In June 2022, four star quarterback Jaden Rashada committed to play for the University of Miami as part of their 2023 recruiting class. However, as recruiting goes, schools never stopped recruiting Rashada. The University of Florida swooped in with a massive NIL deal to lure him away from the Hurricanes.
Rashada decommitted from Miami and quickly committed to Florida in November 2022. After failed payments, Jaden Rashada immediately entered the transfer portal and moved on to Arizona State for his freshman season.
Now, a lawsuit has been filed on Rashada’s behalf against the Florida Gator head coach, a former Florida staffer, and a top booster.
The lawsuit claims the NIL deal would have paid Rashada $13.85 million, including a $500,000 signing bonus.
Jaden Rashada Files NIL Lawsuit
The lawsuit filed by Jaden Rashada on Tuesday claims Florida head coach Billy Napier, former staffer Marcus Castro-Walker, and Florida booster Hugh Hathcock fraudulently persuaded Rashada to sign with the Florida Gators. The lawsuit distinctly indicated fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement, aiding and abetting fraud, negligent misrepresentation, tortious interference with a business relationship or contract, and aiding and abetting tortious interference. bu
“Hathcock (on behalf of himself and Velocity Automotive), Castro-Walker, and Coach Napier orchestrated and executed a fraud upon Jaden and were substantially and knowingly assisted by one another in carrying out the fraud,” the lawsuit says. “Each of their individual schemes would not have succeeded without assistance from one another.”
Rashada’s NIL Agreement
Hathcock and Castro-Walker had allegedly offered Rashada the $13.85 million deal, with nearly $6 million going through Hathcock’s company. According to the lawsuit, Hathcock informed Rashada that he would no longer funnel the NIL money through his company due to a pending sale. Instead, the money would go through the Florida NIL collective.
Jaden Rashada signed the deal on November 22, 2022, expecting the first $500,000 payment on December 5, 2022. However, the payment never came. Rashada claims Hathcock did not ever plan to make a payment, and Billy Napier knew about it.
On December 21, 2022…National Signing Day…allegedly promised Rashada he would receive $1,000,000 after he officially signed his letter of intent. According to the lawsuit, Castro-Walker told Rashada that Napier might pull the scholarship offer if he did not sign.
After signing with Florida, Rashada still never received any NIL compensation. He shortly entered the transfer portal and transferred to Arizona State.
Jaden Rashada spent his freshman season in Tempe, throwing for 485 yards, four touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He only played in four games after sustaining injuries that left him out of action. This offseason, Rashada transferred to Georgia to, presumably, be the backup to Heisman hopeful Carson Beck. It’s worth noting that Rashada did not officially receive any NIL money while at Arizona State.
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