Denzel Aberdeen's Eligibility Battle Takes Negative Turn for Gators

After initially receiving a fifth year of eligibility due to a Colorado court ruling, Florida Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen now finds himself ineligible for the time being.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday has granted the NCAA a stay of the initial court ruling, which ordered the NCAA to declare all athletes in the class of 2022 and was given by Judge Charlotte Sweeney last month. An expedited appeal hearing has been set, according to On3's Pete Nakos, while the expectation is that more state lawsuits that grant athletes temporary restraining orders will be filed to combat the stay.

Aberdeen has not been granted a TRO, thus making him ineligible for the time being.

Louisville’s Seth Trimble and Florida’s Denzel Aberdeen among those now currently ineligible. https://t.co/mIHkGlcwwY
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) August 21, 2026

Aberdeen's return to Florida has been a whirlwind, but head coach Todd Golden and athletic director Scott Stricklin have both expressed confidence that no matter the chaos surrounding collegiate eligibility, Aberdeen will ultimately receive his fifth year of eligibility.

"This isn't a 27-year-old trying to play his eighth year in college at his sixth different school. This is a 22-year-old within his fifth-year clock coming back to get his degree," Golden said earlier in the offseason. "And I think it would be a really weird stance to try to fight him from playing. Now if he had played 30 games and played 15 minutes a night, we wouldn't be going down this path.

"But to me there's a common sense approach on Denzel that I think should be solved pretty quickly."

Golden added in an interview with On3's Joe Tipton that Florida was "ready to take legal action" for Aberdeen if necessary, echoing Stricklin's previous comments that the program would support whatever action Aberdeen decides to take. Golden previously called getting a TRO for Aberdeen a "last resort," although that now appears to be the clear path to take.

Aberdeen averaged a career-high 13.5 points at Kentucky last season after spending three seasons as a reserve and eventual key depth piece for the Gators. Should he ultimately be eligible, he is expected to start at guard alongside Boogie Fland and forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon and center Rueben Chinyelu.

Of note, former Florida guard Xaivian Lee was recently granted a TRO, making him eligible for the 2026-27 season. He is currently in the transfer portal.

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