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By now, just about everybody in the college football world knows the name Jaden Rashada.
Rashada, a five-star quarterback in the high school class of 2022, just wrapped up one of the most talked about recruitments of all-time by signing with the Arizona State Sun Devils.
But it’s how he got there that’s the real story.
Rashada first committed to the Miami Hurricanes with an NIL deal rumored to top $8M. It was a massive recruiting win for the Canes over in-state rival Florida. But that was only the beginning. Months later, the California native flipped his commitment to the Gators.
Rashada later signed with UF. But he never actually made it to campus. Reports began to surface that a rumored $13 million NIL deal for the signal caller’s services fell apart.
Just days later, Rashada asked for a was granted a release from his national letter of intent. He committed to and signed with the Sun Devils, his father’s Alma Mater, two weeks later.
The story is both an eye-opening and a cautionary tale in the new landscape of NIL and recruiting. But what people really wanted to know was more about the alleged massive NIL deal with the Gators.
Thanks to Stewart Mandel and Andy Staples of The Athletic, we now have those details.
The contract, which was obtained by The Athletic, would have paid him a staggering $13.85 million over four years, starting with a $500,000 payment on Dec. 5, in return for minimal NIL services such as posting on social media and autographing items. – The Athletic
Mandel and Staples report that the Gator Collective, a Florida-related NIL group, reneged on the agreement. A further look into the contract shows absolutely staggering details about the size and structure of the agreed-upon payments.
Rashada signed the NIL contract that day. It called for a $500,000 up-front payment. After that, his payments would increase from $250,000 a month as a freshman, to $291,666.66 a month as a sophomore, to $375,000 a month as a junior, rounded out with $195,833.33 monthly payments as a senior, so long as he fulfilled the following obligations:
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Residence in Gainesville, Fla.
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At least one branded Twitter post and one branded Instagram post per month.
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Up to eight fan engagement events per year. These could include in-person appearances, social media engagements, video conferences or interviews. None would last longer than two hours.
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Autograph up to 15 pieces of merchandise per year.
Though it appears that the Gator Collective insulated itself from any liability should it decide to back out.
The contract also states that the collective can “in its sole and absolute discretion” terminate the agreement “without penalty or further obligation.”
Ultimately, Rashada signed with ASU without any NIL deal at all according to the report. But his is likely just the first of a number of massive deals gone wrong in years to come.