Jaden Rashada reaches settlement in NIL lawsuit against Billy Napier, Florida booster

Former Florida quarterback Jaden Rashada has reached a settlement in his NIL lawsuit against ex-Gators coach Billy Napier and a UF booster, according to court records. Terms of the settlement are confidential.

A mediation conference took place Feb. 10, documents show, and those talks resulted in a settlement. In a statement to On3, Rashada’s agent Jackson Zager said, “The parties have reached a confidential settlement and are moving forward.” The suit was due for a trial July 20.

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Rashada filed the lawsuit in May 2024 – one of the first high-profile NIL lawsuits of the new era. Napier, former Florida staffer Marcus Castro Walker and top Gators booster Heath Hathcock were all listed as plaintiffs, as was Hathcock’s former company, Velocity Automotive.

A four-year, $13.85 million contract from the Florida NIL collective was at the center of the lawsuit. Per the suit, Velocity Automotive was set to help fund a financial package for Rashada as part of a high-profile recruiting process.

The deal played a key role in his decision to flip from Miami to Florida in November 2022, and he ultimately signed with the Gators. However, according to court records, Florida reneged on the agreement and Rashada was later released 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 the case would move to discovery. Rodgers ruled Rashada’s tortious interference claims were dismissed while his fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement, conspiracy to commit fraud and negligent misrepresentation claims survived to discovery to go toward trial. All depositions were due to be presented Oct. 1, 2025, and a trial was set to take place July 20, 2026.

Following his release from Florida, Jaden Rashada signed with Arizona State and spent one season with the Sun Devils in 2023 before transferring to Georgia in 2024. He then transferred to Sacramento State in 2025, where he threw for 264 yards and a touchdown, to one interception, in five games for the Hornets.

Rashada then entered the transfer portal again this offseason and signed with Mississippi State, marking a return to the SEC. Napier, meanwhile, is no longer the Florida coach following his mid-season dismissal in 2025. He is currently gearing up for his first year as the head coach at James Madison.