As the 2025-26 season reaches an end, Florida, and the rest of the college basketball world, shift their focus to next year.
With the Gators potentially losing up to five rotation players due to ineligibility or the NBA Draft, Florida has multiple holes to fill. Moreover, on Tuesday, UF’s redshirt-freshman center Olivier Rioux announced he will be entering the transfer portal.
Starting April 7, the transfer portal will be open through April 21, and given these losses, UF is expected to bring in new talent through the portal.
Here are the top targets the Gators should pursue to reload for the 2026-27 season.
Mouhamed Sylla - Center
A nominee for the 2025 McDonald’s All-American game, Sylla entered his first season in college basketball with Georgia Tech looking to make an impact right away.
To start the season, the 6-foot-10, 240-pound center had five double-doubles in his first six games and became the first freshman in program history since Chris Bosh (2002-03) to open a season with three-straight double-doubles.
However, as opponents' strength increased, Sylla’s production went south.
In Georgia Tech’s conference opener at Duke, he was limited to 8 points and three rebounds in 13 minutes of action. Then, after a 77-63 loss to Clemson on Jan. 24, Sylla missed the remainder of the season with a lower-leg injury.
The Louga, Senegal, native finished his freshman campaign averaging 9.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 16 games.
At 21 years old, Sylla is older than most in his class, but has the potential to replace Florida’s Rueben Chinyelu if the junior center decides to declare for the NBA Draft.
Like Chinyelu, who was named the 2026 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Sylla brings a great defensive presence, finishing the season with 1.2 blocks per game, including a four-rejection performance against Bryant on Nov. 7. Moreover, while the two lacked consistent offense, they are dominant on the boards.
“Sylla is a mobile and athletic big man with a very high defensive upside,” said 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein. “He has exceptional movement skills for a player his size, but also owns a rock-solid build.”
Paulius Murauskas - Power Forward
With junior forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon expected to declare for the NBA Draft, Florida has to fill in two vacancies for starting forwards. While Isaiah or AJ Brown are in line to be the starting small forward for next year, the Gators still need a starting power forward, and Paulius Murauskas could be their guy.
At 6 feet, 8 inches and 235 pounds, Murauskas entered college basketball after playing three years professionally in Lithuania. On Oct. 6, 2023, he enrolled at Arizona, where he made 23 bench appearances during the 2023-24 season. He finished that season averaging 2.7 points and 1.2 boards per game. His best performance was against Arizona State on Feb. 17, 2024, with 12 points and three rebounds in six minutes.
After having a limited role off the bench, Murauskas entered the transfer portal and signed with Saint Mary’s on April 18, 2024, and has been with the Gaels ever since.
After finishing his sophomore campaign with 12.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, he was named West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year and was a member of the All-WCC First Team.
In his junior season, Murauskas brought his scoring up a notch, finishing the year with a team-high 18.4 points per game to go along with 7.6 boards. His best performance of the season came against Pacific on Feb. 14, when he recorded 32 points on 11-of-16 shooting and 15 rebounds.
“He was good leadership-wise, like he has been all year,” then-head coach Randy Bennett said after the Pacific game. “He made a lot of big shots tonight.”
For the second-straight season, he was named to the conference’s first team.
Murauskas is also a consistent 3-point shooter, finishing the 2025-26 season 33.3% from beyond the arc, including a streak of 14 games to end the regular season with at least one made 3-pointer.
However, in the NCAA Tournament, Murauskas was kept quiet in the Gaels’ first-round matchup against Texas A&M on March 19, finishing the contest with a season-low 4 points on 1-of-6 shooting.
Following that loss and Bennett’s move to Arizona State, he announced on March 24 that he would enter the transfer portal. If the Gators could bring the Lithuanian to Gainesville, they would be receiving a strong replacement for Condon, who has experience playing on some of college basketball's biggest stages.
Jamarion Davis-Fleming - Center/Power Forward
In addition to Chinyelu, who is expected to declare for the NBA Draft, Florida will most likely be without its backup center, senior Micah Handlogten, who the Gators hope the NCAA grants another year of eligibility after he forgoes his redshirt to finish the 2024-25 season.
While UF signed Jones Lay, the Gators could be looking for a backup center.
At 6 -foot-10 and 240 pounds, former Mississippi State Bulldog Jamarion Davis-Fleming could be the backup center the Gators need.
The No. 97 recruit in ESPN’s rankings for the class of 2025, Davis-Fleming was a consistent option off the bench for the Bulldogs. He finished his first year averaging 3.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing.
He was also one of five players on the team to play in all 32 games during the 2025-26 season.
“Davis-Fleming is a long and athletic big man who is most impactful as a defender and finisher,” Finkelstein said. “He’s a true rim protector who challenges plays aggressively in the lane and has the mobility to patrol the paint from a wide radius.”
Against Ole Miss on Jan. 17, the Canton, Mississippi, native logged a season-high 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks despite the Bulldogs falling short 68-67. He logged 5 points and a team-high five rebounds against Florida on March 3.
“I thought Jamarion was really, really good,” head coach Chris Jans said after the Ole Miss game. “He was dynamic, he was quick-twitched, and was all over the court.”
Following Mississippi State’s first-round exit to Auburn in the SEC Tournament, Davis-Fleming announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on March 24.
Given his experience in the SEC and that he was a backup center last season, Davis-Fleming could be a replacement for Handlogten but also a long-term piece for the future of Florida’s frontcourt.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the spring 2026 men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major with a media, management and production minor. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams
