Rapidly rising quarterback recruit
Jaden Rashada said last week he needed a little more time to make his college pick "to reflect on one of the biggest decisions of my life." On Sunday, the incoming
Pittsburg (Calif.) senior made that pick live on CBS Sports HQ and selected Miami.
The 6-foot-4, 185-pounder picked the Hurricanes over other finalists Florida, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. He pushed back his decision to Sunday also because it is his grandmother's birthday.
Rashada is closing in on five-star status, ranking No. 29 overall nationally by
247Sports for the Class of 2023 and the No. 5 quarterback. His 247Sports composite ranking is lower at No. 45 and 7.
Brandon Huffman, a 247Sports National Recruiting Editor, likes Rashada's big arm, pocket presence and charisma and believes he's right there with the top two or three quarterbacks in the class. Rashada will get to help prove that Tuesday through Thursday in Los Angeles where he's one of 20 finalists for the Elite 11 showcase that features most of the nation's top-rated quarterbacks in a skills competition.
Pittsburg 2023 quarterback Jaden Rashada has 32 college offers.
Photo: Angelo Garcia
On Sunday's live broadcast, Rashada first thanked God, his family, friends and coaches before announcing his choice. He said the Miami "vibe" is similar to that in California and was one
of the reasons he picked the Hurricanes. So is competing for ACC and
national championships.
There's a strong history of highly regarded Bay Area-Northern California quarterbacks picking Miami, including 1992 Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta of Pinole Valley, Ken Dorsey of Miramonte (Orinda) and Kyle Wright of Monte Vista (Danville).
"The transition from California to Florida will go pretty well, living wise and it's a little familiar as a big city," Rashada told Huffman. "The weather, the scene, it's kind of relates a little more to Miami."
Rashada is coming off his first full prep season, completing 146 of 256 passes for 2,220 yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions for the 9-3 Pirates who lost 35-7 in the CIF Division 1-A Northern California regional at Liberty (Bakersfield).
According to 247Sports national recruiting expert Chris Singleton, Rashada checks all the boxes as a poised passer in the pocket who is "able to get the ball out quickly generating power from his lower body to have the ball snap out of his hand."
He needs to add at least 20 pounds of muscle to compete at the next level, according to Singletary. Rashada "stands tall in the pocket with the mobility to avoid the rush and buy time to make plays under pressure," Singleton wrote.
Rashada made
national news in December when he became what is believed to be the first high school football player in the country to sign a NIL (name, image, likeness) deal. He reportedly signed a four-figure contract with AIR (Athletes in Recruitment), a college recruiting app.
Rashada started his prep career at nearby Liberty (Brentwood), transferred to Florida national power IMG Academy (Bradenton) before returning to Northern California for his sophomore season that was moved to the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19.
He has more than 30 college offers and visited all five of his finalists starting April 22 to Ole Miss. He visited the rest of the schools in June, starting with Texas A&M (June 3) followed by LSU (June 5) and Florida (June 7), before leaving Miami for last on June 21.
"It's a huge relief, because now I get to go get better and go start learning the playbook, and stop dealing with the recruiting piece of football," Rashada said.
