Judge Allows Jaden Rashada’s NIL Fraud Suit Against Florida To Move Forward

A federal judge allows Jaden Rashada’s $13.85M NIL fraud lawsuit against Florida to proceed, sending the high-profile case into discovery.

Eli Henderson | Apr 11, 2025

ASU quarterback Jaden Rashada (5) throws a pass during a spring practice at the Kajikawa practice fields in Tempe on April 16, 2024. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

In this story:

On Tuesday, a federal judge handed Jaden Rashada a critical win in his lawsuit against Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier, former staffer Marcus Castro-Walker, and wealthy booster Hugh Hathcock.

U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers ruled that the former five-star quarterback’s fraud claims can proceed to discovery.

The case now moves into uncharted legal territory and the inboxes and text threads of some of the most powerful figures in college football, potentially exposing the inner workings of high-dollar NIL deals gone wrong.

Judge Rodgers denied motions to dismiss several key counts in Rashada’s complaint, including fraudulent inducement, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, and conspiracy to commit fraud.

While Rodgers dismissed a handful of claims — including tortious interference and a separate conspiracy allegation — the core of Rashada’s lawsuit remains intact.

The ruling allows the case to move into pretrial discovery, where coaches, boosters, and administrators must turn over documents and testify under oath.

At the heart of the case is a four-year, $13.85 million NIL agreement that allegedly lured Rashada to flip his commitment from Miami to Florida in November 2022.

According to court filings, that figure was originally promised to be paid through Hathcock’s auto company, Velocity Automotive, and the UF-affiliated Gator Guard collective, a deal allegedly orchestrated with the full knowledge of Napier and Castro-Walker.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand how a purportedly fraudulent NIL deal initially valued north of $13 million could induce a teenager to choose a university he otherwise would not have,” Rodgers wrote in her opinion.

The ruling lays out how Rashada was allegedly misled into signing with Florida. According to the complaint, Hathcock promised to deliver whatever compensation was necessary, working in tandem with Castro-Walker and allegedly with Napier’s blessing.

The promised signing bonus never arrived, and the deal was abruptly terminated. By then, Rashada had backed out of his commitment to the Miami Hurricanes and was left with neither contract nor school.

Judge Rodgers noted that Napier’s conduct — including assurances that “Hathcock was good for the money” on National Signing Day — plausibly made him complicit in the alleged scheme.

“At the very least,” she wrote, “a plausible appearance [exists] that Castro-Walker and Hathcock were acting as Rashada’s apparent agents during his recruitment to UF.”

Though the court left open the possibility that sovereign immunity could later shield Napier and other school employees from personal liability, Rodgers made clear that Rashada had presented “extensive prediscovery evidence” supporting his version of events.

The implications of this lawsuit extend beyond Gainesville. As schools and collectives continue to navigate the rapidly shifting NIL landscape, the Rashada case may serve as a warning and precedent for what happens when promises are made without a paper trail to match.

Recommended Articles