Todd Golden breaks down how Florida has changed from championship season
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Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard — all guards — were the driving force behind a 2025 national championship run for Florida. None of those players returned to Gainesville this season. This forced head coach Todd Golden to reinvent things in 2026. And after struggling to open the season, his Gators are hot at the right time.
Golden broke down his different roster dynamics Saturday morning on ESPN’s College GameDay. He mentioned that every player on his team, including Thomas Haugh, has had to adjust to a new role this season.
“We knew we were going to be a lot different this year. We wanted to get our best players on the floor, so we committed to playing [Thomas Haugh] at the 3,” Golden said. “That allows [Alex] Condon and Rueben [Chinyulu] to be out there with him… and it took us a little bit with Xaivian Lee and Boogie [Fland] coming in to get comfortable.”
Golden added the team’s tough non-conference slate, which included games against (and losses to) Arizona, UConn, and Duke — all projected No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament — helped the Gators as they got into SEC play.
With so much turnover, it’s not surprising that it took Florida time to work out the kinks in its lineup. However, because of Golden’s track record, it’s also not surprising that the Gators have gotten things figured out.
Florida hosts Kentucky Saturday afternoon. A win would put the Gators two games ahead of Kentucky in the SEC standings. A loss would give the Wildcats a share of first place — and the head-to-head tiebreaker — in conference play. Tip between Kentucky and Florida is set for 3 p.m. E.T. (ABC).
