If you haven’t been following the various rule changes and legal challenges around college basketball recently, allow me to fill you in.
The NCAA approved a 5-year eligibility model, but it is set to take effect in 2027, meaning that players that just finished their 4th year were going to be out of luck. Of course, this led to legal challenges, and there is a chance that these outgoing seniors will win their lawsuits and there will be a flood of talent returning to college basketball extremely late in the offseason.
For Florida, this is interesting for two reasons. On one hand, these players getting a fifth year of eligibility would mean Denzel Aberdeen becomes eligible and the Gators would no longer have to worry about the waiver case where they are trying to get his freshman season ruled a redshirt year. On the other hand, there could be a bunch of high-impact players that are suddenly available, and in one of the most interesting market situations imaginable.
On paper, these are a bunch of players that would have received multiple millions of dollars if they were eligible and available in the spring. Well–it’s not spring anymore. Rosters are full around the country, and NIL dollars are spent. Most teams do not have any money left, because they thought their roster building was done. We may have a situation where some of the most talented players in the country are available, and where they understand they will have to take infinitely less money than they would have been worth at the start of the season–but money that will still be much more than what they would be looking at if they started their professional career. A number of these players are weighing $50,000 offers in the G League, or $100,000 offers in Europe–so even a $300,000 NIL cheque to live the college lifestyle would be a far better situation, and behind the scenes agents and teams alike are realizing this.
If players were to return to college on a significant pay reduction, the Gators could be one of the most advantaged teams in the country. Though Florida has already tapped donors greatly in order to have one of the highest NIL payrolls in the country, they still have the base that could provide a bit more money–especially in a situation like this where return on investment could be so high.
Florida is also likely to be the preseason number one team. If one of the returning stars is going to take a pay cut, playing for a number one team is going to be a massive sell.
I know what you’re thinking at this point–do the Gators even have roster spots? No, and that could make for some uncomfortable conversations and decisions, but that might just be the nature of the business at this point.
David Cobb from CBS released a list of some of the players that are already known to be in lawsuits for a 5th year of eligibility:
Cade Tyson | 19.6 PPG at Minnesota
Brock Wisne | 16.2 PPG Northern Colorado
Anthony Johnson | 13.2 PPG at AZ State
Chauncey Wiggins | 13.3 PPG at FSU
Jamichael Stillwell | 11.6 PPG at UCF
Lamar Washington | 9.6 PPG at Ga Tech
RJ Godfrey | 12.0 PPG at Clemson
Filip Borovicanin | 10.8 PPG at Xavier
MJ Collins | 17.5 PPG at Utah State
Malik Moore | 10.9 PPG at Xavier
Javon Bennett | 15.8 PPG at Dayton
Jalen Quinn | 19.7 PPG at Drake
Jalen Washington | 8.9 PPG at Vanderbilt
Brody Robinson | 17.6 PPG at Oakland
Cameron Fens | 14.4 PPG at So. Dakota
Chendall Weaver | 5.8 PPG at Texas
Jason Edwards | 16.5 PPG at Providence
Tarence Guinyard | 16.6 PPG at Duquesne
A.J. Storr | 15.5 PPG at Ole Miss
Again, these are just players who have already been involved in lawsuits–there would still be a ton of other top talent available if the floodgates opened and the NCAA ruled all outgoing seniors could have a 4th year of eligibility.