Florida Gators 7-foot-9 center Olivier Rioux has been a crowd favorite in Gainesville since his arrival before the 2024-25 season. Rioux, a native of Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada, who played his high school basketball at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, is the Guinness World Record holder for the tallest teenager.
He was a three-star prospect coming out of high school, was ranked as the No. 61 center in the country and the No. 30 player in the state of Florida in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports.
He took a developmental redshirt year his freshman season before playing more of a role in his sophomore year.
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While he did not start any games, Rioux appeared off the bench 11 times for head coach Todd Golden and the Gators during the 2025-26 season. In those appearances, Rioux totaled seven points, six rebounds and one assist.
He scored two points during Florida's blowout victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
On Tuesday, Rioux announced that he would be entering the NCAA Transfer Portal after spending two seasons with the Gators.
"After taking time to reflect on my journey and what's best for my future, I've decided to enter the transfer portal," Rioux said in part in a social media post.
Rioux enters the transfer portal as a three-star prospect and is currently ranked as the 98th overall player and No. 7 center among current transfers, per 247Sports.
While he did not make much of an impact on the floor during his time with Florida, he was undoubtedly a player that Gators fans will never forget.
