Why does Jaden Rashada want out of Florida? All you need to know about the QB’s release request

For college football fans, the situation involving quarterback Jaden Rashada is one that has never been seen before. The four-star recruit from Pittsburg, California, actually verbally committed to the University of Miami last year. But in November, he flipped his commitment to the University of Florida. In December, he signed his letter of intent with the Florida Gators and was expected to arrive on campus last week.

Apparently, Rashada signed the letter of intent with the assumption that he was in line to sign an NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) deal with the Gator Collective that was said to be worth $13 million. The Gator Collective is not part of the University of Florida. It is an independently run fundraising organization that offers NIL deals to four and five-star recruits when they commit to the team.

The Gator Collective informed Rashada a few weeks after he signed that the funding was no longer there to pay him for that NIL deal.

Word got out last week when Jaden Rashada didn't report to campus. On Tuesday, he officially asked to be released from his letter of intent contract.The quarterback now hopes the University of Florida will honor his release, so he can sign elsewhere. But this is just one of the new hiccups that college athletic programs will have to navigate as NIL deals move to the forefront.

Could a PAC-12 school sign Jaden Rashada?

If the University of Florida does move forward and grant quarterback Jaden Rashada his request to be released, what will happen next? The California native is currently ranked as the sixth-best quarterback in the nation and the 29th best player in the nation in the Class of 2023.

His recruitment will likely be wide open once again when he is able to do so. But, could a PAC-12 school like Arizona State be top on the list? Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham was the offensive coordinator at Oregon and built a relationship with the quarterback when he tried to recruit him.

Arizona State didn't sign a quarterback from the Class of 2023, so he could be a likely target for the Sun Devils. The Cal Bears are also said to be a potential landing spot for the quarterback as they were one of the final schools that he considered. That would also allow him to stay close to home if he chose to do so.