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Quarterback Jaden Rashada has been the talk of the recruiting world because of the scenario that has played out between him and Florida.

Rashada, the No. 27 recruit in the 2023 class, signed with Florida in December but asked for a release from his national letter of intent Tuesday. Florida granted the request Friday. It has been a wild few weeks with reports of multimillion-dollar NIL deals and promises that have ultimately fallen through.

Rashada’s situation is a product of the new college football landscape with the transfer portal and name, image and likeness opportunities for players.

What’s next for Rashada and Florida? And even more importantly, what does this high-profile case say about the state of NIL and where it’s going? Our reporters break it down.


How did we get here?

​​Rashada started picking up bigger offers in 2020, when he was a sophomore at IMG Academy. He received offers from Cal, Penn State, Arizona State and Auburn, among a few others.

He started his high school career at Brentwood (California) Liberty High School for his freshman season, then transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and finished his high school career at Pittsburg High School in California. He racked up more offers his junior season and became one of the more sought-after quarterbacks in the 2023 class.

He took visits to schools around the country but committed to Miami in June 2022, choosing the Hurricanes over Florida, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M at the time.

Florida had finished a close second the first time around, and Gators coaches continued recruiting Rashada, eventually getting him to flip in November, only a few months after he chose Miami.

A person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press that Florida’s Gator Collective had offered Rashada a $13 million NIL deal to sign with the Gators. Rashada signed with Florida during the early signing period in December and looked as though he was set to enroll in Gainesville.

However, he requested a release from his national letter of intent Tuesday after it was reported the NIL deal had fallen through, and he was granted the release Friday. Rashada is prepared to sign with and play for another team in 2023 after signing with the Gators mere weeks ago. — Tom VanHaaren


What does this deal say about NIL, collectives, the NCAA and what comes next?

Collectives are officially unaffiliated with the schools they support. Florida, by rule, has no control over which athletes the Gator Collective signs to endorsement deals or how much money the group offers in those deals. In theory, collectives are booster groups that collect funds to pay athletes who are already attending the school they support. In practice, many of the more aggressive collectives have become outsourced payroll outfits that are used to unofficially entice players to attend their school.

Rashada’s situation at Florida is the first public, high-profile case of a collective reportedly failing to keep its promise to a player. It serves as an example of why the current business model for major college sports is less than ideal for all involved. If schools want to regain some control over the process, however, they either will need help from Congress or will need to get more directly involved in the now-established marketplace for acquiring the services of college athletes.

Schools have drawn a hard line in saying athletes will not be considered employees of their institutions. But several legal battles that could force the NCAA to change its rules have already begun. If any of the several attempts to shatter the NCAA’s current amateurism rules is successful — and the odds of that happening are steadily increasing — the top tier of college sports would be headed down a path where within the next few years the relationship between athletes and their schools will be more professional in nature. — Dan Murphy


How good is Rashada as a player?

From a skill set and measurables standpoint, Rashada is very similar to LSU’s Jayden Daniels when he first signed out of high school with Arizona State. Rashada has a high ceiling for physical development as he continues to grow and add strength, which will enhance his already impressive abilities as a passer. He can change arm angles, throw off platform and is very good on the move. However, he also has the ability to push the ball downfield from the pocket. Rashada is capable physically of contributing early, but that would depend on where he signs and the help and talent around him. Playing as a true freshman, particularly at quarterback, is a challenging learning curve. If it were easy, many more guys would be successful doing it. — Tom Luginbill


What’s next for Rashada?

This is an interesting situation now for Rashada, because the early signing period is over and the initial transfer portal window is closed. Most coaches have filled the majority of their roster spots.

The quarterback position is so unusual that coaches are essentially constructing a puzzle each season to try to keep depth at an optimal position. If they have already brought in quarterbacks this offseason, they could disrupt that quarterback room by bringing in another player so late.

The good thing for Rashada is that he is a top-50 prospect, and quarterbacks are difficult to come by, so there will be options.

If Rashada is looking for a large NIL deal, it could shrink the number of schools involved. But Arizona State would make sense. Rashada’s father, Harlen, played for the Sun Devils in the 1990s.

New coach Kenny Dillingham doesn’t have a quarterback signed in the 2023 class, and it would be close to home for Rashada. Washington is another West Coast school that could get involved, as could Cal, which offered him initially in his recruitment.

Now that he is released from his letter of intent, he will be free to enroll without penalty. — VanHaaren


What does this mean for Florida and Billy Napier?

