According to reports, the NCAA is investigating Florida for recruiting former quarterback signee Jaden Rashada.
According to multiple reports, the NCAA is investigating Florida’s recruiting of former signee Jaden Rashada.
Since then, the collective, which had no direct affiliation with Florida, has been discontinued. In the end, Rashada opted to enroll at Arizona State.
Rashada initially endorsed the Gators in December 2022; however, his national letter of intent was revoked after the breakdown of a substantial NIL agreement with the Florida-based NIL group “Gator Collective.”
“We have cooperated and will keep working together with the NCAA,” a spokesperson for Florida, Steve McClain, told ESPN in a statement.
We uphold elevated benchmarks of integrity and excellence both in our professional and personal lives.
The Tampa Bay Times reported on Friday that an investigation had been ongoing at the school since June 2023.
Florida head Ben Sasse recently received a notice of inquiry from the NCAA. We regret to inform you that due to our adherence to NCAA policies regarding the preservation of confidentiality, we’re unable to provide further remarks.
Rashada initially declared his allegiance to Miami; however, on November 10, 2022, the No. 44 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle (as per 247Sports) reversed his loyalty to the Gators.
The NCAA is taking a public stance against recruiting violations related to the NIL. The governing body gave Florida State its most severe NIL-related sanction to date earlier this month.
The governing body imposed a two-year probationary period on the Seminoles and issued a three-game suspension to offensive lineman coach Alex Atkins.
Rashada, who signed a national letter of intent with the Gators in December 2022, was subsequently released after the breakdown of a reportedly lucrative name, image, and likeness package in an independent collective. The package had a four-year value of over $13 million.
“We have been and will keep working together with the NCAA,” a statement from Florida spokesman Steve McClain was provided to ESPN. “Off the field, we uphold the highest standards of integrity and excellence.
We regret to inform you that due to our adherence to NCAA policies regarding the preservation of confidentiality, we have been unable to provide further remarks.
The letter did not include any reference to Rashada’s name or the alleged violations of NCAA regulations, as reported by the Associated Press.
The Tampa Bay Times or The Associated Press obtained on Friday an NCAA notice of inquiry that was dispatched to Ben Sasse, the president of the University of Florida, on June 9.
The notice informed the institution that an investigation into the football program had been initiated by NCAA enforcement personnel.
Rashada had reached a non-binding agreement (NIL) concerning the Gator Collective, an unofficial fundraising organization affiliated with the university that distributes funds to all sports student-athletes.
He requested release from his expression of intent after the group’s alleged non-compliance with his NIL agreement.
Rashada was granted her release by Florida authorities on January 20, 2023. Subsequently, the Gator Collective ceased operations.
Rashada, a native of Pittsburg, California, was regarded as the team’s QB of the next generation and the highest-rated candidate in the 2023 recruiting class of Florida head coach Billy Napier. At Pittsburg High School, he aced 59 passes for 5,275 yards.
Rashada made a change of heart regarding his commitment from Miami to the Florida Gators. Before this season, he threw for the Sun Devils for 485 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions.
An effort is being made by the NCAA compliance staff to crack down on the use of NIL packages as recruiting inducements.
For violating NIL regulations, Florida State was sentenced to two years of probation and a one-season disassociation from one of its organizations last week.
According to sources who spoke to Dan Murphy of ESPN, Seminoles offensive line coach Alex Atkins was banned for three games, and a booster was detached for three years in retaliation.
The NCAA imposed its first penalty on a school, coach, or organization for utilizing NIL as a recruiting inducement.
Furthermore, this marked the inaugural instance in which the NCAA severed a school’s affiliation with an NIL collective as a penalty.