Rashada sent commit group chat message 45 minutes before flipping from Miami: Recruit reaction includes "we're still going to be great"
Late Night Shocker: Jaden Rashada flips commit from Miami to Florida
Miami Hurricanes OL commitment Frankie Tinilau probably echoes the sentiment of many UM fans this morning. He woke up, checked his phone, and saw the news that Jaden Rashada flipped from Miami to Florida.
“I was like `What the #$%$?” Tinilau said. “It was a blindside.”
Tinilau, unlike some other commits, wasn’t up late last night monitoring a commit group chat.
Rashada at least did those commits the courtesy of giving them a head’s up before announcing the news to the world.
The group chat message, obtained by CaneSport, was sent at 11:22 p.m. last night (he announced the decommitment to the world at 12:07 a.m.) and read “Appreciate everyone of y’all, wishing y’all the best of luck throughout y’all careers, go be great”.
CaneSport reached out to some commits for their reactions.
“No hard feelings, it’s nothing personal,” DB Robert Stafford said. “This won’t affect any of the other commits. But we do want to win, so we need a quarterback like Jaden Rashada. We’ll still be good. We’re not stressing about it at all. One player is not going to define what we have going on.
“We’re friends, so I do wish the best for him. He’s doing what he thinks is best for him and his family.”
Tinilau adds “I’m all in with Miami, thought we all were. But this is the way it is nowadays, you can never be too sure. We have to remain focused, have to bring the recruits a bit more closer.”
Another OL commit, Connor Lew, also says the Rashada impact is negligible on him and this class.
“Absolutely not,” he said.
Stafford and Tinilau, by the way are both 100 percent done with the process. Tinilau says he’s decided not to take other visits “because the last thing I want to do is rock the boat with Miami – I’m trying to focus on the Miami official visit and that’s it.”
Stafford adds that “Miami, it’s the best fit for me. Like Jaden thinks Florida is the best fit for him, Miami is the best fit for me. It’s a real family.”
Commit Jayden Wayne also texted CaneSport that it doesn’t affect anything on his end.
“He has to do what’s best for him and his family,” Wayne said. ”I’m a Cane! I can’t wait to be there in January.”
The decommitment leaves Miami in a tricky spot. Tyler Van Dyke is hurt and there’s speculation he is considering transferring. CaneSport has learned at least four programs are already expressing interest behind the scenes. But Miami will obviously be all in on keeping Van Dyke.
Jake Garcia?
It’s considered likely he will transfer. The way the Georgia Tech game plays out Saturday could have a lot to do with that decision.
Some of the above may also hinge on if Josh Gattis is retained, since his offense has not flourished with the passing game to this point.
The other two scholarship QBs right now? Peyton Matocha is mired down the depth chart and is not expected to be in the mix to play moving forward, and Jacurri Brown will try to be the face of the future but there are some behind the scenes signals that he’s also considering moving to another program if the right NIL deal is in place and depending on the situation with Gattis and how Miami’s offense will be run.
Rashada’s decommitment also means that there is now one QB commit in the class, Emory Williams, who actually could come out in a great spot considering all of the above.
“Emory is in, so I’m not worried at all,” TE commit Jackson Carver told CaneSport this morning.
As for this season’s results with Williams vs. Rashada? Well, Williams has hit on 162 of 258 passes (63 percent) for, 2052 yards (228 yards per game) with 21 TDs and four INTs. Rashada is 148-231 (64 percent) for 2,122 yards (236 yards per game) with 25 TDs and 8 INTs. Of course, that’s against varying levels of competition.
Looking ahead, the Canes can also go to the transfer portal to try and land a quarterback that can start/compete to start next year.
That’s the beauty of the new system which is certainly skewed in part not only by coaches’ recruiting efforts but also by NIL deals and the allure of the transfer portal.
“We still have talent coming to Miami next year,” Stafford said. “Jaden Rashada is a great player, but we’re still going to be great with or without Jaden.”