Without question, this stings for both Florida and Napier — perhaps more so because he was hired, in part, for his recruiting prowess and absolutely had to have a quarterback in his first full class. When he got Rashada to flip from Miami in November, it was considered a huge win and helped ease some concerns about how well Napier and Florida were doing on the recruiting trail. But now, those concerns have returned. While it is true Napier is not involved with the Gator Collective, it is also true that both Napier and Florida have had to deal with the negative headlines and all the fallout. This will be easy fodder for any opposing coach to use against the Gators.

Given the broader context around Florida, this is especially problematic. With SEC rival Georgia winning a second consecutive national championship and continuing to recruit at a top-three level, the pressure is only mounting on Napier and the Florida program to show they are taking the necessary steps to be competitive with the Bulldogs again. Since Kirby Smart took over in 2016, Georgia has won five of their seven rivalry games. All but one was a double-digit victory.

Meanwhile, the questions at quarterback have grown. With Anthony Richardson gone to the NFL draft, the Gators are now left with Jack Miller — who did not play well in the 30-3 loss to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl — Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz and Max Brown, who just finished his freshman season. At this point, all the elite high school talent is spoken for, so perhaps Napier will have to dip again into the transfer portal to fill out the quarterback room. But no matter what he does, questions about what could have been with Rashada will continue to linger. — Andrea Adelson

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‘Reason he’s here’: Crochet delivers for Red Sox

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'Reason he's here': Crochet delivers for Red Sox

BALTIMORE — Garrett Crochet gave the Boston Red Sox an immediate return on their investment.

In his first start since agreeing to a $170 million, six-year contract, the left-hander pitched a career-best eight innings as the Red Sox shut out the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 on Wednesday night. Crochet also threw 102 pitches, one shy of his career high.

“My first start in college I went eight, and I haven’t sniffed it since,” Crochet said.

Crochet (1-0) gave up four hits and a walk while striking out eight in his first victory since the offseason trade that sent him from the Chicago White Sox to Boston.

“That’s the reason he’s here,” manager Alex Cora said after the game. “That’s the reason we committed to him.”

Crochet went 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA last season, a bright spot on a Chicago team that lost 121 games. He threw 146 innings, which was double his previous career total since his debut in 2020.

Then Crochet was dealt to the Red Sox, and they made their long-term commitment to the 25-year-old earlier this week.

“Going back to when the trade went through, we knew Boston was a place where we would love to be long term,” Crochet said. “Credit to the front office for staying diligent, and my agency as well.”

Now the question is less about where he’ll pitch and more about how well. He’s off to a nice start in that regard.

“I can’t think of the last time I played baseball for pride. In college, you’re playing to get drafted, and once you’re in the big leagues, you’re playing to stay in the big leagues,” Crochet said. “So to have this security and feel like I’m playing to truly just win ballgames, it takes a lot of the riff-raff out of it.”

The news all around was good for Boston on Wednesday.

It reached a $60 million, eight-year deal with young infielder Kristian Campbell, and he went out and doubled twice against the Orioles.

And Rafael Devers ended a 21-at-bat hitless streak to start the season with an RBI double in the fifth inning. He finished with two hits and no strikeouts.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Ohtani’s walk-off pushes Dodgers to historic 8-0

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Ohtani's walk-off pushes Dodgers to historic 8-0

LOS ANGELES — Aside from his ability to pitch and hit and stretch the boundaries of imagination, Shohei Ohtani has displayed another singular trait in his time in the major leagues: an ability to meet the moment. Or, perhaps, for the moment to meet him.

And so on Wednesday night, with his Los Angeles Dodgers looking to stay unbeaten, the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, and more than 50,000 fans standing and clenching the Ohtani bobbleheads they lined up hours in advance for, Ohtani approached the batter’s box — and his teammates expected greatness.

“He’s going to end this right here,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said he thought to himself.

“We knew,” starting pitcher Blake Snell said. “It’s just what he does.”

Validation came instantly. Ohtani stayed back on a first-pitch changeup from Raisel Iglesias near the outside corner and shot it toward straightaway center field, 399 feet away, for a walk-off home run, sending the Dodgers to a 6-5, come-from-behind victory over the reeling Atlanta Braves.

“I don’t think anybody didn’t expect him to hit a walk-off home run there,” Dodgers utility man Tommy Edman said. “It’s just a question of where he’d hit it.”

The Dodgers are now 8-0, topping the 1933 New York Yankees of Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth for the longest winning streak to begin a season for a reigning champion. The Braves, meanwhile, are 0-7, the type of record no team has ever recovered from to make the playoffs. And Ohtani, with three home runs and a 1.126 OPS this season, just keeps meeting moments.

“He’s pretty good, huh?” Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez said. “It’s Shohei. He’s going to do that. He’s going to do things better than that.”

