MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla.—Kirby Smart is in an enviable spot at quarterback this year with top NFL prospect Carson Beck back for another season, but it’s Georgia’s newest player at the position that is in the news as SEC football head coaches gather here for spring meetings.
Jaden Rashada is suing Florida coach Billy Napier, a top booster and a Gators support staff member for a $13.85 million NIL deal that fell apart before the then four-star prospect was to sign with the school in December 2022.
Smart was asked Tuesday on the first day of the SEC spring meetings about a report from 247Sports that he gave “his blessing,” for Rashada ‘s attorney, Rusty Hardin of Houston, to file the lawsuit after Rashada informed Smart about it.
“Say what you will, he told me the day before they decided to do the lawsuit,” Smart said. “I told him that would be between his family and his attorney. I’m not involved in it. Georgia’s not involved in it in anyway.”
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Pensacola, about 85 miles from the Sandestin Hilton where the league meetings are being held through Thursday.
It accuses Napier, top Florida booster Hugh Hatchco*ck, and former director of player engagement/NIL Marcus Castro-Walker of fraudulently inducing Rashada to back off a $9.5 million NIL deal with Miami by leaving Rashada with the impression he’d be able to make more by flipping to Florida.
It claims the three men lacked the intention and ability to fulfill that commitment even though Rashada agreed to and signed the $13.85 million deal and committed to Florida on Nov. 10, 2022. Less than a month later, the lawsuit says, the now disbanded Gator Collective abruptly terminated it.
Castro-Walker and Napier made “extraordinary efforts,” the lawsuit claims, to persuade Rashada he would still be paid and “continued to lie and make material misrepresentations,” to Rashada, his father Harlen and Jaden’s NIL agents.
When Rashada delayed signing on Dec. 21, 2022, the lawsuit claims Napier called Rashada and his father and relayed that Rashada would be wired $1 million from Hatchco*ck as a partial payment towards the $13.85 million. Rashada signed an hour later with Florida.
When other promises of NIL agreements went unfulfilled, Rashada got out of his national letter of intent on Jan. 18, 2023, according to the lawsuit.
Napier on Tuesday said to a small group of reporters in a hallway that he found out about the lawsuit the same way most did through media reports.
“Look, I think it’s important for everybody to understand that I can’t comment due to the litigation but I do have confidence in our legal team,” he said. “I am comfortable with my actions and I’m thankful for the university's support.”
Smart had never even spoken publicly about what Rashada—who committed on April 25—will bring to the Bulldogs beyond saying the team needed another scholarship quarterback.
“Jaden is a good football player,” Smart said of the Pittsburg, Calif. native. “We knew Jaden when he was coming out. He’s got a body of work. He’s had the ability to play which is really critical at the quarterback position. He’s actually played and is very talented. We’re happy he’s joining us and looking forward to working with him.”
The Bulldogs exited spring practice with one healthy scholarship quarterback—Gunner Stockton—behind Beck and just three on the roster for the 2024 season.
Rashada puts Georgia in a better position.
The Arizona State transferwas the only true freshman quarterback to start in a team’s FBS opener last season. He started against Southern Utah and Oklahoma State and played extensively against Arizona while sidelined with a knee injury for much of the season.
The 6-foot-4, 185-pounder passed for 485 yards with 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while completing 53.7 percent of his passes. His touchdown passes included for 47, 65 and 31 yards.
The lawsuit accuses Napier, Hatchco*ck and Castro-Walker of fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement, aiding and abetting fraud, civil conspiracy to commit fraud, negligent misrepresenations, tortious interference with a business relationship or contract and aiding and abetting tortious interference
Smart said a Georgia quarterback suing the Florida coach “is a sign of the times possibly. I don’t get really caught up in that. I worry about what’s in my little bubble at Georgia and that’s outside the bubble.”
