With Florida getting the massive news that Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon would return, hope that Rueben Chinyelu will join them, and some expected adds in Denzel Aberdeen alongside some international players it’s not known exactly what the Gators have left to do in the portal, especially with how much money is already assigned. However, if Chinyelu decides to go pro or Aberdeen gets ruled ineligible the Gators could be looking for a big splash. Though a lot of the portal has been picked through there are some key players remaining, and if they haven’t yet picked their next school they’re likely to be in no rush–either because of the leverage they have in the market, or because they are testing the NBA Draft waters.
Whatever the case may be, here the best players remaining in the portal to be aware of:
Milan Momcilovic
Iowa State
This is a name that has been tied to the Gators for some time, and it makes sense why–Florida just had a poor shooting season, and the 6’8” Momcilovic just had one of the greatest shooting seasons ever. Not only did he hit 49% of his threes but he did it on incredible volume (136-280) and with a high degree of difficulty as many of his attempts came flying off of screens or handoffs. Currently Momcilovic is testing the NBA Draft waters but many are expecting a return to college.
Allen Graves
Santa Clara
A 6’9”, 225 pound freshman, Graves declared for the NBA Draft but is expected to return. It’s a remarkable success by Santa Clara’s coaching staff who recruited and then redshirted Graves only to have him as a possible one-and-done, but it’s expected he’ll come back to college. Graves is an analytics darling who has incredible rebounding, turnover, steal, and block rates to go alongside excellent shooting efficiency, but the film isn’t super flashy and that could be a limiting factor. His raw production of 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game always doesn’t explode off of the page but it does jump out for a freshman, and he could definitely be one of the better frontcourt players in the country in year two.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn
UNLV
After Dedan Thomas left UNLV for LSU they filled the guard spot with Illinois transfer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn who had one of the best seasons in college basketball that you might not have heard about. UNLV wasn’t able to win enough to really get on the national radar but the junior Gibbs-Lawhorn was an absolute monster in the backcourt averaging 20.7 points per game while hitting 41% of his threes. Some might look at his two years at Illinois where he wasn’t excellent as reason why he can’t be an elite scorer at the high-major level but he was a decent reserve with the Illini, and it will be interesting to see what kind of offers he gets.
Juke Harris
Wake Forest
Harris was a solid freshman with some upside two years ago for the Demon Deacons but took his game to a new level as a sophomore last season averaging 21.4 points per game as a 6’7” wing. Looking at the portal right now most players are either smaller guards or frontcourt players and with very few wings available Harris is going to be highly coveted and the perfect piece for just about any roster to incorporate. Versatile in his ability to put the ball in the cup, Harris can drive, post up, or pull from deep, and his size also allows him to guard different positions on the other end.
Tounde Yessoufou
Baylor
Baylor’s mediocre season quieted one of the more impressive freshman seasons in the country last year as 6’5” Tounde Yessoufou averaged 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game. This was coming off being the 14th ranked player in the class of 2025, so it’s a bit surprising that he didn’t have more hype–but ultimately in a year where there were so many good freshmen and the Bears struggled this was one of the least talked about stars in the game. A sub-30% three-point shooter, there are still things for Yessoufou to improve on–but he has a fantastic frame and was incredibly productive playing in a tough league for a team that was struggling. Another player who entered his name in the NBA Draft as well as the portal, a return to college is expected for Yessoufou.
Paul McNeil Jr.
NC State
Any team looking to improve their three-point shooting will be looking at Paul McNeil Jr. who shot 43% from deep on over 7 attempts per game. With adequate size at 6’5” to play a couple of positions he could slide into just about any rotation, and he could be the backup plan for anyone who was hoping for Milan Momvilovic.
Moustapha Thiam
Cincinnati
If the Gators were to lose Rueben Chinyelu, a possible replacement would be giant Moustapha Thiam, a 7’2”, 235 pound center who had a strong freshman season at UCF before moving to Cincinnati where he averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. Thiam is more mobile and bouncy than he is brute force weapon and he’s used his physical tools to dominate the paint defensively while providing more than enough on the offensive end. After playing on teams that disappointed in his first two seasons, look for him to land on a Final Four contender for this upcoming year.