NCAA investigating Gators’ Rashada recruitment

• Mark Schlabach, ESPN

  • Elder WriterJan 19, 2024, 06:38 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of 7 books on college football
  • Graduate of the University of Georgia

Florida’s football program is under NCAA investigation concerning its recruitment of quarterback prospect Jaden Rashada.Rashada signed with the Gators in December 2022, but was later on launched from his nationwide letter of intent after his rewarding name, image and likeness package with an independent collective– supposedly worth more than$13 million over four years– fell apart.Rashada, the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback and No. 31 prospect in general in the 2023 ESPN 300, ended up registering at Arizona State, his daddy’s alma mater.Editor’s Picks”We have actually been and will continue to cooperate with the NCAA,”Florida spokesperson Steve McClain said in a declaration offered to ESPN.”We hold

ourselves to high standards of quality and stability on and off the field. Due to the fact that we follow NCAA policies about maintaining privacy, we are unable to provide extra remarks.”On Friday, the Tampa Bay Times and The Associated Press obtained an NCAA notice of query that was sent to University of Florida president Ben Sasse on June 9, notifying the school that NCAA enforcement personnel had released an examination into the football program.Rashada’s name was not mentioned in the letter, nor was the nature of the alleged NCAA guidelines violations, according to the AP.Rashada had agreed to an NIL deal with the Gator Collective, a fundraising arm not formally affiliated with the university that disburses cash to student-athletes in all sports. He asked to be launched from his letter of intent after the collective purportedly stopped working to honor his NIL offer. Florida authorities granted Rashada’s release on Jan. 20, 2023. The Gator Collective has actually given that been shut down.Rashada, from Pittsburg, California, was the highest-rated prospect in Florida coach Billy Napier’s 2023 recruiting class and was thought about the team’s quarterback of the future. He threw for 5,275 yards with 59 touchdowns at Pittsburg High School.Rashada had originally dedicated to Miami before turning his commitment to the

Gators. He passed for 485 backyards with four goals and 3 interceptions for the Sun Devils last season.The NCAA enforcement staff is trying to crack down on NIL bundles being used as hiring temptations. Last week, Florida State was put on 2 years ‘probation and was

forced to disassociate from one of its collectives for one season for breaking NIL rules. Seminoles offensive line coach Alex Atkins was suspended 3 games for his involvement, sources informed

ESPN’s Dan Murphy, and a booster was disassociated for three years.It was the first time the NCAA penalized a school, coach or collective for utilizing NIL as a recruiting inducement. It likewise was the first time the NCAA severed the relationship in between a school and an NIL collective as part of penalties.