Kirk Herbstreit was absolutely floored by the Jaden Rashada lawsuit against Florida and if he wins, it could change the landscape of the sport.
Rashada, who’s now at Georgia following a transfer from Arizona State, was originally promised nearly $14 million in NIL money before ever enrolling at Florida. When it didn’t happen, he was released from National Letter of Intent, went to Arizona State and then entered the portal after the 2023 season.
With this lawsuit against the school and head coach Billy Napier, winning this and gaining some sort of financial compensation would be unprecedented.
“Well, again, this is like uncharted waters,” Herbstreit said on The Pat McAfee Show. “When Quinn Ewers left Ohio State, I think a lot of us thought well, I guess he didn’t honor his commitment, so he didn’t get his money. I have no idea that these are contracts that are signed, if they’re promises. I really never know if the player is at fault or the university. The fact that this player, I don’t know the details of this player with Jaden Rashada and what’s going on there. If he wins, it will open up the floodgates for sure.
“Others will eventually try to do the same thing. I’m just floored that a high school quarterback was promised $13.8 million without even, what the hell is happening to college football? It’s one thing if Bryce Young, as an established starter at Alabama can create that kind of money or Caleb Williams, but to bribe a high school player … allegedly, if they did it. That’s where we are in the sport.”
Rashad filed a lawsuit against Napier, donor Hugh Hathcock and former staff member Marcus Castro-Walker Tuesday morning.
Hathcock’s former company, Velocity Automotive, was also named as a defendant for the role it was supposed to play in a four-year, $13.85 million NIL deal, which is at the center of the suit. A former top-100 prospect in the 2023 class, the complaint claims Rashada was repeatedly lied to for him to flip his commitment from Miami to Florida during his original recruiting process.
Included in the 37-page filing is an accusation that Napier promised Rashada $1 million if he signed his National Letter of Intent on early National Signing Day in 2022. The quarterback was also allegedly owed a $500,000 signing bonus on Dec. 5, 2022, which was never paid out despite multiple reassurances, according to the court documents.
It’s the latest chapter in the NIL-fueled storyline between Rashada and the Gators. And it’s another unprecedented moment in college sports, with a current quarterback suing a head coach.
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