QB Jaden Rashada Talks Miami Hurricanes Commitment at Elite 11 Finals
Photo: Jaden Rashada; Credit: Zach Goodall
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. -- After a lengthy recruitment, 2023 Pittsburg (Calif.) High School quarterback Jaden Rashada is just happy to focus solely on football again.
The newly committed Hurricane was out in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday evening for the start of the Elite 11 finals, where he was able to clear his mind of what was a dramatic closure to his recruitment followed by he-said-she-said NIL speculation.
"It's like a blessing, really, to get all this stuff over with," Rashada told All Hurricanes on Tuesday. "[I] get to focus on real ball, I really haven't had my mind clear in around like a year."
Rashada hadn't always had his eyes set on the Hurricanes. Miami's previous coaching staff did not offer him. It wasn't until Mario Cristobal, who had a previous relationship with the gunslinger from his time at Oregon, took over as head coach for the Canes that they became involved in Rashada's commitment.
Miami offered Rashada on February 23 and was able to get the rising senior on campus for an unofficial visit the following month.
"Coach Cristobal never gave up recruiting me, like never, since he first offered me," Rashada said of the former FIU and Oregon head coach, who first offered the quarterback in September 2021.
Rashada's recruitment came down to the wire, with a late official visit to Coral Gables, caused by the signal-caller pushing back his commitment date, sealing the deal for the Hurricanes.
"At the end of the day, I just went off like, 'Where can I live, be successful and play for conference championships?' " Rashada said regarding his decision to commit to Miami. "That's really what I based my decision off because it was a lot of stuff that I was weighing."
Expected to join Rashada at Miami are a pair of his Miami Immortals 7-on-7 teammates in UM wide receiver commits Nathaniel Joseph and Robby Washington.
"I know all [of] them dudes. It factored in pretty well because I know I can connect with the people down there," Rashada said about Joseph and Washington's influence on his decision. "You know, we just got [Joseph on Tuesday] and I knew that one was coming since after I pulled the trigger, and we got some pretty big ones coming soon."
The now entirely-football-focused Rashada will hope to compete at his best in the final two days of the Elite 11 Finals to become 2022's Elite 11 quarterback.
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Luke Chaney is a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated-FanNation's AllHurricanes.com, covering recruiting and Miami Athletics. You can also find Luke on WVUM 90.5 FM as a play-by-play broadcaster. He is also the Sports Editor for The Miami Hurricane. Follow Luke on Twitter @luke_chaney4.