Jaden Rashada picks Arizona St. after decommitting from Florida
Kenny Dillingham got his first big commitment as Arizona State head coach on Wednesday when ESPN 300 quarterback Jaden Rashada signed on with the Sun Devils.
Rashada is the No. 31 prospect at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, California. He had signed with Florida early in the signing period on a $13.5 million+ name, image and likeness deal with a Florida-based collective. But The Associated Press later reported that the Gator Collective had ended its deal with Rashada, which was to be paid over four years.
Rashada was released from his national letter of intent by the Gators in early January and he began looking for a new school. Potential suitors included Cal, Washington, TCU and Arizona State. He visited TCU and Arizona State and his decision was apparently made by those two schools.
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“I just want to be brief and let it be known that I will be attending Arizona State University, the school of my childhood dreams, my father’s alma mater, a place where I am happy, and a school where coach- boss has always supported me.” Rashada said in a statement posted to Twitter on Wednesday. “Glad to really be home!”
Two sources told ESPN that the Rashada family is not focusing on the NIL agreements in this second process. A source said the family had made it clear they did not want to engage in any NIL agreements with the Arizona State collective until Rashada was signed.
The relationship Rashada had built with the coaching staff and the fact that Rashada’s father, Harlen, played football at Arizona State all factored into his decision on the eve of the February signing period.
Dillingham has only been in the job for a few months but has been active in rebuilding the roster through high school recruiting and the transfer portal. Along with Rashada, he also brings in Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne, BYU quarterback Jacob Conover and three-star Israel Carter from Centennial High School in Corona, Calif.
Rashada is the first ESPN 300 commitment for Dillingham and the Arizona State staff and gives the program a boost heading into the 2024 cycle.