GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida center Rueben Chinyelu decided Thursday he will return for his senior season to run it back with a stacked frontcourt that helped the Gators win a national championship in 2025.
Chinyelu formally removed his name from the NBA draft to play another year with fellow big men Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. Coach Todd Golden’s roster is expected to cost roughly $25 million in 2026-27.
Chinyelu went through the NBA pre-draft process and had until May 27 to decide whether to return to school or stay in the draft.
The 6-foot-10, 265-pound Nigerian became the first Florida player in 50 years to average a double-double, totaling 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds a game last season. The Gators were 19-0 when Chinyelu recorded a double-double.
He was named defensive player of the year by the Southeastern Conference, the Naismith Awards and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Eleven players from last year’s team — a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament — have re-signed to play for Golden next season: Chinyelu, Condon, Haugh, point guard Boogie Fland, shooting guard Urban Klavzar and role players Isaiah Brown, AJ Brown, CJ Ingram, Alex Kovatchev, Alex Lloyd and Viktor Mikic. Their decisions give Golden more than 80% of his scoring back from last season.
Florida also has a commitment from former Kentucky guard Denzel Aberdeen, who spent three years at Florida before transferring. Aberdeen plans to re-enroll at Florida to finish his degree and is petitioning the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility. He would replace graduate Xaivian Lee.
Florida was upset by Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March, a sour ending to a solid season and a loss that Golden insisted played a part in getting so many guys back. Chinyelu was scoreless in 19 minutes against the Hawkeyes and managed just one rebound — not the way he wanted to end his college career — and those closest to him expected him to stay in school for another year of development.
Nonetheless, he was impressive during NBA pre-draft workouts. But he wanted to be a first-round pick, and there was no guarantee of that in a loaded draft.
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