Jaden Rashada entered the transfer portal on April 18. He has found a new home in Athens, Georgia, where he will play for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.
Rashada, just a freshman last year, threw for 485 yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in three games played last year for the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Rashada originally signed with the Florida Gators in December 2022, however, he decommitted after the calendar flipped to 2023. A four-star high schooler and a four-star transfer prospect, many schools had reached out to Rashada, but the Bulldogs were able to reel in the standout prospect.
Why Georgia Makes Sense for Jaden Rashada
Georgia makes the most sense for Rashada for many reasons. Georgia was on the search for a 4th scholarship quarterback who will compete against Carson Beck, Gunner Stockton, and Ryan Puglisi, likely competing for the backup job considering Beck is a Heisman candidate this upcoming year. Rashada surprisingly was never looked at by Georgia coming out of high school, mainly because this was during the time that the Arch Manning craze was in full force.
This left Georgia scrounging for another quarterback once Manning was lost to Texas, a quarterback that they thought they found in Dylan Raiola. Raiola, however, would decommit as well for Nebraska. Georgia was now in the market for a transfer quarterback after the disappointment that was their quarterback recruiting for 2023 and 2024. They were searching for a transfer that is young and can develop behind Carson Beck in order to potentially start next year. They found that in Rashada.
Rashada fits this mold not only for this reason but because it will give him a chance to bulk up, learn from one of the better quarterbacks this year and get SEC experience. Rashada is a guy who can sit for a year and learn, then he can plug in and immediately be developed as an SEC starter. He’s got the ceiling and youth for that development but also has Power 4 Conference experience that he can utilize as well.
Why Jaden Rashada Makes Sense for Georgia
Georgia has found their guy in Rashada after he took an unofficial visit on April 23rd. It looks like Rashada enjoyed his visit and likes Athens, which at this point is icing on the cake for the Bulldogs. Rashada matches up well with Carson Beck in terms of play style, which has offensive coordinator Mike Bobo salivating: Pro-style and a deep-ball-heavy guy who isn’t afraid to take risks.
If Georgia can mitigate the mistakes, which should come after a year of sitting and learning, Rashada could very well be next year’s starter without having to make any significant scheme changes. With Gunner Stockton, he’s more of a mobile QB who has more of a feel for the run rather than the pass, and with Puglisi, he’s completely untested. Unless Puglisi comes out and becomes a world-beater, Rashada likely earns the start with Stockton potentially transferring or being used as a running quarterback. If Georgia wants continuity in their play style with a guy who has experience, Rashada is a great fit.
Conclusion
Time will tell if Rashada plays for Georgia in any meaningful capacity, but on paper and with the tape that’s out there, this is a great match. Rashada can be plug-and-play in a year with the same scheme and Georgia wouldn’t have to worry about filling the hole Carson Beck will leave once he declares for the 2025 NFL Draft. This will also give next-in-line guy Ryan Puglisi more time to develop and give him competition to potentially make him better. Georgia would be going with the “iron sharpening iron” approach to their QB room with this move and it could work out to where the Bulldogs have 2 or even 3 starting quality quarterbacks going into 2025. Talented teams don’t rebuild, they reload, and that is what the Bulldogs are doing with Jaden Rashad.