GAINESVILLE — Sporting a fresh haircut, armed with a lucrative contract extension and coaching a familiar and formidable lineup, Florida’s Todd Golden was at ease following Thursday’s practice at the O’Connell Center.
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The weight he and players shouldered last season was gone.
“I don’t feel as stressed,” Golden said. “We’re gonna have a lot of expectations. But we’re not as worried about it this year.”
Golden and his Gators’ meteoric rise culminated with the 2025 national championship during his third season at age 39.
That ascension into rare air came with suffocating anticipation in Year Four, even as Florida was left to replace three guards drafted by the NBA.
With four starters back this season, including All-America candidates Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu returning to the front court, the Gators are the presumptive preseason No. 1.
Anything less than another national title would be disappointing, given Florida’s talent, experience and $25 million roster price tag.
Following a strong showing at the NBA Combine, the 6-foot-10, 265-pound Chinyelu decided to put his professional aspirations on hold to make another championship run.
“Being back here, doing it one more time, going to go get a national championship again, that’s the ultimate reason why I’m back,” he said.
Chinyelu averaged 11.2 rebounds last season to lead all power-conference players while setting a school record with 19 double-doubles. He also earned Naismith Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Yet he also had unfinished business after recording no points, one rebounds and four fouls in 19 minutes of Florida’s stunning 73-72 season-ending loss to Iowa in the NCAA Tournament’s second round.
“You want to be able to come out each game and feel like, ‘I did everything I can,’” he said. “That day, I don’t think I did everything that I can. I don’t want to be in that spot again.”
Chinyelu and his teammates attacked the offseason to address their weaknesses, build on their strengths and continued to develop chemistry on a team returning 81.8% of its scoring and six of the top eight rotational players from 2025-26.
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Florida also welcomed back veteran shooting guard Denzel Aberdeen, who transferred to Kentucky following the national championship season. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Orlando native decided to return to UF, where he began his career in 2022, to bolster a backcourt featuring starting point guard Boogie Fland and reigning SEC Sixth Man of the Year Urban Klavzar.
Aberdeen, though, is currently ineligible according to NCAA rules. The 22-year-old aims to secure a temporary injunction Tuesday in the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court in Gainesville.
Aberdeen gave up his opportunity to redshirt when he played 41 minutes during 12 games as a true freshman.
But the NCAA changed its eligibility rules earlier this year, allowing 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, despite the NCAA ruling it would not.
Aberdeen’s case will argue he appeared in just 33% of the game’s in 2022-23 — the same percentage of games football players were allowed to play under previous redshirt rules — and is on track to 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 team.
If Aberdeen’s request is denied, the Gators have options at guard. Junior Isaiah Brown of Orlando developed into a key role player late last season while sophomore sharpshooter Alex Lloyd continues to improve his overall game, Golden said.
“Denzel has the best case, individually, of any guy that’s in this situation of dealing with the NCAA’s confusing, operative system that they’re employing right now,” Golden said. “But we’ll be ready if that happens. I don’t anticipate it happening, but we’ll be ready if it does.”
Aberdeen’s status aside, Golden was relaxed and ready as the Gators prepare for their Nov. 2 season opener against Miami in Tampa.
“We feel like we’re ahead,” he said. “We’re able to do some different things at this point in the year that we haven’t been able to do and focus on the court.”
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Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]