Member of Gators National Championship Team Returning to Program

The Florida Gators have managed to bring back a key member of their national championship team. Denzel Aberdeen has committed to the program after going into the transfer portal. There is a pending waiver to gain another season of eligibility for 2027.

Sources: Kentucky transfer Denzel Aberdeen has committed to Florida.

The 6-5 guard --- who was an integral part of the Gators' run to the 2025 national title --- averaged 13.5 PPG last season and will now be reunited with Todd Golden in Gainesville.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 10, 2026

Aberdeen, who spent three seasons in Gainesville before leaving the program and spending a year with the Wildcats, averaged 13.5 points per game last season, shooting over 43% from the field and 36% from three in his first year as a starter.

The former rotational guard on the uber-talented Florida roster in 2025 was on the court for the final minutes of the Gators' championship win, yet left the program for a bigger role with the Wildcats. Now expected to return, the senior guard will need to be approved for another year after playing in 12 or more games in all four of his seasons at the SEC level.

His departure from the program was somewhat of a surprise last year after spending the previous two seasons in the Gators rotation and the position seeing heavy attrition to the NBA draft. While Florida added two of the top guards in the portal that offseason, Aberdeen was a player they had hoped to return.

"The reality is we would have loved to have Denzel back," the Gators head coach, Todd Golden, said after Aberdeen’s departure. "There were other things that were more important to him than what we had to offer at this point. That's the opportunity and the right that every student-athlete has to be able to dictate and determine what's important to them. He had played well enough to put him in a position where he was desired by a lot of programs.

"Every person, whether it be a coach or a player, have different things that are important to them when making decisions. Unfortunately, it didn't align. We would have loved to have him back."

Now potentially returning, Aberdeen could possibly add experience to a group of guards that includes already announced returners Boogie Fland, Urban Klavzar, AJ Brown, Isaiah Brown and freshman Alex Lloyd. Florida still awaits important decisions from Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh in the front court as well, with Golden and staff a long way from finishing the construction of their roster for next season.

The Gators are expected to continue to stay aggressive in the portal as they look to bounce back from an early-round exit in the NCAA tournament, with Aberdeen an exciting start to what should be a busy portal cycle for the team.