Jaden Rashada has yet to stay with the same college football program for more than one season. The former five-star recruit is back in the transfer portal in search of his fifth different school in three years.
It is an unfortunate reality that stems directly from role of Name, Image and Likeness in the modern era.
Rashada, a native of California, was considered one of the 10 best players at his position in the college football recruiting Class of 2023 and a top-50 player overall. LSU, Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Miami were the five schools with the most interest at first.
However, things quickly became very messy. Rashada allegedly backed out of a $9.5 million NIL deal to play for the Hurricanes because he was promised more than $13 million from the Gators. He later requested a release from his National Letter of Intent just days before he was set to enroll at Florida for the spring semester because of financial issues. The financial agreement in Gainesville fell through.
As a result, Jaden Rashada was forced to find somewhere else to play. Arizona State ultimately gave him an opportunity. He threw for 485 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions in three games for the Sun Devils in 2023 and hit the transfer portal not long thereafter.
Rashada, who was once committed to both Miami and Florida and then played one year at Arizona State, transferred to Georgia. The sophomore signal-caller filed a bombshell lawsuit against the Gators over the failed NIL payment while there. Kirby Smart was in full support of the legal filing.
Jaden Rashada is stuck, again.
Now, four schools and two years later, Rashada is back in the transfer portal with nowhere to go. According to Pete Nakos of On3, his options are limited. UCLA was in the mix at first but has since cooled off. Bill Belichick and North Carolina could be an option after Jacolby Criswell’s departure. Otherwise, he might have to wait until April.
If Rashada can’t get anything done, the option is there to train for the next couple of months before the spring portal window.
— Pete Nakos
Needless to say, Jaden Rashada’s college football career has not gone according to plan. The former five-star recruit was supposed to play at Florida on an NIL Deal worth $13+ million but he is currently looking for his third different school in three years while actively suing the Gators. Not ideal.