Is Rueben Chinyelu the Best Defender in the Country? Gators HC Todd Golden Gives His Take

Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu dominated down low and on the perimeter in the win over Alabama.

Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu dominated down low and on the perimeter in the win over Alabama. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Not only do the Florida Gators have one of the best defenses in the SEC, but they might also roster one of the best individual defenders the league has to offer this season. 

Following another eye-catching performance from Gators center Rueben Chinyelu on Sunday, the imposing big man is now garnering support from his coach as the best defender in America.

“Yeah, I think he's arguably the best defender in America right now,” Gators head coach Todd Golden said. “He's a great paint protector, great on the ball screen…If we didn't have bigs that were agile, smart, mobile – you're not going to switch them on (Labaron) Philon and (Aden) Holloway.”

The prime reason his head coach and others are crowning him as the best defender in college basketball this year is based on what he did near the end of the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Tasked with defending Alabama’s Philon, arguably the best guard in the SEC, and Latrell Wrightsell, Chinyelu displayed quick, fluid defensive footwork to suffocate both guards on the perimeter for the final 17 seconds of the possession to force a shot clock violation. 

BEST DEFENDER IN ALL OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL

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— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) February 1, 2026

After the contest, Gators forward Thomas Haugh stamped the defensive effort shown by Chinyelu on that play as the highlight of the game. 

“That was crazy,” Haugh stated. “That was the best play of the game in my opinion. He was out there locking him up.”

Additionally, the Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman took to X on Sunday, casting Chinyelu as his pick for National Defensive Player of the Year. 

“This was really, really, really impressive by Rueben Chinyelu,” Goodman tweeted. “My pick as of today for National Defensive Player of the Year.”

It is not all about what he accomplished on the play, though. As Golden mentioned, Chinyelu’s a great paint protector, as well. He is blocking 1.3 shots per game across the nine SEC contests for Florida, tallying 12 total blocks. Moreover, he is on a three-game streak of recording at least two blocks. 

However, with the NBA's transition into a more isolation-style of basketball and defenses switching on screens, his on-ball defense against the Crimson Tide guards proved to NBA scouts that he is much more than a paint protector.  

“I'm just showing how versatile I could be defensively,” Chinyelu answered when asked about the play. “So just being able to show I can switch to guards and then play with bigs to switch with a guard. So, as a whole, just being able to impact my team in a very vital way."

That defensive effort is just the latest example of tremendous play during Chinyelu's impressive 2025-26 season, which includes back-to-back double-doubles and an SEC-leading 11.3 rebounds per game. He was recently named the Naismith Player of the Week and is on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist.

There are many weeks to go until voters decide these awards, but Chinyelu is positioning himself in a strong spot for both honors in the 2025-26 campaign.