The NCAA made a prudent rule when it adopted the five-for-five framework regarding eligibility.
Five years and five eligible seasons is enough time for college student-athletes to maximize their value as a competitor and in the NIL marketplace. No one wants to see a 28-year-old catch a TD pass in a college game like Miami tight end Cam McCormick did in The Swamp against Florida football in 2024.
Only here’s how the NCAA goofed.
By not grandfathering athletes entering their fifth year in 2026-27, the governing body of college sports is creating a landscape that’s more imbalanced,
This is why Denzel Aberdeen deserves a fifth year to play for Florida basketball in 2025-26. The 6-foot-5 Aberdeen transferred back to the Florida Gators from Kentucky last April, where he’s enrolled in summer classes and in the process of completing his undergraduate degree. He’s working out with UF this summer and, if eligible in 2026-27, would compete as a grad transfer.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss will play quarterback as a sixth-year senior at The Swamp this September. So why can’t the 22-year-old Aberdeen, who played just 41 minutes over 12 games as a true freshman in 2022-23, get a fifth year?
UCF forward Jamicheal Stillwell is part of a class-action lawsuit filed in Cobb County, Georgia, as one of 16 student-athletes seeking a fifth-year of eligibility from the NCAA n 2026-27. Aberdeen hasn’t filed suit yet, but that could be his next option if his waiver request by the NCAA isn’t granted. Florida basketball coach Todd Golden has already said he will support Aberdeen through any legal challenges regarding his eligibility.
What Denzel Aberdeen’s return means to Florida basketball
In today’s college sports environment, there’s a feeling that schools want governance except when it applies to themselves.
But college sports has been bastardized enough this decade to let one more generation of fifth-year seniors compete in 2026-27. It started with the COVID year in 2019-20 and has continued as college sports has transformed from an educational to money-making venture.
There used to be shame in staying in school for five or six years and not making the pros. Not anymore.
If roster space is an issue, provide transfer waivers to allow those student-athletes to find new homes.
A spot has been saved by UF for Aberdeen, and for good reason. After playing three seasons off the bench at UF, Aberdeen proved he could handle the rigors as a starting combo guard in the SEC last year a Kentucky, averaging 13.5 points, 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds.
Aberdeen was counted on with the ball in his hands in tight games for the Wildcats last season and often delivered, including a go-ahead basket with 22.5 seconds left in an eventual 78-72 SEC Tournament win over Missouri. For a Florida team that struggled in tight games last season (UF went 2-5 in games decided by 5 points or less in 2025-26), the combination of composure and clutch ability that a veteran guard like Aberdeen possesses could prove valuable.
It’s also proof that you can go home again. A former Dr. Phillips High standout from Orlando, Aberdeen played a pivotal role in UF’s 2024-25 national championship season, sinking the final free throw in UF’s 65-63 win over Houston in the national title game. He’s not the first in college basketball to realize the grass isn’t always greener somewhere else, no matter how many dollars are thrown at you. Talented guard Meechie Johnson went from South Carolina to Ohio State back to South Carolina during his college career. Swingman Jacob Dar has done the same thing, going from Rice to Seton Hall back to Rice to play for former UF assistant turned Rice coach Rob Lanier.
Aberdeen deserves the chance to both chase another ring and continue his education. Let him play, NCAA, and let’s worry about weeding out the sixth- and seventh-year players first.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Why Denzel Aberdeen should get fifth year to return to Florida basketball
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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By Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
