There is the classic saying if you can’t beat them, join them. For the most part, Florida has tried to keep the moral high ground and avoid having to resort to begging and pleading with the court system to rule in their favor to get a player eligible. But Florida’s luck of staying out of the courts could get tested in the near future, depending upon whether or not Denzel Abderdeen can get cleared for the 2026/27 season.
Scott Stricklin seems to think Aberdeen will get cleared without having to ramp things up, but a new piece from Swamp247 seems to hint that he is prepared to join the circus if he has to.
Denzel Aberdeen still needs to get cleared for the 2026/27 season
Aberdeen has already had quite the road for his college career. He was a holdover recruit from the Mike White Era and wound up being a key rotational guard on the national title squad. But being on the floor in the final minute of the national title game wasn’t good enough, and Aberdeen transferred to Kentucky last season.
Perhaps realizing he made a mistake, Adberdeen transferred back to Florida this past offseason and is expected to be a starting guard for the squad.
There is just one small catch:
Aberdeen needs to get cleared by the NCAA to be eligible for the 2026/27 season.
During his freshman year in 2022/23, Aberdeen appeared in 12 games for a total of 41 minutes. The way the rules work in basketball, playing just one minute counts as a year of eligibility and burns one’s redshirt.
The NCAA is planning on voting on a “five in five” plan, which would give players five total years of eligibility, and it wouldn’t matter if a player sat out or played every minute. What is unclear with the upcoming vote is whether the “five in five” plan would apply to players like Aberdeen or whether it would start with next season’s group.
This is where Stricklin enters, and in comments he made, as reported by Swamp247, he would “support whatever path (Aberdeen) wanted to attempt” to play this upcoming season.
Florida remains hopeful Denzel Aberdeen is granted a fifth season of eligibility by the NCAA.
— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall) June 12, 2026
However, if Aberdeen's request is denied, UF athletic director Scott Stricklin would "support whatever path he wanted to attempt" in order to play for the Gators when the 2026-27… pic.twitter.com/dcRIGbCPa5
Translation:
If Aberdeen wants to get the courts involved, Stricklin would support it.
This is, in many ways, the Pandora’s box that has been opened up by the likes of Alabama, Texas Tech, and Clemson. The way of the land right now in college sports is to keep shopping around until you can find a judge who may or may not be a graduate of your university.
Do we want that to be what plays out?
No, of course not.
But if everyone else is able to sue for the betterment of their own individual program, the Gators might not have a choice or else they risk getting left behind.
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