On Aug. 23 last year, Ohtani reached the 40/40 club with a walk-off grand slam. Five days later, the Dodgers staged a second giveaway of his bobblehead — one that saw his now-famous dog, Decoy, handle the ceremonial first pitch — and Ohtani led off with a home run. On Sept. 19, Ohtani clinched his first postseason berth and ascended into the unprecedented 50/50 club with one of the greatest single-game performances in baseball history — six hits, three homers, two steals and 10 RBIs. Barely two weeks later, he homered in his first playoff game.

When Ohtani came up on Wednesday, he had what he described as a simple approach.

“I was looking for a really good pitch to hit,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “If I didn’t get a good pitch to hit, I was willing to walk.”

Of course, though, he got a good pitch.

And, of course, he sent it out.

“You just feel that he’s going to do something special,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And I just like the way he’s not pressing. He’s in the strike zone, and when he does that, there’s just no one better.”

The Dodgers began their much-anticipated season with a couple of breezy wins over the Chicago Cubs from Japan, even though Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman did not play in them. They returned home, brought iconic rapper Ice Cube out to present the World Series trophy on one afternoon, received their rings on another and swept a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers. Then came the Braves, and the Dodgers swept them, too — even though Freeman, nursing an ankle injury caused from slipping in the shower, didn’t participate.

The Dodgers already have two walk-offs and six comeback wins this season.

Wednesday’s effort left Roberts “a little dumbfounded.”

A nightmarish start defensively, highlighted by two errant throws from Muncy, spoiled Snell’s start and put them behind 5-0 after the first inning and a half. But the Dodgers kept inching closer. They trailed by just two in the eighth and put runners on second and third with two out. Muncy came to bat with his batting average at just .083. He had used the ballyhooed “Torpedo” bat for his first three plate appearances, didn’t like how it altered his swing plane, grabbed his usual bat for a showdown against Iglesias and laced a game-tying double into the right-center-field gap.

An inning later, Ohtani ended it.

“Overall, not just tonight, there is a really good vibe within the team,” Ohtani said after recording his fourth career walk-off hit. “I just think that’s allowing us to come back in these games to win.”

The Dodgers’ 8-0 start has allowed them to stay just ahead of the 7-0 San Diego Padres and the 5-1 San Francisco Giants in the National League West. Tack on the Arizona Diamondbacks (4-2) and the Colorado Rockies (1-4), and this marks the first time in the divisional era that an entire division has combined for at least 25 wins and no more than seven losses, according to ESPN Research. The Dodgers’ and Padres’ starts mark just the fifth season in major league history with multiple teams starting 7-0 or better, and the first time since 2003.

The Dodgers famously overcame a 2-1 series deficit to vanquish the Padres in the NL Division Series last year, then rode that fight to their first full-season championship since 1988.

That fight hasn’t let up.

“It feels like this clubhouse is carrying a little bit of the attitude we had last year that we’re never out of a game and we’re resilient, and we’ve been carrying it into this season,” Muncy said. “It’s been fun to watch. The guys don’t give up. Bad things have happened, and no one’s really been down or out on themselves. Everyone’s just, ‘All right, here we go, next inning, let’s get after it.’ The whole team, top to bottom, has been doing that. It’s been making it really, really fun to play.”

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Death of Gardner’s son pinned to carbon monoxide

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Death of Gardner's son pinned to carbon monoxide

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause of death of the teenage son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, authorities in Costa Rica said Wednesday night.

Randall Zúñiga, director of the Judicial Investigation Agency, said 14-year-old Miller Gardner was tested for carboxyhemoglobin, a compound generated when carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin in the blood.

When carboxyhemoglobin saturation exceeds 50%, it is considered lethal. In Gardner’s case, the test showed a saturation of 64%.

“It’s important to note that adjacent to this room is a dedicated machine room, where it’s believed there may be some type of contamination toward these rooms,” Zúñiga said.

The head of the Costa Rican judicial police added that, during the autopsy, a “layer” was detected on the boy’s organs, which forms when there is a high presence of the poisonous gas.

Gardner died March 21 while staying with his family at a hotel on the Manuel Antonio beach in Costa Rica’s Central Pacific.

Asphyxiation was initially thought to have caused his death. After an autopsy was performed by the Forensic Pathology Section, that theory was ruled out.

Another line of investigation centered around whether the family had suffered food poisoning. Family members had reported feeling ill after dining at a nearby restaurant on the night of March 20 and received treatment from the hotel doctor.

Brett Gardner, 41, was drafted by the Yankees in 2005 and spent his entire major league career with the organization. The speedy outfielder batted .256 with 139 homers, 578 RBIs, 274 steals and 73 triples in 14 seasons from 2008 to 2021.

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