The Gators’ fate for next season may rest on players who haven’t said goodbye yet

Now that the season is over for Florida, the attention will turn towards what Florida’s roster will look like for the 2026-27 season. Only two Gators are out of eligibility but several others have choices to make as to whether or not they are coming back to Gainesville. And given the nature of the transfer portal and NIL, as we saw last year with Denzel Abderdeen, it feels like no one is a 100% lock to return.

As listed in alphabetical order, here is who should return and who is more than likely gone for next year.

Florida players with decisions to make 

AJ Brown - After transferring from Ohio out of the portal, AJ Brown didn’t play a minute this season. Florida announced Brown had a torn labrum that caused him to miss the season. It feels like he would come back given his local roots, but anything is possible.

Isaiah Brown - One of the reasons why AJ Brown probably comes back is that Isaiah Brown should also come back. Isaiah Brown started to get an increased role towards the end of the year and should be in line for even more minutes next season.

Rueben Chinyelu - One of the two great unknowns as of now, Chinyelu had a monster season, final game notwithstanding. He has started to emerge on some NBA mock drafts as a potential 2nd round pick, but given the way NIL is these days, he would make more money by staying in Gainesville.

Alex Condon - The other major unknown is Condon. Like Chinyelu, he is seen as a potential 2nd round pick, which is not where he would have been projected to be coming into the year. His play did have a major uptick towards the end, so it’s possible he could sneak into the 1st round. Condon will almost for sure go through the draft process and decide from there.

Boogie Fland - The transfer from Arkansas feels like an unknown, but for different reasons. He still has two years of eligibility left, but he too probably has his eyes on the NBA. But unlike Chinyelu and Condon, Fland is not viewed as a NBA draft pick right now in most mock drafts. Then NIL comes into play, and how much is Florida willing to pay to keep Fland? This will be one that could go either way.

Micah Handlogten - One of the heart and soul guys of the Gators, Handlogten is technically out of eligibility but is exploring whether he can get granted an extra year from the NCAA.

Thomas Haugh - There is almost no way Haugh comes back. He is viewed as a potential lottery pick and even the allure of an NIL deal wouldn’t be able to keep him if he keeps that status. Never say never, but the odds are well against him playing ever again in a Florida jersey.

CJ Ingram - We didn’t get to see much of the highly touted freshman as Ingram was essentially relegated to the bench once SEC play began. Given his roots with Florida since his dad is Cornelius Ingram, he feels like a safe choice to return and not hit the portal.

Cooper Josefsberg - The walk-on at the center of many of Florida’s TikToks, Josefsberg wouldn’t be in line for any increased role, but also feels like he knows his role and is happy with it. He has one more year of eligibility.

Urban Klavzar - Florida’s sharp shooter is also an interesting case study. Even if Fland does leave, meaning Florida has to replace both starting guards, the question for Golden is whether he puts his entire faith in Klavzar as a full-blown starter. And even if Klavzar is in line to be a starter, as we witnessed last year with Denzel Aberdeen, is someone out there lurking with a massive NIL deal that Florida can’t match?

Alex Kovatchev - The Sacramento State transfer earned Golden’s trust for a couple of games in the non-conference before getting relegated back to the bench. He still has two years of eligibility left. He feels like a guy who could go either way with staying versus going if he wanted an opportunity for more playing time elsewhere.

Xaivian Lee - As time marches on, Lee probably won’t be remembered fondly by Gators fans, and that’s a bit unfair. His play during SEC play was improved, and in the loss to Iowa, he had a good game up until the final play. Lee was not the reason why Florida lost that game. He is out of eligibility. 

Alex Lloyd - Florida’s other highly touted freshman also didn’t get much meaningful playing time. We would assume he is coming back, but if a log jam at guard gets created once Golden grabs guys out of the portal, we are not putting 100% stock in that.

Viktor Mikic - As the roster is constructed right now, Mikic would be in line for more playing time next season as a rotational big man. This is also dependent on Chinyelu and Condon, as well as whatever portal finds Golden has. We would assume he comes back but that feels like it is up to Golden.

Olivier Rioux - As much as everyone loves Rioux, he just isn’t an SEC-caliber center. At best, Golden might be able to get 10 minutes a night out of him, and that feels like wishful thinking. We wouldn’t be shocked if Rioux left, but anything is possible.