BREAKING: UGA Football Gets Huge Transfer - Former Arizona State QB Jaden Rashada
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ATHENS - Former Arizona State QB Jaden Rashada is transferring to UGA Football.
The former Sun Devil entered the transfer portal mid April. He visited the Bulldogs a week after announcing his decision to depart ASU. The move sets up a massive quarterback battle for the 2025 season - after incumbent starter Carson Beck departs for the NFL.
Rashada will take on Gunner Stockton and newcomer Ryan Puglisi. Rashada’s journey to Athens involves many twists and turns - including a NIL deal with UGA’s main rival the Florida Gators that fell through after the California native signed with the Gators.
Rashada’s recruitment by Billy Napier and the Gators resulted in that program being investigated by the NCAA.
"We have been and will continue to cooperate with the NCAA," UF spokesman Steve McClain said in a statement to ESPN. "We hold ourselves to high standards of excellence and integrity on and off the field. Because we follow NCAA policies about maintaining confidentiality, we are unable to offer additional comments.”
The Associated Press reported that “Rashada's name was not mentioned” in correspondence with the NCAA that outlet reported on earlier this year. The quarterback had an NIL agreement with Gator Collective, but asked for and was given his release in late January 2023.
Rashada ended the 2023 season with 485 yards passing, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He was considered the consensus No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the 2023 class.
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Stockton, Puglisi and Rashada will enter fall camp at UGA all fighting for the backup role behind Beck. The winner of that spot likely has the upper hand heading into spring 2025 for the starting job later that season.
Like Beck, Stockton and Puglisi signed with the Bulldogs out of high school. Rashada’s arrival is the latest in a line of quarterbacks who have transferred to Athens after stops at other schools. Jamie Newman appeared to be the starting signal caller in 2020 before inexplicably dropping out of UGA just before the start of the season.
Stetson Bennett, who had been at UGA as a walk-on before transferring to Jones County Junior College, took over as the starter in game two of 2020. He gave way to USC transfer J.T. Daniels by the late part of that season.
A year later Daniels lost his starting spot to Bennett after being unable to recover from chronic injuries. Bennett then led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national titles.
Increasingly, Beck’s college tenure is becoming a rarity. The Jacksonville native was also on the 2020 team that saw three different starting quarterbacks. He enters his fifth season of college football this fall.