Florida’s Thomas Haugh: ‘It’s the golden time to be in college basketball’
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Two years in a row, the Florida fandom has held its breath waiting to see what Thomas Haugh would do. Twice now, Haugh has opted to run it back in orange and blue.
Haugh’s decision to return for the 2026-27 campaign surprised many college basketball fans. The 6-9 forward earned All-SEC and All-American recognition after averaging a team-high 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the conference champions.
While Haugh would have certainly been selected in the 2026 NBA Draft, he decided to continue using his collegiate eligibility and play another season with a UF squad hungry again after a disappointing finish in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
It’s no secret that NIL compensation is playing a factor when making NBA Draft decisions. Haugh said the NIL climate has made it a “golden time” to be a college basketball player.
“I think it’s just the amount of money that these guys are getting, we’re getting, it’s kind of like a pro league,” Haugh recently said The Field of 68, per On3. “If you look at the pros, you get trades. It’s kind of like how the transfer portal works. It’s like everything the pros have, but dumbed down a little bit into college. I think that’s kind of how it is. I think it’s a good thing – I do think some laws and stuff will probably come into play here soon with the NCAA.
“But for us as players, I think it’s the golden time to be in college basketball. I think all these guys, especially at the University of Florida with our collective, we’re going to take advantage of that. It’s been great so far, to me, but I do think there will be some laws and stuff that go in place here soon.”
Haugh is entering Year 4 of his college career. He’s spent all 4 seasons at Florida playing for Todd Golden. With Haugh, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and Boogie Fland all back for 2026-27, the Gators have high expectations entering the season.
Will Florida reach the Final Four in 2027? Make a prediction today on Kalshi!
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
