Like it or not, the Florida Gators don’t have an open checkbook as it relates to NIL. It’s among the reasons why Denzel Aberdeen left for Kentucky, who weren’t shy about spending massive amounts of money in the offseason to try and catch up to what Todd Golden had built in Gainesville. Golden and crew have had to be a bit more strategic with their spending, and have done a masterful job of doing so over the past couple of seasons.
After Florida’s domination of Kentucky on Saturday, Golden made sure to slip in one subtle jab at the Wildcats and the amount of money they spent this offseason.
Florida spends less and gets more than Kentucky
During his postgame press conference, Golden made sure he was complimentary of Kentucky. Beyond the subplot of Aberdeen’s return, the Wildcats had been playing better in the run-up to Saturday. Golden also slipped in a line that is sure to rile up Kentucky fans:
“So, there's a reason why they were able to climb into second after a tough starting league play. So they're playing some good ball. They're talented. Obviously, a $22 million roster. They're physical, they're big, and I expect them to do well the rest of the year. They're a really good team."
The Lexington Herald-Ledger had reported prior to the season that Kentucky had spent $22 million to assemble its roster for the 2025-26 season. And while the Wildcats look better than they looked at the start of the year, they look like a squad that might sneak into the Sweet 16 if things go correctly in the NCAA Tournament, and that’s it.
We here at Hail Florida Hail aren’t financial experts, but that is not a great return on investment.
And make no mistake about it, Golden knows what he is doing by slipping in the $22 million figure. It’s needling the Wildcats and poking at the fact they poached every player they could, including Aberdeen, and they are about to wind up no better in 2026 than they did in 2025.