Georgia lands top-ranked transfer QB that Florida may have tampered with

After an up-and-down freshman season at his father's alma mater, former four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada is transferring from Arizona State to Georgia. While he could have been Kenny Dillingham's starting quarterback in Tempe once again if he just stayed, Rashada opted to head east to the perennial SEC power, where he will back up Carson Beck and compete with Gunner Stockton.

In Seth Emerson's feature for The Athletic, he perfectly outlines why Rashada decided to transfer to UGA in the second portal window. It has a lot to do with his mentor Austyn Carta-Samuels, whose younger brother K.J. played for Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo when he was the head coach at Colorado State. Rashada is going to reset in Athens, in hopes of becoming a better player.

All the while, Florida is under investigation for its recruitment of Rashada, one that is honestly going to define the bleak Billy Napier era of Gators football. It started with a well-intentioned NIL compensation package. Once that fell through, Rashada opted to transfer somewhere where he felt a connection to at ASU. Now Rashada has a chance to learn and grow by playing for a winning program.

You have to wonder if Rashada could play a part in what could be Napier's final year in Gainesville.

Jaden Rashada transfers to Florida's arch rival Georgia in spring window

In Emerson's article for The Athletic, Carta-Samuels reiterated that every move made by Rashada throughout his short, but fascinating college career always had good intentions. Well, the road to hell was paved with good intentions, so take with that what you will. In the meantime, I cannot say that I have seen the gap between Georgia and Florida be this wide in my lifetime, in either direction, folks!

The Gators' 2024 regular-season schedule is absolutely brutal. Florida State, Miami and UCF in the non-conference is tough sledding. Having the likes of Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas in SEC play probably means Florida will have to scratch and claw to get to 6-6. There is a pathway were this is a 3-9 football team and everybody gets fired. What happens if the Gators lost to say ... Mississippi State?

And to be honest, Florida only has itself to blame for this. If the Gators had their ducks in a row, we would be talking about how great of a sophomore year Rashada was going to have in Gainesville. Instead, he is joining former Florida star running back Trevor Etienne in Athens, hoping to be a part of a College Football Playoff team and a national title contender. Georgia should be next year's favorite.

Rashada might be the No. 3 option in Athens, but he would have been a No. 1 guy in Florida or ASU.