Florida Gators Football Program Under NCAA Investigation Following Jaden Rashada NIL Deal Fiasco

The University of Florida football program is reportedly the subject of an NCAA investigation.

According to Tampa Bay Times reporter Matt Baker, the NCAA has been taking a look-see at the Gators since as early as June 9 last year. That is when the NCAA sent the school's president a notice of inquiry.

The notice of inquiry gives the school a heads-up that the NCAA will be interviewing employees, but again, there's no word on what it's for.

The Times requested this information last October, however, that request was denied until the newspaper was finally provided it on Friday.

The note that the outlet received didn't specifically say what the investigation pertained to, but it has been widely reported that it has to do with a recruiting violation involving highly-touted recruit Jaden Rashada.

OutKick has confirmed that this is the case.

The University of Florida football program is under investigation for a potential recruiting violation. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Florida Will Continue To Cooperate In Investigation Into Possible Recruiting Violation

Gators spokesperson Steve McClain provided a statement on the situation.

“We have been and will continue to cooperate with the NCAA,” McClain said. “We hold ourselves to high standards of excellence and integrity on and off the field. Because we follow NCAA policies about maintaining confidentiality, we are unable to offer additional comments.”

The Gators found themselves in something of a NIL headache last year involving a mammoth NIL deal for prized quarterback recruit Jaden Rashada completely falling apart. That came as they attempted to woo Rashada away from the Miami Hurricanes.

Once the deal fell apart, both schools ended up losing out on Rashada's services under center. He then committed to the Arizona State Sun Devils with whom he spent the 2023 season.

OutKick has reached out to Arizona State about whether the school has been contacted by the NCAA regarding the Florida investigation.

In the months following the collapse of Rashada's NIL deal, Gators head coach Billy Napier said he didn't expect to hear from the NCAA regarding the situation.

It would appear that that isn't how things are panning out.

OutKick's Trey Wallace contributed reporting for this story.

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