ATHENS, Ga. — Jaden Rashada has made it official, announcing the latest stop in his journey: Georgia, after a freshman year at Arizona State, which followed the well-chronicled saga at Florida.
What is Georgia getting in Rashada? And why is Rashada making the move? Rashada’s mentor and coach, Austyn Carta-Samuels, knows what awaits his protege: Carta-Samuels was a quarterback at Vanderbilt from 2009-13, starting his senior year, which included a win over Georgia. He was also a staffer at Missouri.
There’s another relevant connection: His brother, K.J. Carta-Samuels, played for Georgia offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo, when he was Colorado State’s coach.
What kind of quarterback is Rashada?
Austyn Carta-Samuels started working with Rashada during his sophomore year of high school. Carta-Samuels had moved back to the Bay Area after leaving Missouri, and Rashada had moved back to Pittsburg, Calif., after briefly attending IMG Academy in Florida.
When asked for a comparison, Carta-Samuels referred to another SEC quarterback who began his career at Arizona State.
“A less fast, more polished Jayden Daniels,” he said. “Not near as electric running, but he’s extremely athletic. But as a passer, he’s a little bit cleaner. And has a lot more ‘it factor’ to him. And ‘it factor’ to me is ultimate self-awareness. Knowing who you are.”
The recruiting services had Rashada pegged as the seventh-best quarterback in the 2023 class, and 81st overall, per the 247Sports Composite. Rashada played in three games last year for Arizona State, passing for 485 yards and rushing for 23.
Jaden Rashada (5) threw for 485 yards in three games in his one season at Arizona State. (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
What happened at Arizona State, Florida?
It has been a well-traveled early career for Rashada: Originally, he was committed to Miami. But then he flipped and signed with Florida, in large part because of an NIL deal, only for that to fall through. He quickly enrolled at Arizona State, where his father played in the 1990s.
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But these weren’t the acts of a nomad, per Carta-Samuels, rather each was a well-intentioned move that didn’t work out.
“The big thing for Jaden is his goals as a quarterback is to create the biggest impact that he can,” Carta-Samuels said. “He’s very much somebody who’s attached to the community and believes in loyalty and believes in doing things the right way. Florida, coming out of high school, was an opportunity to quite literally change the financial future of his family. Then that situation played out the way it did.”
The decision to go to Florida wasn’t completely financially driven, but it was life-changing and thus compelling, Carta-Samuels added.
“Then the decision became to go back to my roots, where Jaden’s dad played at Arizona State,” Carta-Samuels said. “It was loyalty, going back to a place familiar to my family, continuing the legacy of my father, and doing something for my dad’s school. That was Arizona State.”
But the culture wasn’t a good fit, Carta-Samuels said. The parting seemed amicable: Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham had kind words for Rashada on the way out last week, telling him to “go be great.”
Always rooting for you!!! Go find your spot and go be great like I know you can! https://t.co/x293IMAUme
— Coach Dillingham (@KennyDillingham) April 19, 2024
And the spot to do that turns out to be Georgia.
Why Georgia?
Rashada might have been able to find a place he could start this year or at least contend to start. Instead, he goes to a place where he knows Carson Beck will be the starter, and this is merely to compete with Gunner Stockton and Ryan Puglisi to be the No. 2 quarterback.
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This will be about development for Rashada but also a chance to step out of the limelight. He has been through a lot in a short amount of time and sees the situation at Georgia as a chance to reset.
Carta-Samuels summed up Rashada’s thinking, saying, “Now it’s far more: Wow, this is what college football is. I’ve felt every experience I possibly could have over the past three to four years. I’m looking for stability, I’m looking for development, and I’m looking to become the best version of myself.”
Rashada should benefit from a close relationship with his coaches, which he hasn’t been able to have yet, according to Carta-Samuels. He described Rashada as someone who is “as humble as humble gets” and will have a “Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud-type charisma in him.” Humility combined with determination.
“What he needs is a cultivated relationship with a coach that’s going to guide him to greatness. Because if he has that guide in the building, there won’t be anything that stands between him,” Carta-Samuels said. “I know Bobo would understand everything about that and embrace that.”
(Top photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
