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At one point, Jaden Rashada was the most coveted quarterback recruit in the country. The California native committed to the Miami Hurricanes after agreeing to a reported $9M NIL deal.
He then flipped to the rival Florida Gators, agreeing to an even bigger NIL deal, rumored to be worth a jaw-dropping $13.85 million over four years. Ultimately, that deal fell apart, and Rashada is currently locked in a lawsuit with the Florida recruitment staff and donors.
He eventually signed with the Arizona State Sun Devils, where he spent just one season before transferring to the University of Georgia. Unsurprisingly, Rashada didn’t spend long in Athens.
Following the 2024 season, Rashada yet again entered the transfer portal and found a surprising new home with the Sacramento State Hornets.
Why is that surprising? Well, not only is Sacramento State an FCS program, but the Hornets also have an NIL budget that they claim is in the area of $50M.
Sacramento State’s current roster is absolutely loaded with former FBS transfers, including former Alabama wide receiver Agiye Hall.
Jaden Rashada Wins Starting Job At Sacramento State
On Thursday, reports surfaced that Rashada has won the starting job for the Hornets season-opening game against South Dakota State.
He’ll now lead an offense headlined by first-year head coach Brennan Marion. Marion previously served as the pass-game coordinator for Texas in 2022 before taking over as the offensive coordinator at UNLV. His “go-go” offense has been highly lauded in the college football world in recent years.
“It was a lot to figure out honestly,” Rashada told CBS Sports in May when discussing why he chose Sacramento State. “This move had to be pretty critical and intentional. … I was more picky this time around. I had more pure intentions of what I wanted to get out of it. … Most importantly, I missed the game. I love football. This is what I’ve been doing since I was a kid. I missed playing the game. I wanted to play for a head coach who had my back and had a plan for me.”
With three years of eligibility remaining, Rashada could still develop into the star QB many believed he would be out of high school. But if he does, he will have taken an extremely unconventional route to get there.