QB Jaden Rashada, who had $13M NIL deal fall through, commits to Arizona State
4-star QB recruit Jaden Rashada committed to Arizona State on Wednesday, the traditional National Signing Day for the 2023 recruiting cycle. According to ESPN, the 6-foot-4 dual-threat out of Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., is the No. 31 overall prospect in the 2023 class.
Initially committed to Miami, Rashada flipped his commitment and signed with Florida in Dec. after being offered a name, image and likeness deal worth more than $13 million.
However, Gator Collective CEO Eddie Rojas terminated the agreement with Rashada last month because several financial backers were unaware of the full extent of the deal, per the Associated Press. In response, Rashada filed for a release from his letter of intent, granted on Jan. 20.
Rashada, an Under Armour All-American, was the highest-ranked unsigned QB recruit remaining in the 2023 class. He announced the decision to attend his "childhood dream school" on Twitter.
"Just want to keep this short and let it be known I'll be attending Arizona State University, my childhood dream school, my father's alma mater, a place where I'm happy and a school where the Head Coach has always had my back!" Rashada wrote.
After being released from his letter of intent, Rashada had limited options for a new school, visiting only Arizona State and national runner-up TCU. He was not prioritizing NIL deals during this latest recruiting process, per ESPN's Tom VanHaaren.
With Rashada's commitment, HC Kenny Dillingham's first recruiting class has risen to 46th in Craig Haubert's rankings.
Dillingham was Oregon's OC and QB coach last year and is an Arizona State alum. He has quickly filled up the Sun Devils' QB room, adding Notre Dame transfer Drew Pyne and BYU transfer Jacob Conover this offseason.
Pyne played in 11 games in 2022, starting 10 of them. Conover, a Chandler, Arizona native is a former four-star high school recruit; he appeared in five games at BYU.
Trenton Bourguet, who played in seven games this past season, starting the last five, was named the spring starter, but Dillingham says it'll still be an open competition.
A crowded quarterback room will make it difficult for Rashada to contend for the starting job, but he might be too talented to redshirt this upcoming season. As a senior, Rashada threw for 3,055 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while rushing for 419 yards and seven touchdowns. He led the Pirates to a 12-3 record.
Arizona State opens its season at home against Southern Utah on Aug. 31.
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