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.
As was the case with Haugh, it’s likely Chinyelu receives an NIL contract commensurate with his projected NBA Draft slot. Unlike Haugh and Condon, it’s not a likelihood that Chinyelu will necessarily be a higher selection in a thinner draft when the 2027 process rolls around.
Chinyelu was, at times, the best player on the court for Florida last season.
The 6-foot-10, 265-pound ruler from Nigeria was named the first Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in program history as well as SEC Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was also named to the All-SEC second team and SEC All-Defensive team.
He started all 35 games last season (75 straight over the past two years), averaging 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds, nearly double his prior career-highs, while shooting 58.4% from the field and a career-best 69.5% from the free-throw line. Chinyelu registered program records of 19 double-doubles and 137 offensive rebounds last season; his 393 total rebounds were the third-most in school history, only behind Neal Walk.
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. As such, UF will return more than 80% of its scoring from last season.
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, Condon and Fland back — and especially if Aberdeen can suit up — Florida will likely be considered the SEC favorite, preseason No. 1 team and national championship favorite — all without bringing in an unfamiliar player during a period in college sports where rosters change (often significantly) after every season.
