Aberdeen an Outlier in Transfer Era of College Sports

Aberdeen could have transferred from the Florida Gators as a career backup, but his willingness to make an impact in his role played a huge part in the team's run to a national championship.

Denzel Aberdeen runs the point during the Florida Gators' win over Houston in the national championship. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In an era where it’s more shocking to see players stay put versus entering the portal and looking for greener pastures, Florida Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen has emerged as an outlier.

The junior from Orlando, Fla., just wrapped up his third season with the Gators and could have easily chosen to find a new home after years one and two. He could’ve been a starter at a different university rather than playing a role off the bench. 

However, he stuck it out and emerged as one of the Gators' top options off the bench during the teams run to a national championship.

“It’s been an up-and-down journey for me,” Aberdeen said to WESH’s Daren Stoltzfus.

He only played in 12 games as a freshman, being handed 3.3 minutes on average. Then, his appearances nearly tripled as a sophomore, finding himself on the court 32 times. Although it wasn’t until the backend of the season when he really saw his consistent minutes. 

Over the final four games of the season against Alabama, Texas A&M, Auburn and Colorado, Aberdeen played at least 12 minutes in each of them. He even saw back-to-back nights of at least 20 minutes. 

It carried over into 2024-25, where Aberdeen averaged 7.7 points in 19.7 minutes per game, both of which were career highs. He also made the occasional start when seniors Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin missed time due to injuries.

“It feels great, man,” Aberdeen said. “Knowing that I put my head down, kept working, had a great group of teammates to help build me up and teaching me along the way in my career here at Florida. It’s just a blessing.”

Aberdeen became a key piece for the Gators during this postseason run that saw them win both the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. He showed up in pivotal moments when his team needed him, like knocking down the free throw that put Florida up two points over Houston late in the national championship. 

“I thought I was going to hit both of them,” Aberdeen said. “The first one kind of went in and out. Glad I made it.”

Now that this championship run is over, it means the Gators will be saying their goodbyes to Clayton Jr., Martin and Will Richard. It also means that Aberdeen will be the most likely option to succeed Clayton Jr. or Martin at their respective positions. 

The thought of spending your college career in one spot has faded over the years. Many players feel the need to check back into the portal each offseason, which has impacted the loyalty within college athletics.

That’s why when these types of paths are traveled, the new outlier in college athletics, it makes the end goal that much sweeter.

“It feels great, man,” Aberdeen said. “Got to bring it back to my city. Just being a kid from Florida. From when I was small, I always dreamed of winning a National Championship and, man, it’s just crazy being here.”