South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)

Blue-chip quarterbac­k Rashada decommits from UM, flips to UF

- By Adam Lichtenste­in

The Hurricanes’ strong 2023 recruiting class took a hit Thursday when star quarterbac­k Jaden Rashada backed off his commitment to Miami and picked Florida instead.

Rashada, a four-star quarterbac­k from Pittsburg, California, announced his decommitme­nt on his Twitter page early Friday morning.

“Over the past few months, I’ve been weighing my options heavily,” Rashada wrote in a note on his Twitter page. “I have dreamed of playing SEC football since I was a little kid. After a lot of prayer, conversati­on with my family and those close to me, I have decided to change my commitment and play for the University of Florida.

“I have tremendous respect for Miami and what they are going to accomplish there, but I have watched this season and coach [Billy] Napier and his team are building something very special in the Swamp, and I want to be part of it. I’m incredibly grateful for coach [Josh] Gattis, coach [Frank] Ponce, coach [Mario] Cristobal and his entire staff for giving me the opportunit­y to be a Hurricane.”

Rashada, who is listed as the No. 7 quarterbac­k and No. 57 player in the 2023 class in 247Sports’ composite rankings, originally committed to the Hurricanes in June as part of a wave of high-profile commitment­s to UM.

However, the Hurricanes have struggled this season, and Miami’s offense ranks 90th in the nation.

Rashada led Pittsburg High to a 9-1 record this season, and he completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,122 yards and

25 touchdowns with eight intercepti­ons. He also ran for 247 yards and three touchdowns.

The Hurricanes still have one quarterbac­k in their 2023 class: three-star prospect Emory Williams. Williams, a three-star quarterbac­k from the Florida Panhandle, is listed as the No. 31 quarterbac­k and No.

626 player in the class. He completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,690 yards and 15 touchdowns with four intercepti­ons. He also ran for 207 yards and two scores.

 ?? JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/BAY AREA NEWS GROUP ?? Pittsburg, Calif., quarterbac­k Jaden Rashada throws against De La Salle in the North Coast Section Open Division championsh­ip game at De La Salle High School on Nov. 19, 2021, in Concord, Calif.
JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/BAY AREA NEWS GROUP Pittsburg, Calif., quarterbac­k Jaden Rashada throws against De La Salle in the North Coast Section Open Division championsh­ip game at De La Salle High School on Nov. 19, 2021, in Concord, Calif.

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