Reports: Gators Under NCAA Investigation for Jaden Rashada Recruitment

Florida Gators football reportedly received a notice of inquiry from the NCAA in June 2023. The Gators released a statement in response to the investigation's surfacing on Friday.

UPDATE: After news surfaced of an NCAA probe into the Gators football program on Friday, Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported that the investigation is focused on Florida's recruitment of class of 2023 quarterback and current Arizona State redshirt freshman Jaden Rashada. 

Rashada signed with Florida in Dec. 2022 but failed to enroll at the school the following January, with multiple reports surfacing at the time of a collapsed Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) agreement leading to the termination of his pledge to UF. 

Find All Gators' initial reporting on the NCAA's investigation into Florida football, including details about Rashada's recruitment to the program, below.

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The Florida football program is under investigation by the NCAA for reasons undisclosed publicly, All Gators confirmed via multiple sources on Friday. 

Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times first reported the NCAA's investigation into the program on Friday, indicating UF President Ben Sasse received an official notice of inquiry on June 9, 2023. 

According to Baker, the elements of the investigation and potential violations are not specified in the notice of inquiry. 

“We have been and will continue to cooperate with the NCAA,” UF senior associate athletics director Steve McClain said in a statement regarding the investigation obtained by All Gators on Friday. “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.” 

The NCAA's investigation of Florida came to light more than a week following its landmark sanctioning of Florida State for Name, Image and Likeness rules violations, which involved an attempted inducement of a prospective student-athlete to play for the Seminoles, per multiple reports. 

Florida State was placed on a two-year probation, forced to disassociate with the collective fundraising group involved in the inducement for one season, and saw offensive coordinator Alex Atkins suspended for the first three games of the 2024 season in response to the violations, among other punishments. 

Although it remains unclear why Florida is under the microscope of the NCAA currently, it was almost one year ago exactly when the program became entrenched in one of the most notable NIL stories of the modern era of college football. 

The Gators released prized class of 2023 quarterback signee, Jaden Rashada, from his National Letter of Intent on Jan. 20, 2023, roughly one month after he signed with the program. Almost immediately, multiple reports surfaced suggesting that a collapsed NIL contract agreement resulted in the breakup. 

The deal, reportedly struck between Rashada, his representatives and the now-defunct Gator Collective independent fundraising group before the quarterback's signing and enrollment at UF, was said to have been worth north of $13 million. 

NCAA rules disallow NIL negotiations or other financial incentives in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes by member programs. 

Rashada, who was rated as the No. 7 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class by the 247Sports composite rankings, enrolled at Arizona State after bowing out of his signing with Florida. He threw for 485 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions over three appearances during his freshman season. 

Florida was previously penalized for what was determined to be Level II and III recruiting violations in 2020, in which former Gators head coach Dan Mullen received a one-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA for his involvement. 

This is a breaking news story that will be updated. It was first published at 5:47 P.M. ET on Jan. 19, 2024. 

Photo: University of Florida's Heavener Football Training Center; Credit: Isabella Marley - UAA Communications 

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