After three seasons with Florida and despite major buzz regarding his status in this year’s NBA Draft, junior forward Thomas Haugh will return to Gainesville for his senior season.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first had the news Tuesday morning, which was then followed by an official announcement from NIL collective Florida Victorious. ESPN’s most recent mock draft had the New Oxford, Pennsylvania, native going No. 13 overall.
This marked the second time Haugh has considered entering the NBA Draft, the first of which came after the 2025 national championship game. However, Haugh, who was Florida’s sixth man during the 2024-25 season, decided to return for his junior season on April 24.
Heading into the 2025-26 season, Haugh moved from power forward to small forward, allowing him to work alongside fellow junior Alex Condon rather than having the two compete for time on the court.
The decision proved to pay dividends as Haugh finished the 2025-26 season averaging 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. As a result, he was named to the All-Southeastern Conference First Team on March 9.
On Nov. 17, he was named SEC Player of the Week, becoming the first of four Gators this season to receive this recognition. During that week, he recorded a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double against Florida State on Nov. 11, followed by a 17-point, nine-rebound performance against Miami on Nov. 16 in the GEICO Jacksonville Hoops Showdown.
In Florida’s season opener against Arizona on Nov. 3, Haugh recorded 27 points on 7-of-13 shooting despite the Gators falling short 93-87. He then matched that scoring output with 27 points and 10 rebounds against Auburn on Jan. 24.
Also, in UF’s regular-season finale against Kentucky on March. 7, Haugh led UF with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting and nine rebounds.
“He got off to a great start,” Golden said after the Kentucky game. “He just did a great job picking his spots when he was at the 3.”
Overall, he recorded 20 or more points in 13 games this season, nine of which came during conference play.
In Florida’s second-round matchup against Iowa in the NCAA Tournament on March 22, Haugh overcame a slow first half, logging 15 points in the second half to fuel the Gators’ comeback. Despite UF falling short 73-72, Haugh emptied the tank, recording 19 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
“In the first half, I was just out of it,” Haugh said postgame. “I just feel bad, I didn't make any plays, didn't do anything to help the team out to win the first half.”
Haugh has with 1,111 career points, putting him at the No. 50 spot among Florida’s all-time scoring leaders. He will be at the forefront of the Gators lineup going forward.
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
