On The Wire, we tell many stories about athletes progressing to the next level. Hearing such a story is beneficial to high school athletes and their parents to know what it takes and how to go about the process of getting recruited. 

As a company, Signing Day Sports’ main objective is to allow as many student-athletes as possible to move on to this next level. If there is a chance that someone out there can achieve their dreams by playing their sport at the collegiate level, we will set out to make that happen. Keeping our users informed and educated is a major component of that.

With that in mind, today’s article will discuss the recruiting prospects of one of the top football recruits in the country. Learning about these types of stories and what makes athletes “recruitable” to college coaches can be a great tool in progressing your own athletic career. 

Jaden Rashada – Committed to Arizona State University

By this point, Rashada shouldn’t need much of an introduction. When it comes to high school football recruits, Rashada is an anomaly; a trailblazer whose name will forever be attached to burgeoning NIL deals.

Hailing from Pittsburg High School in California, the 6’4” quarterback threw for 59 touchdowns last season. His recruitment took him all over the country (with those stats, it’s no surprise), but he originally settled on the University of Miami. According to some sources, his heart wasn’t really in it, and he ended up flipping his commitment to the University of Florida. 

There, he was reported to have signed an NIL deal with the Gator Collective that would pay him almost $14 million over his years in Gainesville, assuming he could meet a list of criteria such as signing some memorabilia, showing face at some local events, and having his primary residence in Gainesville. 

Eventually, the deal was rescinded. There were reports that Rashada was not handling the additional attention well. We won’t speculate on The Wire, but his decisions thereafter indicated a change of heart. 

He wound up settling on Arizona State University whose new head coach, Kenny Dillingham, had recruited Rashada when he was a part of Oregon’s staff. Additionally, Rashada’s father is a Sun Devil football alumnus. 

Takeaways

Rashada is the sixth-ranked quarterback in the nation. His stories will differ greatly from the masses, but the sentiment can be attributed to any recruit. 

With the changing rules regarding the transfer portal and NIL money on the table, players have more power than ever – even those who aren’t the “sixth-ranked quarterback in the nation.” 

Rashada took advantage of his positioning and has made decisions that benefited him and were for him. At the end of the day, the only person he really needs to please is himself. Hopefully, Rashada’s dramatic recruitment will give him what he wanted for himself in college football. 

And for others taking in this story from the sidelines, or finding yourself in a similar situation, just know that whatever is best for you, needs to be done. The repercussions, and the potential negative media attention are for others to worry about. Worry about yourself first and foremost, and everything else will fall into place. 

(Photo: Manny Navarro / The Athletic)