Gainesville, Florida – Jaden Rashada, the former quarterback for the University of Florida, has reached a settlement in his lawsuit involving former head coach Billy Napier and a prominent university booster. The specifics of the agreement remain confidential, according to court documents.
The legal proceedings stemmed from a mediation conference held on February 10, which paved the way for the resolution of the case. Rashada’s agent, Jackson Zager, confirmed that both parties had come to a mutual understanding, allowing them to move forward.
Initiated in May 2024, Rashada’s lawsuit emerged as one of the first prominent cases in the evolving landscape of name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreements in college sports. The plaintiff’s claims named Napier, former Florida staff member Marcus Castro Walker, and booster Heath Hathcock, whose company, Velocity Automotive, was also cited in the suit.
At the heart of the lawsuit was a $13.85 million contract linked to an NIL deal with the Florida collective. Court filings indicated that Velocity Automotive was expected to assist with Rashada’s recruitment, significantly influencing his decision to commit to Florida over the University of Miami in November 2022. However, documents revealed that Florida later backed out of the agreement, leading Rashada to decommit and subsequently seek release from his National Letter of Intent.
In April 2025, Judge M. Casey Rodgers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida ruled that the case would transition into the discovery phase. While claims of tortious interference were dismissed, allegations of fraudulent misrepresentation were cleared to proceed, with depositions scheduled for October 1, 2025. This legal struggle seemed poised for trial set for July 20, 2026.
After departing from Florida, Rashada transferred to Arizona State University for the 2023 season, later moving to Georgia in 2024 and then to Sacramento State in 2025. During his time with the Hornets, he recorded 264 passing yards, one touchdown, and an interception across five games.
This offseason, Rashada entered the transfer portal again and signed with Mississippi State, making a return to the Southeastern Conference. In a separate turn of events, Napier’s tenure at Florida came to an abrupt end with his dismissal in 2025. He is now preparing for his debut season as head coach at James Madison University, marking the next chapter in his coaching career.