Sean Labar
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NIL has changed the game in college athletics and it’s clear there is a long way to go before things are moving smoothly.
The Florida Gators could be in jeopardy of losing All-American 4-star QB Jaden Rashada after a $13 million NIL deal fell through last week, according to The Athletic.
The Athletic states that the deal had presumptive support from one of the Gator Collective’s top boosters, Hugh Hathcock, who donated almost $13 million last year.
But in early December, everything changed abruptly.
Rashada received a letter from the head of the Gator Collective, Eddie Rojas, expressing the group’s desire to terminate the deal for unknown reasons.
The move has left the Florida Gators’ coaching staff stunned as they are not permitted to discuss the specifics of NIL deals with players.
As of now, Rashada remains part of Florida’s 2023 recruiting class but he has yet to enroll, leading to speculation that the highly-touted signal caller may be reconsidering after the botched deal.
Early spring enrollment, which is usually what top recruits do to get in the building as quickly as possible to make the transition into college easier, ended on Jan. 13.
Harlen Rashada, Jaden’s father, told 247Sports that he and his son are “working through some things right now with Florida and hoping that they get resolved soon.”
Rashada has reportedly been offered a lesser NIL deal than the $13 million – still in the seven-figure range – but litigation could be on the table after the Gator Collective decided to pull the deal. That could only come if he decides not to agree to a new deal.
“I would venture to say the Gator Collective is paying more guaranteed money than any group in the country,” Rojas said in April. “When I write a contract, I want to make sure that we actually have the money in our account.”
It’s clear the money wasn’t available in the Gator Collective’s account this time around, or the group was simply unwilling to pay the huge promised sum for whatever reason.
Either way, the status of one of Florida’s most promising prospects remains in limbo.
I get throwing these kids some dough to play at your program but how the hell do you promise $13M to a high schooler who’s taken zero snaps at the college level? Major L for UF.
No s*it. How do you possibly justify throwing 13 million at an 18 year old. This is what happens when you take the NCAA out of this…..the wild, wild west. Can`t imagine how this ends up.
NO high school kid is worth this kind of money. And nothing is guaranteed in life. These kids need to earn it just like everybody else. Show up, do your work, earn your spot, earn your money. In that order.
The money will start to dry up.
There’s no way this lasts for very long. Some kind of czar or commissioner position will be created, or a council of some sort, by the major conferences that puts an end to this nonsense and makes it more sane.
NIL had disaster written all over it from the get go. I liked it better the old way…pay the players under the table and hope you don’t get caught.
haha it’s more exciting that way. And when teams you hate get caught you blast them and pretend it’s not happening at your program.