Making Sense of the Jaden Rashada Situation
The saga of Jaden Rashada has been one of the most interesting recruiting scenarios to follow in recent years. Early on in the process, it seemed like he was very interested in Washington, but as the recruiting cycle played out, he was drawn to the southeast, eventually committing to the University of Miami.
After flipping his commitment to the University of Florida in mid-November, rumors began swirling that it was due to a $13 million package offered by the Gator Collective, Florida's NIL group. Keep in mind that to Senate bill 206 in California, where Rashada attends Pittsburg High School, makes him eligible to collect that NIL money.
In a similar situation, five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava was rumored to have signed an $8 million deal with the University of Tennessee after his commitment. However, Rashada's deal apparently fell through after he signed his national letter of intent (NLI), and according to ESPN, the financial backing for the deal fell through.
After the university officially released him from his NLI, rumors have been swirling that Rashada wants to stay on the West Coast. ESPN's Pete Thamel said live on SportsCenter on Wednesday that Washington should be considered the favorite to land the five-star quarterback.
While Thamel said Washington is the front-runner, Arizona State and Cal shouldn't be ruled out either, and there's a chance it could come down to who offers the best NIL package. It has been rumored for a long time that Washington's NIL collective, Montlake Futures, doesn't want to get into bidding wars for high school prospects, so that's something that should be considered when Rashada makes his decision.
One thing that does need to be addressed is the fact that some believe massive deals like what Rashada or Iamaleava have been rumored to receive can create a locker room rift. Montlake Futures has worked with local businesses to make sure players aren't just sitting around and collecting a check.
For example, look at Husky quarterback Michael Penix Jr. He's done autograph signings, public appearances, sponsored posts and more. Players seem to have gone a long way to support each other, and Montlake Futures has given them opportunities to work together to earn more money too, with activities like sponsored football camps all over the state of Washington.
The Huskies currently has only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster in Penix and Dylan Morris after former five-star Sam Huard entered his name in the transfer portal, and four-star recruit Lincoln Keinholz flipped his commitment to Ohio State. That means head coach Kalen DeBoer is desperately in need of another quarterback, which gives Rashada a clear path to the field in 2024.
With all that being said, Washington is in a good place to land Rashada, but fans shouldn't get their hopes up just yet It's a long way to go before the finish line. The Huskies also landed a commitment from his top high school target, four-star receiver Rashid Williams, who is surely trying to get his former teammate to play with him again on Montlake, but that might not be enough to close the deal.
Fans shouldn't count the Huskies out of the Rashada sweepstakes just yet, and they should also keep one thing in mind. Anyone who has an issue with Rashada looking for more money should place themselves in his shoes.
If you were 18 years old and had different groups willing to invest millions of dollars in you, wouldn't you gauge the market and see how much you could get too? This is by no means a talent evaluation, but even if he doesn't live up to his five-star billing and make it to the NFL, that's life-changing money for his entire family.
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