Jaden Rashada never played a collegiate football game for Miami nor Florida, but he is someone neither fanbase will ever forget.
The quarterback matchup for the Saturday, Sept. 20 game between No. 6 Miami (3-0) and Florida (1-2) will feature Carson Beck vs. DJ Lagway, but at one point either school could have had Rashada on its sideline facing an in-state rival.
The former 4-star quarterback was at one point a commit to both the Hurricanes and Gators during the 2023 recruiting cycle, but never stepped foot on either campus as a player.
Here’s what you need to know about what happened in Rashada’s high school recruitment with Florida and Miami:
Where is Jaden Rashada?
Rashada is currently the backup quarterback for Sacramento State at the FCS level. Rashada, 22, started in the Hornets’ season opener against South Dakota State, but following struggles in the opener, he has been backing up Cardell Williams
He was on Georgia’s roster during the 2024 season, but did not appear in any games. He started his collegiate career at Arizona State, appearing in three games and making two starts. He completed 44-of-82 pass attempts (53.7%) for 485 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions with the Sun Devils.
After not appearing in a game with the Bulldogs following an offseason transfer from Arizona State, Rashada entered the portal a second time this offseason and landed with Sacramento State.
Rashada is listed as a redshirt sophomore with Sacramento State, meaning he has two more seasons of eligibility remaining.
Jaden Rashada high school recruiting, revisited
According to 247 Sports Composite Rankings, Rashada was the No. 81 overall in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 7 quarterback and the No. 6 overall player in California. He attended Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, California and held 32 reported scholarship offers.
Rashada committed to Miami on June 26, 2022, over Florida, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. The commitment caught a lot of recruiting analysts off guard, as Rashada had been widely projected to pick the Gators. Not long after, rumors of an NIL package from Miami began to spread.
The next twist ― one of many more to come ― came on Nov. 11, 2022, when Rashada posted a cryptic tweet. He flipped his commitment to Florida late at night, once again catching everyone off guard. However, on Dec. 21, 2022, on the first day of early signing day, Rashada’s NLI did not come in and rumors began spreading that Rashada would not be enrolling with Florida.
However, after Napier delayed his press conference, Rashada’s NLI did come in and he was officially part of the 2023 recruiting class. After not making it to campus ahead of the Jan. 13, 2023, drop/add deadline, Rashada requested to be released from his NLI due to a rumored breakdown in his NIL deal with the Gators.
Rashada was released from his NLI on Jan. 20, 2023, and eight days later signed with Arizona State. On May, 21, 2024, Rashada filed a lawsuit against Napier, booster Hugh Hathcock and former football staffer Marcus Castro-Walker for making “false and fraudulent promises.” The case is still ongoing.
Jaden Rashada stats
Here’s a look at Rashada’s stats with Arizona State, Georgia and Sacramento State:
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Where is former Miami, Florida 2023 quarterback recruit Jaden Rashada?
Reporting by Ehsan Kassim, USA TODAY / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
