Billy Napier says 'time will tell' how Jaden Rashada fallout impacts Florida

Florida had perhaps the most high-profile hiccup when quarterback signee Jaden Rashada backed out of his national letter of intent. But how will the Jaden Rashada fallout impact the Gators?

That mostly remains to be seen.

Rashada opted to commit to Arizona State on national signing day after he filed paperwork to get out of his national letter of intent with Florida. Billy Napier and the Gators were left to pick up the pieces, and Napier has already indicated Florida will pursue another transfer portal quarterback in the spring.

Napier’s a believer that mishaps like the Rashada fiasco are going to happen until the market settles a little more.

“I think every college football coach in America would tell you they’re frustrated,” Napier said. “We’re living in a fluid dynamic. There’s a lot of good things about NIL, but I think the combination of the NIL and the portal creates a dynamic. You’ve got all the bad things about the NFL but none of the good things.

“We’re all aware of the issues of the parameters we’re competing in at this point. I think as time goes the market will settle down.”

Jaden Rashada fallout could impact UF’s 2023 outlook

With Anthony Richardson off to the NFL Draft, Florida’s starting quarterback job is now wide open.

Ohio State transfer Jack Miller battled injury in 2022 and didn’t play much. Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz is an experienced presence, but he’ll be a newcomer. Redshirt freshman Max Brown was always viewed as a player who might need a year or two to develop.

Getting Rashada — a high-profile blue-chip prospect with the talent to start on Day 1 — would have really helped settle things.

But Napier says he isn’t losing any sleep over it.

“I think you spend your entire life and entire career trying to establish who you are and how you operate,” Napier said. “I think ultimately I can lay my head down at night based off of that.

Will things pan out for Florida in the long run?

“Time will tell. The good thing here is I’ve got a lot of confidence about our leadership, the strategy that we’re employing, how it’s benefiting our team, the group of players that we have on our team. I think we’re going about it the right way.”