Gators' Rueben Chinyelu Turning into One of Nation's Best Bigs

Rueben Chinyelu, once again, dominated as the Florida Gators blew out Tennessee.

Florida center Rueben Chinyelu (9) dominated the glass and the paint as the Gators took down Tennessee. | Alan Youngblood / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There are several names in the running for the best frontcourt player in the country. For Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden, he believes one name in the running is Gators starting center Rueben Chinyelu, following his display against the Tennessee Volunteers.  

“Incredibly critical,” Golden said on Saturday. “I think he's growing into one of the best frontcourt players in the land.”

Chinyelu posted his SEC-leading eighth double-double of the 2025-26 campaign in the beatdown over the Volunteers, scoring 17 points and bringing down 16 rebounds. With this stat line, he became the first Gator since Udonis Haslem in 2002 to record 15 points and 15 rebounds against a ranked SEC opponent, according to ESPN Insights.

this is Rueben Chinyelu. this is what he does 🙂‍↔️

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/y2KchsB4l2

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) January 10, 2026

The physical big man did it in his usual way, too, using brute force in the paint to outmuscle his opponents on both sides of the court. 

However, his offensive game only came to life in the final seven minutes of the game. Up until the seven-minute mark, Chineylu was responsible for just seven points. 

Then, over the final stretch of the game, his point total avalanched. He scored 10 points during this period, making four straight shots against the Volunteers' defense. 

On two different possessions, he worked his way down to the paint and hit his defender with a hook shot over his left shoulder. The one that got the fans and his teammates out of their seats, though, was when he faced up to his opponent and then opted for a running right-hand hook shot. 

This run from Chinyelu is where Golden felt the game ended. 

“That stretch in the second half where we were able to get him some deep post catches over there on the right block, and just his patience and his ability to get to his left shoulder and find a way to finish,” Golden said, “that was kind of the backbreaker that allowed us to get an insurmountable lead.”

Rue's on a HEATER

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/OSKrcwXXt0

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) January 10, 2026

Unfortunately for Chinyelu, he finished the game early after fouling out with 39 seconds remaining, but what happened on the way back only showed how energized his head coach was after seeing his effort on Saturday.

While heading to the bench, Golden and Chinyelu let all their emotions out, pushing each other and sharing multiple strong high fives. 

A fired up @CoachToddGolden & @am_rueben 🐊 pic.twitter.com/bNQxbfed5K

— Breakfast With The Gators🐊 (@BreakfastWTG) January 10, 2026

Much of the focus is on Chinyelu's 17 points and how he got them, but his effort on the glass on both ends had a meaningful impact on the game, too. Tennessee center Felix Okpara ended with just one rebound in 27 minutes compared to Chinyelu’s 16 rebounds in 25 minutes.

That discrepancy caught Golden’s eye during his post-game press conference. 

“Both teams are relentlessly trying to create second-chance opportunities. So, we challenged those guys to win that battle,” Golden said. “Rue had 16 rebounds. Okpara had one. He dominated.”

To end the day, Chinyelu’s performance was capped off with plaudits from Tennessee’s head coach, Rick Barnes. 

“As good a performance that I’ve seen in a long time,” Barnes said. “Totally dominated the game from an inside perspective and did a great job for them.”