Bad News for Former Clemson Assistant Coach

Bad news for a former Clemson assistant coach, who is now entering his third year at the helm of an SEC program.

Florida head coach Billy Napier, as well as a Florida booster and others, are being sued by former blue-chip recruit and current Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada.

According to multiple reports, Rashada is suing Napier and the booster for alleged fraud during his recruitment over an NIL deal.

Rashada is claiming that he was deprived of millions of dollars in NIL money, per ESPN’s Paula Lavigne and Dan Murphy, in a story published Tuesday morning :

Former University of Florida football recruit Jaden Rashada is suing coach Billy Napier, along with a big-time Gator booster and others, claiming they defrauded him out of millions of dollars by backing out of a promised $13.85 million agreement after the quarterback had turned down offers tied to other programs.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday includes an allegation that Rashada signed his national letter of intent to Florida on Dec. 21, 2022, less than an hour after Napier promised the player’s father a $1 million “partial payment” that day upon signing. Rashada never received the $1 million, and the boosters never fulfilled the deal, the lawsuit states.

After the deal fell through, Rashada was released from his NLI with Florida and ended up signing with Arizona State. Following one season there in 2023, the former top-50 national recruit from California is transferring to Georgia ahead of the 2024 campaign.

This past season was Napier’s second at Florida following his four years as Louisiana’s head coach from 2018-21. The Gators went 5-7 in 2023 after going 6-7 in 2022.

Napier spent seven years in two different stints at Clemson (2003-04, 2006-10). During Napier’s final two seasons at Clemson, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Napier served as the Tigers’ recruiting coordinator from 2006-08. He was the 2007-08 tight ends coach at Clemson, and he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Clemson from 2003-04.

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