4-Star QB Prospect Jaden Rashada Signs 4-Figure NIL Deal with AIR Recruiting App
December 21, 2021
High school quarterback Jaden Rashada, a 4-star prospect out of Pittsburg, California, has signed a four-figure endorsement deal with recruiting app AIR (Athletes in Recruitment), per ESPN's Dan Murphy.
Rashada will be promoting the app on social media, and he "is believed to be the first high school football player to profit from endorsements" since the NCAA changed its NIL rules over the summer, Murphy added. Prior to the rule change, high school players who were paid for endorsements were ineligible to compete in the NCAA.
James Sackville, a former punter at SMU and founder of the AIR app, told Murphy the program was "designed to help college coaches, high school athletes and their advisers simplify the process and find good matches" during recruitment.
"There's no better person to talk about recruiting than someone who has recently gone through the process or is currently going through the process," Sackville said. "It's been a resounding success so far, and after talking with Jaden it was a literal no-brainer to work with him."
Rashada also told Murphy he is excited to promote the AIR app and hopes his new endorsement deal is the first of many for high school athletes.
"It feels pretty good," Rashada said. "Maybe it can open up more opportunities for others and people can be more aware of it. It's a blessing to be able to make some money and promote a good brand."
Jaden Rashada 5️⃣ @jadenrashadaI’ll be taking my recruitment to <a href="https://twitter.com/theAIRapp?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theAIRapp</a>! Coaches if you’d like to stay posted and find me, hit the link. Also players who are at a point where you are looking for an opportunity, hit the link as well! 🙏🏾 <a href="https://t.co/e43JGozNfI">pic.twitter.com/e43JGozNfI</a>
Rashada is also partnering with Safeway grocery stores to provide gift cards to help homeless people in Northern California, per Murphy.
The 6'4", 179-pound quarterback told Murphy he plans to narrow down his list of potential colleges over the next couple of months. According to 247Sports, he has received offers from Arizona State, Auburn, Oklahoma, Penn State, UCLA, Oregon and more.
Rashada is the No. 5 quarterback in the 2023 class, per 247Sports. Arch Manning, Malachi Nelson, Dante Moore and Nicholas Iamaleava are ranked above him. Rashada is also the fifth-ranked prospect out of California and is ranked 41st nationally.