The saga of Jaden Rashada could be the sequel to The NeverEnding Story. After his brief time with Florida Football, followed by enough lawsuits to keep plenty of lawyers busy, Rashada has bounced around to Arizona State, then to Georgia, and now has his sights set on a new program.
However, given that the one-time top 100 overall prospect once dreamed of playing college football, this potential new home was probably never on the radar two years ago.
Florida Football: Nightmares Are Dreams Too
Pete Thamel of ESPN has reported that Rashada is taking a visit to Western Kentucky this weekend. That's the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in Conference USA, not Kentucky in the SEC.
Nothing against the Hilltoppers, as they were 8-6 last year and were in the Conference USA title game, but this is also the same Western Kentucky that lost to Alabama 63-0.
It's also not where Rashada ever dreamed of winding up.
After decommitting from Miami, never showing up on campus in Gainesville, getting beat out for the starting job at Arizona State, and riding the bench at Georgia, the reason we keep checking in on Rashada is that he serves as a cautionary tale for all up and coming prospects.
In his case, and let's be real, in his father's case, the pursuit of money never led to the pursuit of happiness. His dad, Harlen Rashada, hasn't been afraid to troll Florida any chance he gets. But along the way, he forgot to make sure his son actually developed as a college QB.
The irony of it all is that as things have played out in Gainesville, had Rashada actually shown up in 2023, he would have played against Missouri and FSU after Graham Mertz got hurt.
He then would have had a battle with DJ Lagway for the backup job in 2024, and had Rashada won that battle, he would have seen the field a ton in 2024.
And, even if he didn't win that battle, he still would have seen the field against Georgia and Texas, assuming Rashada could beat out Aidan Warner.
With the uncertainty of Lagway's shoulder in 2025, there is a real pathway that if Rashada had stayed in Gainesville, he would have been the starter for Florida this season.
Instead, he is hoping for a shot with Western Kentucky. He still has three years of eligibility left, and his story is far from over.
But if Western Kentucky takes a pass on him, it's a story that might get put on the bookshelf for quite some time.