Retaining Haugh, Condon makes Florida basketball an offseason winner

Florida basketball was quiet in this year's transfer portal, adding just one player — former Gator Denzel Aberdeen, who might not even suit up for the team pending his request for an extra year of eligibility.

Meanwhile, Todd Golden's gang is projected to be the top team in the country according to some of the way-too-early rankings. The reason why? Roster retention.

The Orange and Blue will get leading scorer Thomas Haugh as well as starting forward Alex Condon back next season, despite the lure of the NBA draft. Florida also returns starting guard Boogie Fland and a majority of its remaining roster while waiting on Defensive Player of the Year Rueben Chinyelu, who is evaluating his stock in the draft while maintaining his eligibility.

As it turns out, sometimes the best additions are the ones already on the roster, especially in today’s era of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness influencing players' decisions. This rings true for the Gators ahead of the 2026-27 campaign and is reflected in USA TODAY Sports' list of 10 retention wins that matter more than portal adds.

Of those 10, Haugh and Condon made the cut; if Chinyelu's return was certain, he would almost certainly make it three Gators on the list.

Thomas Haugh

"Haugh is another player who seemed destined to declare for the draft. He decided to pass up on being a projected lottery pick and return to the Gators in an attempt to make one last deep run in March Madness after an abrupt end this past season," authors John Leuzzi and Austin Curtright offer.

"Most guys in my position in the draft, it would be a no-brainer to go to the NBA," Haugh said on his reasoning. "It’s not just the NIL. It’s a chance to play with my boys. To play for coach (Todd) Golden."