Following its second-round loss to Iowa in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Florida’s offseason was filled with uncertainty regarding which players would return.
This uncertainty was further provoked after numerous rumors circulated regarding head coach Todd Golden potentially leaving Florida. First, around a month ago, he was linked to the job openings at North Carolina and Kansas. Then, on Monday, Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor reported that the Golden State Warriors could pursue Golden if head coach Steve Kerr opted to leave the organization.
But in his first press conference since Florida’s 2025-26 season came to an end, Golden was quick to dismiss the rumors.
"I'm definitely planning on coaching the Gators,” he said.
In addition to retaining its head coach, UF saw many players return for another season, choosing to do so rather than declare for the NBA Draft or enter the transfer portal. Overall, eight players announced their return to Gainesville, while centers Olivier Roux and Micah Handlogten opted to enter the transfer portal.
At the forefront of Florida’s returning players are forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon.
Condon, who entered the 2025-26 season as a preseason AP All-American, finished his junior year averaging 15.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game en route to third team All-SEC honors. He announced his return for a senior season on April 15.
Around a week later, the Aussie’s roommate and long-time teammate, Haugh, followed along when he announced his return on Tuesday. Haugh, who is also a rising senior, finished last season averaging a team-high 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per outing. He finished his junior campaign with All-SEC First Team honors.
“Alex and Tommy have an incredibly tight relationship,’ Golden said. “They’ve been very close for four years. That definitely played a part in it.”
Condon and Haugh opted for a senior season despite both being projected to go in the first round of this year’s NBA Draft, according to ESPN's most recent mock draft. Haugh was expected to go No. 13 overall, with Condon going No. 30.
“They’ve been a huge part of this program for a long time,” Golden said.
Florida also retained starting point guard Boogie Fland after the rising junior announced his return on March 26. The Bronx, New York, native finished his first season in Gainesville averaging 11.6 points and 3.5 assists per game. He also led the Gators with 1.7 steals per outing.
Off the bench, reigning SEC Sixth-Man of the Year, Urban Klavžar also announced his return on March 26.
He finished the season with 9.6 points per game on 40.6% shooting from beyond the arc. He recorded at least one 3-pointer in all but four games for the Gators last season, including setting his career high of five against Kentucky on Feb. 14 and LSU on Jan. 20.
Brothers AJ and Isaiah Brown, alongside Alex Lloyd, Alex Kovatchev and CJ Ingram, announced their return to Florida, with Ingram doing so most recently on April 22. Bringing these five back further solidifies Florida’s depth heading into the 2026-27 season.
In addition to retaining many players, Golden was able to keep much of his staff, something he was unable to do when losing two assistants after the 2024-25 season.
“You need to have great guys on your staff if you want to be really good, and if you lose great guys … you got to figure out a way to replace them properly,” Golden said. “We’ll be a lot better this coming year than we were last year.”
However, some details regarding which players the Gators will have available for next year have yet to be finalized.
On April 10, Denzel Aberdeen announced his commitment to Florida after leaving the Gators for Kentucky following the 2024-25 season. In his sole year at Kentucky, Aberdeen averaged 13.5 points and 3.4 assists per game. The Orlando native recorded at least 15 points in each of his three outings against UF last season.
The guard is awaiting NCAA approval for a fifth-year waiver, as he played 41 minutes as a freshman.
“We missed him last year, and he missed us,” Golden said. “We’re going to fight to get his additional year and allow him to be a part of our team and play again.”
Moreover, the final piece to Florida's frontcourt, reigning Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Rueben Chinyelu announced on Monday that he is declaring for the NBA Draft while maintaining his eligibility. According to ESPN's most recent mock draft, the Nigerian is projected to go No. 58 overall.
“Obviously, we want what’s best for him, but selfishly, we would like him back,” Golden said.
Given the players Golden has retained and the two who could potentially return, Florida is in line to build one of the more talented and deep rotations in college basketball for the upcoming season.
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
