Florida junior center Rueben Chinyelu is one of four finalists for the 2026 Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year Presented by MOLECULE.
The Atlanta Tipoff Club released the final list on Friday, naming Chinyelu alongside Kansas sophomore forward Flory Bidunga, St. John’s senior forward Zuby Ejiofor and Houston junior forward Joseph Tugler. The award winner will be announced Sunday, April 5, at the Naismith Awards Brunch during the Men’s Final Four at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis.
Fans can visit naismithfanvote.com to cast their ballot. Voting ends at 12 p.m. EDT on April 1, and fans are limited to one vote per day. The fan vote will account for 5% of the total vote.
Chinyelu has already been named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year. He earned an SEC All-Defensive Team nod and is a member of the SEC Community Service Team.
The Enugwu-Agidi, Nigeria, native set a program record this season with 19 double-doubles, and is the first Gator in 50 years to average double-digit rebounds. His 137 offensive rebounds are a program record, and his 393 total rebounds rank second all-time behind Neal Walk. Chinyelu is the only Gator since 2000 to record a 20-plus-rebound game, and he did it three times. His 11.2-rebound average ranks fourth nationally and his 3.91 offensive rebounds per game rank ninth.
Chinyelu has not declared his future intentions yet. He is eligible to return for one more season, but will likely go through the draft process to see where his stock is. A return to Gainesville would be massive for Florida.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Rueben Chinyelu named a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalist
Reporting by David Rosenberg, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
