GAINESVILLE — Gators’ shooting guard Denzel Aberdeen will have a Florida court decide whether he can play this season.
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Aberdeen has hired attorney Jesse Panuccio, who has offices in Fort Lauderdale and Washington, D.C., to help him secure a temporary restraining order allowing him to play in 2026-27.
Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 reported Friday night that Panuccio released a statement saying Aberdeen should be allowed to compete under the NCAA’s new “5-in-5 rule.”
The 22-year-old Orlando native is in his fifth year of college after enrolling at UF in 2022. He returned to the Gators last spring after transferring to Kentucky following Florida’s 2025 national championship season.
Earlier this year, the NCAA changed its eligibility rules to allow athletes who entered college fresh out of high school or before turning 20 to play five seasons in a five-year window while eliminating redshirting.
Outgoing seniors who had played in each of their four years argued the new rule should apply to them. But in June, the NCAA’s Division I board of directors ruled the new model would not apply retroactively to players in the 2022 class.
“The NCAA has announced an unwritten exception to its rule that strips Class of 2022 students from this policy, even though they competed for years against fifth-, sixth-, and sometimes seventh-year seniors who received Covid-era eligibility waivers,” Panuccio wrote. “The NCAA’s decision violates its contractual commitment to fairness to all student-athletes, and we have sued to vindicate Aberdeen’s rights and get him back on the court as he finishes his degree at UF.”
Aberdeen became ineligible Aug. 21 after the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a temporary stay, reversing a Colorado judge’s July 31 decision that would have awarded Aberdeen a fifth season in 2026-27.
The Aug. 21 ruling halted a preliminary injunction issued last month by U.S. District Court judge Charlotte Sweeney of Colorado. Her decision granted a fifth season to all athletes who entered college during the 2022-23 academic year and played for four consecutive seasons.
At the time, the NCAA’s chief legal officer, Scott Bearby, sent a memo to schools acknowledging his organization would continue to defend lawsuits.
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In state courts across the country, dozens of athletes have received restraining orders to play a fifth season.
Florida coach Todd Golden said he remains confident the 22-year-old Orlando native will suit up for one of nation’s top title contenders.
“Denzel has hired great representation, and everyone agrees he has unique facts to himself that puts him in great position,” Golden told the Orlando Sentinel on Friday night.
Supporting Aberdeen’s argument, Golden has pointed out he will earn an academic degree within five years of enrolling in college. The Gators also did not free up a roster spot so he could re-join the Gators, Golden said.
After serving as a key reserve for Florida’s title team, the 6-foot-5, 195-pound Aberdeen averaged 13.5 points, 3.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 30.6 minutes for the Wildcats last season.
Under the NCAA previous eligibility rules, Aberdeen gave up his opportunity to redshirt when he played as a true freshman. But the former Dr. Phillips standout appeared in just 12 of 36 games and logged 41 total minutes during Golden’s first season in Gainesville.
Golden has argued football’s previous redshirt rule allowed players to appear in up to four of the team’s 12 regular-season games during a season and still redshirt — the same percentage of games Aberdeen played as a freshman.
Other athletes seeking a fifth season played considerably more games and minutes than Aberdeen.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]