.

This scouting report was penned when Rashada originally committed to Miami, and has been updated to include observations from Rashada's senior season as well as his career outlook at Florida. 

In addition to reviewing film, Rashada's performances at the 2022 Elite 11 Finals and in seven-on-seven tournaments attended by Sports Illustrated factor into this report.

Background

High school: Pittsburg (Calif.) High 

Size: 6-foot-4, 185 pounds

Career stats: 339-of-565 (60%), 4,883 yards, 63 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, 70 rushes, 420 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns

Arm strength

Rashada creates some of the most natural velocity among passers in his class, without much effort required.

Rashada's throwing motion, which we'll discuss more thoroughly later, is more compact than it is elongated, leading to a quick release. He doesn't have to put his entire body into making powerful throws — instead, he relies upon technique and natural arm strength to get the ball out of his hand quickly and into the hands of his receiver even faster.

As such, Rashada is adept with "pro throws" — passes from one side of the field to the other with enough velocity and precise accuracy to avoid being undercut. He has no issue passing outside of the numbers, even from the opposite hash, whether he's targeting the flats, a nine-route or pretty much any throw in between.

Speaking of his nine-route tosses and similar throws such as posts and corners, Rashada throws an immaculate deep ball, and the best thing about it is how he controls the throw. He can zip a pass to his pass-catcher down the sideline to take advantage of a vertical window, squeeze a pass to a receiver at the boundary, and lead his target to the ball in-stride by putting great touch on the ball.

Rashada's film is littered with deep shots that often result in touchdowns, whether the passes are placed in the back corner of the endzone, outside of the numbers or down the seam in a spot where receivers can create yards after the catch. This ability will allow Florida to open its playbook substantially to threaten defenses with explosive plays.

We'll want to see Rashada continue to develop passing into the middle of the field as his high school offense is vertically-based, which will be more of a mental than a physical challenge. His ability to sling passes around the gridiron, seen occasionally in between the hashes on his film, suggests this won't be an issue.

Accuracy

As mentioned regarding his deep ball, Rashada throws with precision in addition to power. His placement on those passes, requiring touch as well as great anticipation, is often ideal, setting the receiver up with enough space to create yards after the catch or to win a contested-catch battle in the endzone or at the sideline.

That much can be seen in the two clips below, the first example displaying Rashada squeezing a pass into a tight window right before he takes a big hit and the second exemplifying Rashada's ability to place a pass in stride.

Rashada's accuracy is similarly strong on short-to-intermediate passes, particularly to the outside and on the "pro throws" discussed above. He has no problem putting passes on the outside shoulder of his receiver from any distance to prevent a defender from having a chance at making a play on the ball.

An indicator of his ability to process, Rashada sees throwing windows before his target enters them and doesn't usually think twice before uncorking a pass into the window. More often than not, those passes split the zone defenders and end up in a perfect spot for the receiver and the receiver alone to make a play.

Again, more evidence is needed to assess Rashada's capabilities throwing into the short-to-intermediate middle of the field, but limited early returns showcase that he can make these passes with great accuracy as well. His ability to set receivers up for yards after the catch in this area can use some sharpening, but Rashada can at least tuck his passes into a spot where only his receiver can grab them.

Statistically, Rashada is completing passes at a career-high rate during his senior season. After completing 57.7 of his 78 passes as a freshman and sophomore, Rashada completed 57 percent of his 256 attempts as a junior and has jumped to 64.1 percent on his 231 attempts as a senior.

Mobility

Although his ground stats don't jump off the page, Rashada is an efficient rusher when he needs to be and, most importantly, he uses his mobility to his advantage as a passer.

Pittsburg's offense utilizes designed roll-outs from time to time thanks to Rashada's athleticism and ability to throw on the move, and Florida will be able to call similar plays.

Defenses must respect Rashada's rushing capabilities in these instances which prevents second-level defenders from dropping back into coverage. At the same time, the linebackers and defensive backs can't be drawn too far downhill, otherwise Rashada will pin-point a target and either reset his base to deliver a strike or make a quality throw off-platform.

This skill set should make Rashada a capable and dangerous quarterback on play-action and run-pass option concepts specifically at the next level.

Rashada's overall mobility also benefits him when he's facing pressure, which we dive into more thoroughly below.

Handling pressure

Rashada is a poised passer under pressure, not often flustered by pass rushers and able to extend plays when necessary. Rashada will stand in the paint and take a big hit if he sees a target entering a throwing window that he can squeeze a ball into, and he'll also step up with confidence to make a pass when edge rushers collapse the top of the pocket.

