Trial date set in Jaden Rashada lawsuit against former Florida football coach Billy Napier, others
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A trial date has been set for the lawsuit filed by Mississippi State quarterback Jaden Rashada against former Florida football coach Billy Napier, former Florida Gators football staff member Marcus Castro-Walker and current prominent UF booster Hugh Hathcock.
According to U.S. District Court records, jury selection for lawsuit is set for July 20, 2026, with an approximately two week trial to follow between July 20-31 if a settlement is not reached before that date. The case is set to be heard in U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida in Pensacola before judge M Casey Rodgers.
A mediation deadline is set for Jan. 30 with a deadline set to file Daubert and dispositive motions on Feb. 17.
Napier was set to take a deposition earlier this month but was granted a motion to push it back to mid-February due to inclement weather in Charlottesville, Virginia. The 46-year-old Napier was fired as UF's football coach last Oct. 19 and has since landed the head football coaching job at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Rashada filed the suit against Napier, Hathcock and Castro-Walker in May of 2024, claiming he was defrauded in being enticed to sign with UF over promises of the $13.8 million NIL deal being carried out. It also lists Hathcock's company, Velocity Automotive, as a defendant. Rashada, a five-star quarterback recruit from Pittsburg, Calif., signed with UF in December of 2022 but was granted release from the National Letter of Intent a month later and moved on to Arizona State.
In the suit, Rashada claimed he turned down a $9.5 million offer from Miami when he flipped his commitment from Miami to Florida State. The court recently granted Rashada's motion to compel his former agent, Michael Caspino, to reveal the offer through discovery. Caspino refused to reveal documents related to the offer in his Jan. 10 deposition, citing a non-disclosure agreement between himself and UM-affiliated NIL entities. According to a report in The Athletic, prominent Miami booster John Ruiz denied an offer was extended to Rashada.
A former Under Armour All-American, the 22-year-old Rashada has been unable to land consistent playing time in stops at Arizona State, Georgia and Sacramento State. He signed with Mississippi State out of the transfer portal earlier this month, where he will battle with A.J. Swann and freshman Kamario Taylor for the starting job. Rashada has thrown for 749 yards with 5 TDs to 4 interceptions in his collegiate career.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Depositions underway with trial date set in Jadan Rashada v Florida football lawsuit
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