The NCAA is investigating Florida's recruitment of former signee Jaden Rashada, according to multiple reports. Rashada originally signed with the Gators in December 2022, but was released from his national letter of intent after a significant NIL deal with Florida NIL group "Gator Collective" fell apart. The collective was not directly affiliated with Florida and it has since been shut down. Rashada eventually signed with Arizona State.
"We have been and will continue to cooperate with the NCAA," Florida spokesman Steve McClain said in a statement to ESPN. "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."
On Friday, the Tampa Bay Times reported the school had been under investigation since June of 2023. The NCAA sent Florida president Ben Sasse a notice of inquiry.
Rashada originally committed to Miami, but the No. 44 overall player in the 2023 recruiting cycle (according to 247Sports) flipped his commitment to the Gators on Nov. 10, 2022.
The NCAA is publicly cracking down on NIL-related recruiting violations. Earlier this month, the governing body handed Florida State the most severe NIL-related punishment yet. The governing body placed the Seminoles on a two-year probation and suspended offensive line coach Alex Atkins for three games.
