Having an impact off the bench in Florida’s 2025-26 season, Urban Klavžar and Isaiah Brown could have transferred to another school, increasing their chances of starting and making a name for themselves.
Instead, they stayed with Florida, even as the Gators brought back four of last year's five starters.
As a result, both players enter the 2026-27 season coming off the bench, giving Florida head coach Todd Golden consistency in his eight-man rotation, with one spot still open.
“We know Urby's going to be a big part of what we do,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “Isaiah Brown has been fantastic. But there's opportunity available for some guys that are going to step up and grab it.”
Urban Klavžar
Coming off a 2025-26 campaign that ended with Southeastern Conference Sixth-Man of the Year honors, Klavžar enters his senior season as a proven bench asset.
The Slovenian guard finished last season averaging 9.6 points per game while shooting a team-high 40.6% from the 3-point range.
Klavžar provided much-needed shooting to a Gators team that struggled beyond the arc.
Across a nine-game stretch from Jan. 28 to Feb. 28, he shot 51% (25-for-49) from deep. Against LSU on Jan. 20, Klavžar hit a career-high five 3-pointers. He matched that mark against Kentucky on Feb. 14, finishing the game with 19 points.
Even earlier in the season, Klavžar showed glimpses of his ability to compete for a starting job.
At the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego, Klavžar scored 20 points against TCU (Nov. 27) and 18 against Providence (Nov. 28).
Despite that success, Klavžar was held quiet in Florida’s upset loss to Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, recording 5 points.
Four days after the heartbreak, Klavžar announced his return to Florida, quickly dismissing any transfer portal rumors.
“Gainesville feels like home to me,” Klavžar said. “I love being a Gator. It's a privilege to be a Gator, and I feel like even after that loss, it made even more sense to come back”
Looking to build on last season’s success, the 6-foot-1 guard put in work and is reportedly in the best shape of his career. Klavžar said he did not lose any weight but instead replaced fat with muscle.
Teammate Thomas Haigh said that Klavžar has made strides as a defender.
“He's been holding his ground,” Haugh said. “He's quicker, moves a lot more fluid and faster. He’s going to be great for us.”
Boogie Fland said the Slovenian is now the team’s fastest player and more confident than ever.
"He's got a little pep in his step,” Fland said, “We need that, definitely ... I love that for him."
A quicker, stronger Klavžar will have to play an important role as Florida’s sixth man for a second straight season.
Isaiah Brown
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, Brown was one of a handful of players competing for Florida’s eighth and final spot in the rotation. As a result, he started the season with inconsistent minutes.
However, once he fully got his chance, he did not disappoint.
Brown finished the season averaging 5.5 points and 2.5 boards per game across his 33 appearances. This was a significant increase from his freshman season, when he averaged just 1.9 points and under a board over 19 games.
The Orlando native entered last season without a double-digit scoring effort in college, but broke that mark four times during conference play.
Against Vanderbilt on Jan. 17, which was Brown’s 20th birthday, he scored a career-high 14 points, going 3-for-6 from the field, including two makes from beyond the arc. Then, the guard had back-to-back 12-point performances against Texas A&M (Feb. 7) and Georgia (Feb. 11).
Brown’s last double-digit scoring came in Florida's 111-77 thrashing of Arkansas on Feb. 28, when he scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
A large reason for Brown’s increased offensive output was his efficiency from the field, particularly from beyond the arc. He finished the season shooting 34.6% from beyond the arc: second-best in Florida’s rotation, behind Klavžar’s 40.6%.
However, like Klavžar, Brown could not provide enough for Florida against Iowa, finishing the game with 3 points in 13 minutes of action. He also went to the free-throw line with eight seconds left and a chance to give the Gators a 73-70 lead. Instead, he split his free throws, and Florida lost the game 73-72.
Five days after the heartbreak, Brown announced his return to Florida alongside older brother AJ. During the offseason, the two traveled to New York City to get some work in.
“I gained a lot of different things,” Brown said, “A lot of areas of my game that I definitely improved in. Kind of like a little getaway vacation, but also like a business trip at the same time.’
Brown also represented Puerto Rico at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Brown said the experience helped him lose weight because of the fast pace of the games.
Now with a year’s worth of experience coming off the bench as part of Golden’s rotation, Brown is ready to take the 2026-27 season head-on.
"I'm a lot more familiar with being on the court now than I was before. There's still a lot more ways to go,” Brown said. “I mean, never satisfied with where I'm at now, so just continue pushing and just continue striving more. That's all I can ask for."
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Fall 2026 men's basketball reporter and a third-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.
