The Florida Gators were unable to repeat as national champions during the 2025-26 college basketball season. As a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they suffered a second-round loss to the No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes.
While Todd Golden and his staff were quiet in the transfer portal, bringing in just one player, one of their biggest offseason wins was retaining forward Thomas Haugh. He opted to return for his fourth year in Gainesville, despite potentially being a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, per The Athletic's Sam Vecenie.
Despite passing on the NBA, the former three-star recruit is still expected to cash in on his talents.
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In an article from On3's Pete Nakos, it is reported that Haugh is expected to earn more than $5 million during the 2026-27 college basketball season.
"The Gators didn’t need to spend heavily in the portal because of the talent they kept — specifically forward Thomas Haugh, who is expected to make upward of $5 million next season in Gainesville," Nakos wrote.
He broke out during his junior season with the Gators. In 34 starts, he averaged 17.1 points (career-high), 6.1 rebounds (tied for career-high) and 2.1 assists. Haugh also shot 46% from the field and 32.6% from the three-point line.
He's exceeded expectations, coming out of the 2023 recruiting class as the No. 39 power forward and No. 198 player in the nation, according to Rivals Industry Rankings.
However, some lofty expectations accompany the high price tag. Florida has the third-best odds (+800) to win the national championship next season, per DraftKings. Whether or not they are serious contenders will heavily rely on Haugh's performance.
