Florida basketball gets star Thomas Haugh back for senior year

Florida star forward Thomas Haugh will return to the Gators for his senior season in 2026-27.

A projected lottery pick, Haugh is delaying his NBA career to give Florida a chance at winning another national championship. He becomes the fourth player in Gators history to return after being named an All-American, following in the footsteps of Joakim Noah, Udonis Haslem and Neal Walk. Haugh was the second consensus All-American in program history, following Walter Clayton Jr. in 2025.

Haugh averaged a team-high 17.1 points last season, adding 6.2 rebounds per game, which ranked 19th in the SEC. He scored 20 or more points 13 times and had four double-doubles.

Haugh's return is a massive win for Todd Golden and Florida in terms of roster construction. Guard Boogie Fland and forward Alex Condon have already committed to coming back. Center Ruben Chinyelu has entered the NBA draft process while maintaining eligibility. Should he withdraw from the draft, he will return to the University of Florida. Florida also added Denzel Aberdeen back from Kentucky; Aberdeen is seeking an extra year of eligibility.

"Yeah, he's turned himself into one of the better players in America, and has gone from a hard-playing role player as a freshman to a really, really good complementary piece as a sophomore to now just taking off, I mean to a guy who's going to hear his name called in probably five or six months," Golden said of Haugh in January.

"And it's a testament to his work, his belief, his coachability, you know, he's incredibly coachable. Too coachable sometimes. I want him to yell at his teammates sometimes and be more of a vocal leader, but he's an incredible leader by example, and he is what a Gator is, man, he's great for our program."

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as , and like our page on  to follow ongoing coverage of news, notes and opinions.