Rueben Chinyelu Breaks Florida Gators Program Record

AUSTIN, Tx.-- Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu has already solidified himself as arguably the nation's best rebounder. On Tuesday against Texas, he is continuing that dominance and now sits atop the program record books.

With an offensive rebound with 18:13 left in the first half against the Longhorns, his 115th of the season Chinyelu has broken Dwayne Davis' record for offensive rebounds in a single season. Davis' record of 114 was set during the 1988-89 season.

Rueben got us sounding like a broken record 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/l7e0CzP9Hl
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) February 26, 2026

Chinyelu is in the midst of a breakout campaign with the Gators, leading the nation with 11.8 rebounds per game while averaging 11.5 points per game. His 16 double-doubles this season are tied with Al Horford for the most in a single season by a Gator this century.

"It's a pretty good stat to have, but overall, it’s just going out there and just doing what I can do to get the team going," Chinyelu told Florida Gators on SI after a 15-point, 17-rebound effort against South Carolina on Feb. 17. "Those accolades are really nice to hear, to have, but most importantly just having fun playing and just going out there and playing for my team, enjoying being present and enjoying every moment."

Chinyelu's efforts, paired with consistent play from Thomas Haugh, who joined the 1000-point club on Tuesday, have also paved the way for the Gators to potentially make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The Gators currently sit at No. 7 in the AP Poll and as the No. 1 team in the SEC regular season standings, turning a 5-4 record to start the season to its current 21-6 record.

The Gators currently stand as a three seed in the NCAA Tournament Committee's bracket preview after seven straight wins and six straight road wins.

"Our goals at the moment, do what we need to do, taking care of business day by day to win the league and then work to play to the highest seat possible for March," head coach Todd Golden said on Monday. "At least what I saw, we were initially the 2, an 8, and then the committee flipped us once or twice down to a 10. Again, that's fine -- for now. We'll see how these next couple weeks go, and hopefully we can continue to put pressure on them to make us the highest seed possible.”

Florida currently trails Texas, 18-12, with under 12 minutes left in the first half. Chinyelu has two points and one rebound.