Skip to the 2:04 mark of this video, from Rashada's senior season matchup with Henderson (Nev.) Liberty. Rashada doesn't get flustered by a narrowing pocket, steps out to his left and delivers a roll-out strike at an awkward angle to keep the pass in stride with his receiver despite taking a big shot at the end of his release.

Although Rashada will take occasional chances on big plays while under pressure (which do seem to pay off often), he's a smart enough quarterback to simply take what the defense gives him when he's forced off of his read.

If an underneath receiver opens up while Rashada is on the run or stuck in a collapsing pocket, he'll opt for the check-down to keep the offense in rhythm rather than take unnecessary risks for the chance at an explosive gain. This is a great example of poise and awareness that not too many high-school signal-callers put on display regularly.

While Rashada is a plus athlete for the quarterback position, he isn't one to bail on a passing play to tuck the ball and run at the first sign of pressure. Rather, Rashada will extend plays with his feet by moving the pocket or rolling out while continuing to scan the field and only take off when there are no better options.

Mechanics

Pittsburg's offense primarily works Rashada out of this shotgun, which has limited his footwork to one and three-step drops most of the time on standard passing plays. He'll need to develop his five and seven-stop drops at the next level and also learn to eliminate hitching from his shorter drops, which showed up on occasion in his high school tape.

Rashada can use different types of throwing motions based on his situation. From a clean pocket and when he's not on the run, his motion is quick and compact — he rarely drops the ball below his chest as he winds up and also rarely lets the ball go over his head when he releases it. As a result, the ball glides off of his hand with a consistent spiral as well as elite and controllable velocity.

His quick and compact release allows Rashada to make passes in a timely fashion, pairing nicely with his ability to see throwing windows before they're open which allows him to execute passing concepts to perfection.

When he's on the move, Rashada has displayed a quick three-quarters release to control his accuracy despite not having a base to make his throws from. He can utilize the three-quarters release moving right or left and effectively place passes in an accurate spot away from defenders with this windup similar to his base throwing motion.

Rashada's lower-body mechanics are also in-tune. He keeps his feet underneath him and active throughout the throwing process and aligns both feet with his target as he sets up to throw. Rashada cleanly transfers his weight from his back foot to his front foot as he follows through, allowing him to generate power in addition to the natural strength of his arm.

Career outlook

When Rashada steps on campus in Gainesville, the California native could be in line for early playing time, or at least to partake in the offseason competition, for the starting signal-caller spot in 2023.

Obviously, that potential hinges on what Anthony Richardson decides following the season. The future of the quarterback position following his eventual departure — which could come after 2022, although his teammates are pitching for him to remain at Florida for one more year — is relatively unknown.

Jack Miller III and Jalen Kitna currently sit behind Richardson but don't boast the uber-talented skillsets or experience to step in as a surefire replacement for Richardson when he exits. That idea of early playing time has been a selling point for Rashada amid Florida's relentless recruitment efforts, and the situation hasn't changed since his original pledge to Miami.

Even if he sits for one year to gain footing in his transition to the next level, the short buffer period will likely be the extent of his time on the bench.

When he does take over the reins, the Gators' offense tailors to the skillset Rashada carries as he's shown the accuracy and anticipation to find wideouts down the field out of play-action concepts.

Rashada will be more conformed to the pocket than Richardson has been this season, but, as mentioned earlier, that's not due to the lack of mobility on Rashada's part. Instead, with an offense that finds its identity on the ground and with quick hitters to the boundary before using play action to set up shots to the intermediate and deep levels of the field, Napier looks for passers that are comfortable remaining steady and delivering strikes from inside the pocket.

That has become evident this season by how Richardson has handled pressure at times, electing to hold onto the ball behind the line of scrimmage rather than scramble due to the evident coaching to always go pass-first. Both sides have adapted for the offense to find its groove as of late, but the offense at its core adheres to more traditional passers with the willingness to take off from the pocket when warranted.

While the current man behind center benefits from using his legs, and it being an aspect of his game that needs to be highlighted in order to maximize his skillset, Rashada's legs will serve as complementary to his arm.

Both styles present different luxuries, but Rashada's may align more with what Napier is looking for in the on-field leader of his offense moving forward.

In the end, Rashada will be billed as the quarterback of Florida's future as he brings elite intangibles into the position room. While it's difficult to project his production with the Gators, much like any recruit, he has the makings of a top-level quarterback and multi-year starter in orange and blue. 

He will serve as the face of the Gators 2023 class, for now, with the pull to draw other top recruits into the class down the stretch. 

The acquisition allows Florida to get one back on in-state rival Miami after faltering to the Hurricanes in other head-to-head battles on the trail, and go into Week 11 of the 2022 season with the spark to regain the recruiting momentum the Gators sported in October. 

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