Florida G Denzel Aberdeen eligible for 2026-27 season via injunction
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Denzel Aberdeen is now eligible to play for the Florida Gators in the 2026-27 season.
Aberdeen’s motion for a temporary injunction against the NCAA was granted on Tuesday by Judge George Wright in the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court of Alachua County. Aberdeen took the legal route for a 5th season of collegiate eligibility after the NCAA denied his request for a waiver.
Judge Wright found that Aberdeen is a third party beneficiary under the 2026-27 Manual, which is a contract . Under the plain, unambiguous text of the contract and NCAA bylaw 12.6, Aberdeen is eligible to play.
— Neil W. Blackmon (@nwblackmon) September 29, 2026
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Aberdeen is an Orlando, Florida native and Dr. Phillips product. He spent the first 3 seasons of his career playing at Florida under coach Todd Golden.
In 2022-23, Aberdeen logged just 41 minutes of playing time over 12 appearances. His minimal participation as a freshman was reported to be the basis of his waiver request. The NCAA denied Aberdeen’s request, leading him to argue, like many other athletes, for court-ordered application of the NCAA’s new 5-in-5 eligibility policy.
As a sophomore and junior at Florida, Aberdeen saw his role steadily increase. He played 312 minutes off the bench in the 2023-24 season. On the 2024-25 national championship team, Aberdeen upped his participation to 773 minutes over 39 appearances (19.8 per game), including 5 starts. He averaged 7.7 points per game for the season, but 14.4 ppg in his 5 starts. He was a double-figure scorer in 10 games, including back-to-back outings of 20 points or more.
Aberdeen was expected to be part of Florida’s 2025-26 lineup following the departures of Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin. He surprised many when he instead opted to continue his career with the Kentucky Wildcats.
Last season at UK, Aberdeen posted the best numbers of his career. A 35-game starter, Aberdeen averaged 13.5 points, 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds per contest. He scored in double figures 27 times, including leading UK’s offensive effort in 8 contests.
Florida will play Baylor in an exhibition game on Oct. 18. The Gators open the 2026-27 regular season on Nov. 2 in Tampa against the Miami Hurricanes in the Orion180 Tip-Off Classic.
Is Florida a Final Four team with Denzel Aberdeen cleared to play? Make a prediction today where Kalshi is legal!
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
