Todd Golden Backs Denzel Aberdeen Amid Eligibility Battle
After the NCAA laid down its new age-based eligibility model June 23, Denzel Aberdeen, backed by the Florida Gators, began taking the next steps toward an eligibility waiver.
The model establishes a 5-year eligibility clock that begins when an athlete enrolls at an institution in the academic year after the athlete turns 19, while eliminating redshirts. The changes go into effect for the 2026-27 academic year, but athletes who exhausted their eligibility during the 2025-26 academic year, like Aberdeen, are not granted another year.
Florida men’s basketball coach Todd Golden said Aberdeen expects to meet with his legal team this week to initiate the waiver process, and the Gators will take any necessary legal action.
“Our hope is that there’s some common sense that comes into play before that, and they look at a guy that’s 22 years old, so way younger than a lot of these guys that are still playing in college [who] is back working for his undergraduate degree within his five-year clock,” Golden said in an interview with On3’s Joe Tipton. “There’s a lot of things that are going his way. So, we’ll do what we need to do to make sure he’s supported properly.”
Loading ...Aberdeen spent three seasons at Florida before transferring to Kentucky for the 2025-26 season. He announced his return to Florida with the intent of completing his undergraduate degree April 10.
The 6-foot-5 guard may have a shot at a waiver after only playing a combined 41 minutes across 12 games during the 2022-23 season at Florida, averaging 3.4 minutes per game. At Kentucky, he quickly became a key player, starting in 35 of 36 games while averaging 13.5 points and 30.6 minutes per game. Aberdeen also remained prominent in the NCAA tournament, playing a career-high 38 minutes in Kentucky’s first-round 89-84 overtime victory over Santa Clara March 20, and shooting 47.1% from beyond the arc.
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said the NCAA should follow the precedent set before the latest ruling, where a college player appearing in four games or less preserved their redshirt ability.
“I think [it’s] the right thing to do in this day and age, where it seems like we’re moving to a five-for-five model [and] we have different redshirt rules for different sports,” Stricklin said. “In football, you can play the last four games, and as long as you only play four and you’re still okay, in the current model. Basketball is a sport that’s a different standard that does not seem fair or right.”
During the Gators’ 2025 NCAA championship season, Aberdeen played in 39 games, averaging 7.7 points per game while maintaining a 35% from the three-point line in 19.7 minutes. He improved his 3-point shooting percentage to 36.3% last season with the Wildcats, which could help Florida, which shot 31.2% last season.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball
