Court Allows Jaden Rashada's Legal Case Against Florida Coach Billy Napier to Move Forward

Former Florida recruit Jaden Rashada has filed a lawsuit against Gators football coach Billy Napier and a prominent booster over a $13.85 million name, image and likeness (NIL) deal that went wrong. The federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the lawsuit can continue to discovery.

While three counts were dismissed in the 40-page order from the U.S. District Court's Northern District of Florida, the judge allowed three fraud-related counts and one count of conspiracy to commit fraud to move forward.

Judge M. Casey Rodgers stated that the allegations in the suit present a compelling story that the defendants all worked together to deceive Rashada during his recruitment to the University of Florida. They allegedly made false promises about NIL opportunities to lure him away from the University of Miami, where he had a $9.5 million deal on the table.

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The lawsuit, filed in May 2024, claims that Napier and booster Hugh Hathcock made fraudulent promises to convince Rashada to sign with Florida in 2022. However, he ended up withdrawing his letter of intent and enrolling at Arizona State after the promised NIL money did not materialize.

According to the lawsuit, Napier promised a $1 million "partial payment" to Rashada's father when he signed his national letter of intent, but the payment was never received. Hathcock and former Florida staffer Marcus Castro-Walker are also named in the lawsuit.

Rashada eventually transferred from Arizona State to Georgia in 2024 but did not play in any games. His attorney, Rusty Hardin, stated that they are grateful for the judge's ruling and look forward to exposing the defendants' conduct during discovery.

No court date has been set for the next appearance.