Image Credit: UAA
The Florida Gators may not have won back-to-back national championships, but the core of that 2025 title team is nevertheless following in the footsteps of the Oh Fours. Deciding to put off a professional career for another season, junior center Rueben Chinyelu on Thursday announced that he will return to Florida for his senior campaign, forgoing a potential first-round selection in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The return of Chinyelu comes after junior forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon similarly decided
to stick with head coach Todd Golden and give the Gators a boost as they seek to win a championship for the second time in three seasons.
Guards sophomore Boogie Fland, sophomore Isaiah Brown and redshirt junior AJ Brown all announced in late March that they were returning to the program, too. Fland will remain in the starting five with Isaiah Brown being given a legitimate opportunity to move into the primary lineup on the wing.
Former Florida G Denzel Aberdeen, a member of the 2025 title team, announced on April 10 that he will attempt a return after one season at Kentucky, pending NCAA approval for an additional year of eligibility. Should Aberdeen rejoin the Gators following the best statistical season of his collegiate career, he would start alongside Fland in the backcourt.
With Chinyelu, Haugh and Condon back, and especially if Aberdeen can suit up, Florida will likely be considered the favorite in the SEC and nationally without bringing in an unfamiliar player.
