There’s nothing simple in college athletics these days, especially with the many changes at every level of these sports. Rulings of eligibility grow more and more complicated with each passing year and unfortunately for those involved this is another case like that. It’s been four years already for Denzel Aberdeen playing college basketball, but he’s applying for another season of eligibility, hoping to be granted a redshirt for the brief time he played in his freshman season.
A 6-5 guard from Orlando, Aberdeen landed with Todd Golden and the Gators back in 2022. As mentioned, he didn’t see a lot of the court in his freshman season. In fact, Aberdeen saw time in just 12 games that year, playing just 41 minutes and scoring only 19 points in what was clearly a backup role.
If Denzel Aberdeen’s waiver for an additional year of eligibility is denied, Todd Golden says they're prepared to move forward with legal action.https://t.co/tlznuBgvsT https://t.co/OZfhHicJEj pic.twitter.com/VIPgWhU4TE
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) June 28, 2026
He honestly didn’t have a much bigger role as a sophomore, though he did appear in most of the Gators’ games and played more minutes. Year three is when his own career really took a step forward, averaging 7.7 points largely off the bench while helping Florida all the way to the national championship in 2025.
Aberdeen transferred that following offseason and landed in a bigger role at Kentucky. His senior year saw him put up 13.5 points and 3.4 assists per game as a full-time starter for the first time in his career. Following that success, Aberdeen entered the portal again and this time found his way back to Gainesville.
His future with the Gators depends on his waiver and the aftermath of that decision. The recent NCAA declaration of five-in-five years when it comes to eligibility will likely bring out lawsuits and intrigue in cases like this. Aberdeen isn’t some desperate player clinging to the NIL payout though; he has a legitimate case.
After all, he saw the court for basically only one full game in his freshman year. There have been many redshirts over the years that were granted for playing more time than Aberdeen saw with that Gators team, but it all comes down to the NCAA’s ruling. Will they punish him for those decisions earlier in his career or will they give Golden a very strong Florida lineup a fantastic backcourt presence with one final year of eligbility?
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