The cloud may finally be put behind the Florida Gators. The Jaden Rashada lawsuit. He reached a settlement with Heath Hathcock, a supporter, as well as with Billy Napier, the former head coach, and Marcus Castro Walker, a former employee. The conditions of the agreement are kept secret, according to the court documents cited by On3 Sports.
The lawsuit’s crux was the enormous NIL deal valued at $13. 85 million that Rashada signed in November 2022, prior to National Signing Day, when he switched from the Miami Hurricanes and committed to the Gators. He asked to be let go from the letter of intent shortly after, making it a big win for the Gators at the moment, but one that didn’t last very long.
Jaden Rashada reaches an agreement with the Florida Gators collective to settle a lawsuit involving a NIL deal.
This case and the Gators have had quite the journey. Former head coach Napier was listed as a plaintiff in the football program, but not in its name. It took a long time for it to arrive, but it was scheduled to be in court by the end of July.
Judge M. Casey Rodgers of the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida decided in April 2025 that the case would proceed to discovery. While Rodgers’ claims of fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement, conspiracy to commit fraud, and negligent misrepresentation were not dismissed, his tortious interference claims were. The claims went to discovery in preparation for trial. The trial was scheduled for July 20, 2026, and all depositions were expected to be submitted on October 1, 2025,” wrote Nick Schultz of On3 Sports.
In his actual freshman year, Rashada enrolled at Arizona State, where he began a few contests. After being hurt, he moved to Sacramento State in 2025 and was moved to the Georgia Bulldogs in 2024. Currently, he is a student at Mississippi State, where he will be a Bulldog player in 2026.
Now that this case has been resolved, it has cleared the sky over the Gators football team.
