From Adam Gorney: Rivals national recruiter.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -
Jaden Rashada sat on a deck chair prior to the Steve Clarkson QB Retreat Sunday and took some time for himself.
It was a hectic few days as the four-star quarterback from Pittsburg, Calif., flew back-and-forth across the country to Florida and then back home and then to Los Angeles for the two-day event that was filled with star-studded college and high school quarterbacks.
The previous 72 hours were busy. They were also incredibly valuable as Rashada soaked in everything Florida has to offer and he loved every minute of it especially spending time with first-year coach Billy Napier.
“They have a great future under coach Napier and they can bring Florida back to where they usually are, back to that standard,” Rashada said.
“Coach Napier is a great head coach and he’s a winner so who wouldn’t want to play for him.”
Florida was not the first school to recruit Rashada but as Napier figured out the Gators’ 2023 quarterback situation they started getting more involved with the Northern California prospect.
In short, Rashada isn’t worried about when Florida started recruiting him, only if it’s the best fit for his game.
“They came late but they’ve been coming hard and genuine,” Rashada said. “That’s something that’s not really a huge deal with me.
“(Napier) is a player’s coach. He cares about you more as a person than as an athlete. That’s something I noticed in two days.”
LSU, Oregon, Florida, Ole Miss, Miami, Cal and Texas A&M are the final seven for Rashada, who is still planning to commit on June 18. He could take some more visits before announcing his commitment but nothing has been finalized yet.
It’s believed Oregon, Florida and Miami are believed to have an edge right now among his list of frontrunners.