The time is here. It was just over seven months ago when Todd Golden and his team were crowned the kings of the college basketball world in San Antonio, Texas.
Florida comes into the 2025-26 season as the team to beat, with numerous primetime games against some of college basketball’s most talented programs.
The Alligator’s basketball reporter Jeffrey Serber gives his preseason superlatives in anticipation of the Gators' return to the court.
Most Valuable Player - Thomas Haugh
After a sophomore season that ended with an impressive run in the NCAA Tournament, I think Haugh will take it up another notch after his third season.
During the offseason, the New Oxford, Pennsylvania, product tested NBA waters shortly but later decided to return to Florida. However, that was not it for his offseason.
Haugh enters this season in a position change, moving from power forward to small forward. With this change, he’ll have less competition for minutes and, as a result, will be able to lead the team further this season.
Last year, Haugh competed with Alex Condon for minutes at power forward. When Condon went down and Haugh was in the starting lineup, he averaged 13.2 points per game and shot 41.2% from three.
With another year of development and more of a free role on the team, Haugh will come to life and be the face of this year's team.
Most Improved Player - Urban Klavzar
Last season was far from a consistent one for Urban Klavzar, with much of it not his fault.
He was cleared to play until Florida's game against Florida State due to eligibility issues that arose from his experience playing professional basketball overseas. Once he was cleared, he missed 12 of his 13 attempts for downtown.
However, during conference play, Klavzar found his stride after overcoming the transition period to collegiate basketball. Against Oklahoma, the Slovenian scored his season-best 10 points in 23 minutes. In Florida's upset victory at No. 1 Auburn, Klavzar made all three of his attempts from beyond the arc, including two in 13 seconds.
Although he saw less time on the court due to his lack of physicality and inability to create his own shot, Klavzar enters 2025 with a full offseason under his belt, and I believe he’ll provide much more consistency off the bench with the ability to take over a game with his sharp shooting.
Newcomer of the Year - Boogie Fland
Being the first McDonald's All-American to join Florida since 2019 is no joke. Fland is arguably one of Florida's biggest transfer landings in recent history, and for this reason, I think he'll impress more than newcomers Xavian Lee and AJ Brown.
From the Bronx, Fland played his first year in college for Arkansas. He averaged 13.5 points and 5.1 assists in his 16 games last season. His 3.27 assist-to-turnover ratio was second in the SEC last year. Against Florida, the 6-foot-3 guard put up 15 points against the Gators in Fayetteville.
Putting up these numbers in your first season should not be taken with a grain of salt. He also missed a majority of the season with injuries—impressive stuff for any first-year player.
On the defensive end, Fland brings great perimeter defending to the Gators. He has constantly brought the physicality to practices.
"Boogie is probably one of the best on-ball defenders I've seen in my time here at Florida," Haugh said.
Without a doubt, if he stays healthy, Fland can be a force to reckon with. Moreover, unlike Lee, he doesn't have to adjust to the physicality of the SEC.
Freshman of the Year - CJ Ingram
This summer, Florida brought in two freshmen: CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd. So yes, there are not many options for this award, but there's strong reason to believe that Ingram is the favorite to win.
During practices, Ingram has found himself playing with the starters more often than Lloyd. As a result, Ingram is projected to be a rotational player, aiming to fill a similar role to that of Denzel Aberdeen last season.
Ingram played his first three years of high school at Hawthorne, where he averaged 24 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.7 steals per game.
To elevate his game, he transferred to Montverde Academy, where he averaged 12.7 points, seven rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Following his decision, Ingram rose from a top 75 to a top 25 prospect in his class.
At 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, Ingram brings great physicality to the guard position for Florida. The only thing holding him back is his ability to knock down shots.
"What I like about my game is how hard I play, having a motor," Ingram said. "I'm always going to try to make the play on defense and make the right rebound."
Six Man of the Year - Micah Handlogten
As the projected sixth man coming into the season, it's safe to say that Handlogten will stay as Florida's most efficient off the bench, especially considering how reliant the Gators will be on their frontcourt with their four guards departing last season.
The 7-foot-1 center comes into his fourth season. He transferred to Florida after a first year at Marshall, where he was named Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year.
Handlogten's sophomore season ended abruptly when Handlogten fractured his leg in the 2024 SEC Tournament championship game against Auburn. As a result, the center missed a majority of his junior season and was planning on redshirting.
However, in February, he decided to forgo the redshirt, finishing the season with 2.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, totaling 10 blocks in 16 appearances.
During the offseason, he reduced his body fat from approximately 17% to 18% to 9%.
"I'm hovering right around 260 pounds now, feeling strong, feeling mobile, which is the biggest thing for me as I wanted to gain strength but to keep mobility," he said. "I definitely can hold my own a lot more."
Coming into a full season, with his extensive experience, Handlogten will provide Golden with reliable minutes off the bench in a season where Florida's frontcourt will drive the team's success.
Biggest Surprise - Rueben Chinyelu
Last season, Chinyelu started all 40 games for Florida, averaging six points and 6.6 rebounds per game. This season, he could see those numbers grow drastically, especially on the offensive end.
Like Haugh and Condon, the 6-foot-10, 265-pound center tested NBA waters but returned to Gainesville. During the remainder of the offseason, Chinyelu worked on his offensive game. There was even a video on social media that surfaced, showing the Nigerian hitting a couple of three-pointers in a row.
"Offensively, I've worked on my shooting, more on getting to my spot and reading and making good decisions offensively," Chinyelu said. "It has been showing, and it has been a work in progress, which has turned out to be something good."
If Chinyelu can provide Florida with consistent scoring from down below, he could finish the season averaging a double-double, taking a much larger step from his productivity last season, especially if he takes a shot or two from three each game.
However, with Handlogten back for a full season, Chinyelu's opportunity to do so could be limited.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Fall 2025 enterprise and men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
