Florida Grants Jaden Rashada's Request, What It Means For CFB
According to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports, quarterback Jaden Rashada and the Florida Gators have parted ways. There was traction that the two sides would separate, and now the move is official.
Florida let Rashada out of his letter of intent on Friday morning. Rashada's father spoke with 247Sports on January 11, saying that the family was "in constant talks with Florida in regards to his enrollment, but I'd like to think if he's not enrolled by Friday [January 13], there will be some challenges there to proceed as planned."
This is the first major bombshell where NIL has worked negatively against a school promising riches. Previously, programs used NIL to land major recruits, but it became a roadblock in Rashada's recruitment.
Multiple reports indicate the Gators couldn't fulfill a hefty promise to Rashada. This recruitment should serve as an example to other programs and collectives capable of making the same mistake: make sure your booster and staff are in lockstep when making promises.
The lasting implications on Florida will unfold in the coming months, but they lost a potential starting quarterback for now. Anthony Richardson is on to the NFL, and no one has cemented themselves as his heir apparent.
Florida has some highly-regarded recruits in the quarterback room, but none have panned out in the limited snaps they have gotten. They may be stuck in no man's land, as quarterbacks in the transfer portal may be hesitant to go to Gainesville with the Rashada dilemma in mind.
While it's easy to laugh at the situation from the outside, this possibility exists for every program. The NCAA has made it difficult for coaching staffs to become involved in NIL agreements; all work is done through the collectives.
Therefore, Florida's example should make boosters realize they must be prepared to pay the dollar figure they are promising, otherwise, top recruits will reopen their recruitments.
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