The Florida Gators came up short in their efforts to repeat as champions this past season, falling to the No. 9-seed Iowa Hawkeyes as a No. 1 seed. The loss ended Florida's season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, with Iowa hitting a heartbreaking game-winner with 4.5 seconds remaining.
Despite reports linking head coach Todd Golden to the potential Golden State Warriors head coaching vacancy, the Gators have seen multiple star players announce a return. It started with forward Alex Condon this past week, who will run it back after averaging 15.1 points and 7.5 rebounds.
The Gators also have a chance to see starting center Rueben Chinyelu return if he doesn't like the feedback he gets after deciding to test the draft waters. However, the Gators learned of somewhat of a surprise returnee on Tuesday, as the team's leading scorer, Thomas Haugh, announced he'd be back.
"All of that's got to wait another year," Haugh said on Instagram. "I'm coming back, baby."
While the season didn't end as many expected, Haugh was still widely expected to be a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. His decision to return should have Florida in the driver's seat next season in the SEC, and could also see them open the year as the preseason No. 1.
Plenty of Florida fans were thrilled at the development, but so was his fellow big man in Condon.
"Nice," wrote Condon in the comment section.
Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Getting back two All-SEC big men who each have NBA potential was a rarity in past years, but with programs being able to provide lucrative NIL deals, it's hard to imagine the Gators didn't offer Condon millions to return.
The Gators haven't been too active in the portal or recruiting for their 2027 class, but they are expected to bring back Denzel Aberdeen, who was a part of the championship team two years ago and spent this past year at Kentucky.
With Golden's future still up in the air, he certainly has a tough choice to make.
