Todd Golden revealed in an interview with On3 that Florida postponed Denzel Aberdeen’s waiver process until the NCAA gave the green light to its new 5-in-5 age-based eligibility model, which was recently voted on and approved.
“We wanted to wait until the new legislation got voted on,” Golden said.
According to Golden, Aberdeen is expected to sit down with his legal team next week as he takes the first steps in pursuing a waiver.
“With this ruling that came out, he’s going to start working with his legal team next week in terms of getting that waiver process started,” he noted.
The NCAA’s approval of the new “5-in-5” age-based eligibility model earlier this week marks a significant change, as athletes will now receive five full years of eligibility beginning with their first full-time enrollment in college or the academic year after their 19th birthday, whichever comes first.
However, the caveat is that legislation does not apply to current athletes who have already completed their fourth season, essentially meaning Aberdeen is not automatically granted an additional year of eligibility.
Coach Golden, however, believes Aberdeen’s situation is different from that of other athletes to whom this may apply.
“I think for Denzel, he has, in our opinion, a much better case than these guys that just finished their fourth year playing because Denzel didn’t really play as a freshman. I think that’s the biggest difference.”
Golden emphasized that Aberdeen’s circumstances are different from those of the players at the center of the Ohio case.
“As you saw in Ohio, they denied the initial TRO, for the guys that have played four years and are looking for another year. We’re keeping Denzel separate from that group because Denzel played 35 minutes as a freshman. He didn’t play a full season. So we think his case is a little different that way. He’s already re-enrolled, working towards his degree here at Florida… We think Denzel is in good shape.”
Golden said the program is prepared to pursue legal action if Aberdeen’s waiver is rejected.
“We’re ready to take legal action if needed. Our hope is that there’s some common sense that comes into play before that. And they look at a guy that’s 22 years old, so way younger than a lot of these guys that are still playing college that, again, is back working for his undergraduate degree within his five-year clock. There’s a lot of things that are going his way. So, we’ll do what we need to do to make sure he’s supported properly.”
Aberdeen spent the first three years of his collegiate career with the Gators before transferring to Kentucky. Aberdeen was the sixth man on the national title team in 2024-2025 with the Gators, averaging 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.
Aberdeen then transferred to Kentucky, where he had his best overall season yet from a statistical standpoint, averaging 13.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game in the 2025-2026 season before transferring back to Florida this offseason.
The Gators will enter the 2026-27 season as the preseason No. 1 and one of the favorites to win the big dance for the second time in three seasons.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Todd Golden provides an update on Aberdeen’s eligibility
Reporting by Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gators Wire | USA TODAY Network
