What does CJ Ingram Bring to Florida Basketball?

The Florida Gators were the top of the college basketball pyramid last year, beating the Houston Cougars in the NCAA Final, 65-63, behind elite guard play and swarming defense. They ended up getting the primary star of last year's team, guard Walter Clayton Jr., drafted no. 18 overall to the Utah Jazz, as well as guard Alijah Martin at no. 39 to Toronto and wing Will Richard no. 56 to the Memphis Grizzlies/Golden State Warriors.

Despite losing as much talent as they did, Florida reloaded their roster, adding Arkansas combo guard Boogie Fland and Princeton point guard Xaivian Lee, as well as bringing back the entirety of their front court, including Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, and Reuben Chinyelu.

From the prep ranks, they brought in Westminster Academy guard Alex Lloyd, as well as the subject of this piece, Montverde Academy wing CJ Ingram, the no. 23 player in the 2025 class according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. The unanimous four-star earned a 96.91 rating out of 100 by the recruiting site, and garnered offers from programs all across the country, including Kansas, Michigan, Georgetown, Georgia, Mississippi State, SMU, Cincinnati, Missouri, and more.

So what makes CJ Ingram such a talented player? The first thing that pops is his positional size, which is in part due to his father, Cornelius Ingram, who played tight end for the Gators in the NCAA and then the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and Denver Broncos in the NFL. He also shares his dad's athletic pop as well as his love for contact, both of which make him an aggressive force both in the half court and in transition.

This makes sense as he was a football player in high school, only deciding to fully commit to basketball later on in his prep career, but the dynamic physicality lends itself to serious power in the paint. Despite being just 195 pounds at 6-foot-6, Ingram is wiry strong, able to rebound and play very well inside the arc. While his three-point shooting is a struggle at the moment, Todd Golden's four-out, ball-reversal-heavy offense should give him plenty of opportunity to become a spot-up three point shooter.

He has serious potential as a defender given his physical tools and high motor. Though he needs work on his offensive game, including his ability to make reads on the perimeter, Golden's coaching is very likely to help him improve in these areas. If he is able to fix these things over the course of his time at Florida, CJ Ingram could end up being a first-round pick sooner rather than later.