Jaden Rashada requests National Letter of Intent release from Florida

Less than two weeks ago, Jaden Rashada told media members at the Under Armour All-American Bowl he was excited to enroll at Florida. 

He has now requested for his National Letter of Intent to be released by Florida, sources close to the situation told On3 on Wednesday. Rashada held a call with Scott Stricklin Wednesday, requesting the release.

Per the NCAA, “An institution may release a signee from his or her NLI obligation by selecting the ‘complete release’ option on the NLI Release Request. It is the institution’s discretion to grant a release or not.”

If the institution does not grant a release, the signee is allowed to present the circumstances to the NCAA’s NLI committee.

He stunned the college football world back in November when he flipped his commitment from Miami to the Gators. And he’s now pulled a similar move, leaving Florida without a quarterback in its 2023 class with plenty of questions to answer. 

When Rashada did make that announcement in the early hours of Nov. 11, it was almost used as a rallying cry by Florida fans. After multiple losses on the recruiting trail to Miami, the Gators had been able to poach the highly-touted quarterback. 

Except, the relationship was not meant to be. A slew of NIL missteps in recent weeks led to Rashada losing trust in Florida, multiple sources indicated to On3. 

Florida head coach Billy Napier delayed his holding his National Signing press conference an hour last month until the Rashada’s signature came through. He was the last Florida verbal commit to sign his National Letter of Intent, weighing a number of variables. 

NIL has played a large role in Rashada’s recruitment. When he committed to Miami back in June, the quarterback supposedly made his decision because of the fit. “[He missed out on] Millions. He did not pick the highest offer,” Forward Counsel attorney Michael W. Caspino told On3 at the time. “He went there because he loves Miami, the coaches, and the opportunity.”

Lucrative NIL packages are now above the table in college football recruiting. Five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava reset the NIL quarterback market in March when he committed to Tennessee. As The Athletic has since reported, the California native signed a deal that could see him make $8 million over three years.

The quarterback market has only taken off since then. As one SEC collective operator recently said: “If you want to talk ball with the top quarterbacks in each class, you’re going to need to come to the table ready to pay a seven-figure yearly salary.”

The options for Jaden Rashada moving forward are unknown. Before making any move, he will have to wait on Florida to release his National Letter of Intent.

When signed with JTM Sports for NIL representation in November, he was prepared to spend his college career in Gainesville. 

Now it is uncertain what his next move will be.