Alachua County Eighth Circuit Court Judge George Wright ruled in favor of Florida basketball guard Denzel Aberdeen's motion for a temporary injunction against the NCAA on Tuesday, making the transfer eligible for a fifth college season.
“We’re pleased with today’s ruling, and we’re especially happy for Denzel,” Todd Golden said in a released statement.
The Orlando, Florida, native had been seeking an additional fifth season after his waiver was denied by the NCAA in late May — less than six weeks after he announced his return to the Gators after spending the 2025-26 campaign with Kentucky.
Aberdeen appeared in less than 41 minutes as a true freshman during Golden's first year in Gainesville, which added up to slightly more than one full game played.
The complaint argued that the NCAA’s new Division I eligibility rule expressly provides athletes with five seasons of competition over a period of five consecutive years.
His case focused on the discrepancy between collegiate basketball and football players, with the latter allowed to appear in four regular season games and a postseason contest while preserving a season of eligibility.
Golden had been confident that the motion would be granted, allowing Aberdeen to fully participate in practice sessions and offseason workouts in preparation for taking over the starting point guard role.
"With 'Zel coming in, we obviously anticipate he'll be playing," Golden told reporters last Thursday.
Backcourt teammate Boogie Fland had also expressed optimism that the returning transfer would be able to join him this season.
"We were all excited, to be honest, to have him coming in, playing back with the Gators. This is home, so we love that."
The Gators have a pair of exhibition matchups scheduled next month against Baylor (Oct. 18) in Jacksonville and Stetson (Oct. 27) inside the O'Connell Center. With those warm-up games under his belt, Aberdeen should be ready to take over the starting role in Florida's season opener against the Miami Hurricanes on Monday, Nov. 2, in Tampa.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Denzel Aberdeen's motion granted, is eligible to play this season
