WWE star Roman Reigns may be concerned about whether or not people acknowledge him, but Florida Gators coach Todd Golden is not. After losing out on SEC Coach of the Year honors last year, Golden is once again being overlooked for various coaching honors in 2026. The Naismith Awards put out its watchlist for Coach of the Year honors, and somehow Golden wasn’t on it.
When asked about whether or not he feels bothered by the lack of recognition, Golden didn’t mince words about what he wants to accomplish in 2026.
Todd Golden doesn’t care about awards
Before the Gators flew out to Oxford for their Saturday showdown with Ole Miss, Golden met with media members and was asked whether or not being left off of various lists for Coach of the Year honors annoyed him.
Golden claims he is not:
“It doesn’t really mean s***. We want to try to win the league and go as deep in March as we can.”
While one could take the angle of “Well, what else is he supposed to say,” it feels genuine coming from Golden. He has built a culture and mindset where no individual is above the logo, and that starts with Golden.
And this isn’t new; we highlighted all last year how Golden’s approach and mindset were in stark contrast to what was happening over at football, where the previous coaching staff seemed hellbent on getting its flowers the instant one thing went correctly for the team.
Florida enters its contest against Ole Miss with a two-game lead in the SEC over Arkansas and essentially a three-game lead over Tennessee and Alabama. If the Gators can win this afternoon and win again during the week against Texas, Florida can wrap up its first regular-season SEC title next Saturday at home against the Razorbacks.
Today’s tip-off against Ole Miss is at 12 PM, and Florida is considered a 12.5-point favorite on the road.