Florida's Denzel Aberdeen Granted Temporary Injunction, Will Be Eligible for 5th CBB Season

A Florida judge granted Denzel Aberdeen an injunction that will allow the guard to play a fifth season of college basketball.

Aberdeen averaged 13.5 points and 3.4 assists with Kentucky in 2025-26. He transferred back to Florida, where he won a national championship and played for three years, for the upcoming season.

The NCAA Division I Cabinet approved a new rule, which goes into effect in fall 2027, allowing athletes to have five years of eligibility within a five-year period starting from their enrollment.

Current athletes weren't grandfathered in, but some have pursued other means to earn a fifth year for themselves. Aberdeen filed suit against the NCAA earlier this month.

The 6'5" guard initially planned to argue in front of the NCAA that his first year at Florida was effectively a redshirt season. He appeared in 12 games and played a total of 41 minutes.

The "five-for-five" rule provided Aberdeen with a different basis by which to state his case.

Now that Aberdeen's return to Gainesville is confirmed, Florida will strengthen is resume to be No. 1 in the major preseason polls.

The Gators return their top three scorers (Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Boogie Fland) along with Rueben Chinyelu, who averaged a double-double (10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds). Aberdeen should make an immediate impact as well given his past experience with coach Todd Golden.

Florida has more depth than any other team and championship experience with some holdovers from its title-winning squad in 2024-25.