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Gators C Rueben Chinyelu Receives Another In-Season Honor

Florida center Rueben Chinyelu is one of the best bigs in the country.
Kyle Lander|
Florida center Rueben Chinyelu is one of the best bigs in the country.
Florida center Rueben Chinyelu is one of the best bigs in the country. | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Florida Gators

Florida Gators starting center Rueben Chinyelu earned himself a spot on the Naismith Men’s College Defensive Player of the Year Late-Season Team, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Friday. 

Chinyelu has emerged as one of the nation’s best players in 2025-26. The junior is third in the country in rebounds per game, averaging 11.5 across 28 games played, and has logged an astounding 16 double-doubles. 

The center, hailing from Enugwu-Agidi, Nigeria, has been a mainstay in the starting lineup ever since joining the program two summers ago. He holds a 58-10 record when starting for the Gators, playing a key role in both the national championship run last season and the charge for a SEC regular-season title this year. 

Chinyelu is having a historic season in his second season with the Gators. He has logged at least 20 rebounds on three occasions, becoming the first Gator to do so over the last 50 years. And, the big man recently broke the program record for offensive rebounds in a single season, besting Dwayne Davis' previous tally of 114 offensive rebounds. 

Additionally, he can potentially etch his name at the top in program history for single-season double-doubles. His 16 double-doubles have him currently tied in second place. He is also in the top 10 in program history in total rebounds in a single season for Florida, having collected 323 rebounds. 

SEC teams have struggled to game-plan for Chinyelu. His physicality is hard to match, and his tireless work rate down low wears out the opposition’s frontcourt rapidly. Both combined have led to his offensive game improving drastically. 

Then, on defense, he took his game to another level as a junior. Outside of the numbers, Chinyelu has displayed quick defensive agility, allowing him to defend guards better than most at his size. 

One highlight showing this is from the game against Alabama when Chinyelu defended guards Labaron Philon and Latrell Wrightsell. Chinyelu locked both down to force a shot-clock violation. 

After that play, Gators head coach Todd Golden saw enough to crown Chinyelu as the best defender in America. 

“You could argue the best defender in America right now,” Golden said. “He’s a great paint protector, great in the ball screen. I think that possession just turns into a shot clock violation or whatever, but it’s really more valuable than that. It gets the crowd into the game, it gets the momentum, and it was just a huge, huge play for us.” 

Chinyelu joins 14 others on the late-season list. The more notable names on the list are Kansas' Flory Bidunga, Duke's Cameron Boozer, Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg and Arizona's Jaden Bradley.

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Kyle Lander
KYLE LANDER

Kyle Lander is a contributing writer at Florida Gators on SI. He is also a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. On top of his writing, Kyle is a photographer for the site as well. Outside of his work with Florida Gators on SI, he likes to hike, travel, watch movies and hang out with family and friends.

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