Sacramento State QB Jaden Rashada plans to enter NCAA transfer portal

Sacramento State QB Jaden Rashada plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, per On3’s Pete Nakos. He spent one year with the program and will look for the fourth school of his career.

Rashada was initially named the starting quarterback for Sacramento State back in August. But head coach Brennan Marion opted to go with the hot hand, Cardell Williams, following Rashada getting knocked out of their game against Nevada.

Rashada finished the 2025 season with just 264 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He appeared in five games.

Going from Florida commit, Arizona State QB and Georgia backup to Sacramento State is a wild ride for sure. But Rashada was very intentional with this move, a move to a team that was expected to reach FBS football in 2026. However, that waiver was denied in June and will act as a true independent next season, without an FBS or FCS conference.

Rashada chose Sacramento State to find himself and resurrect his career. He liked the initial plan laid out for him.

“It was a lot to figure out, honestly,” Rashada said to CBS Sports. “This move had to be pretty critical and intentional. … I was more picky this time around. I had more pure intentions of what I wanted to get out of it. … Most importantly, I missed the game. I love football. This is what I’ve been doing since I was a kid. I missed playing the game. I wanted to play for a head coach who had my back and had a plan for me.”

The former four-star prospect was a true freshman in 2023 at Arizona State and was able to take a redshirt after appearing in just three games. He started the first two games of the season for the Sun Devils before suffering an undisclosed injury that caused him to miss the next nine games. He returned to play in the regular-season finale against Arizona.

When the dust settled on Rashada’s freshman season, he had completed 44-of-82 passes (53.7%) for 485 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He also carried the ball 14 times for 23 yards.

Rashada made news coming out of high school when he requested to be let out of his signed letter of intent to Florida. According to published reports, the Gators were unable to live up to their NIL promises to Rashada, causing him to look around. The California native settled on Arizona State with respected offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham taking over as head coach.

Rashada is expected to have two years of eligibility remaining. Where he ends up is anyone’s guess.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves