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# Golden expects Aberdeen eligible; Chinyelu: 'We're winning it'
- URL: https://www.gatorstandard.com/golden-expects-aberdeen-eligible-gators-basketball/
- Published: 2026-10-15T15:54:47.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-15T15:57:29.000Z
- Description: Todd Golden says he expects Denzel Aberdeen eligible after a temporary injunction for a fifth season. Rueben Chinyelu is already talking title.
- Author: gatorstandard
- Tags: Basketball

**Confirmed** — Florida men's basketball coach Todd Golden said at SEC media days Wednesday that he expects guard Denzel Aberdeen to be eligible this season after Aberdeen won a temporary injunction for a fifth year of eligibility. The NCAA is still fighting the case, but Golden spoke as if Aberdeen will be on the floor.

![Denzel Aberdeen in action for Florida men's basketball](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/a3/a9a3b419-298c-484d-bfd2-a0250343d3bf/content/images/2026/10/aberdeen_action.jpg)

Aberdeen during his first stint with the Gators. *Photo: floridagators.com / UAA Communications*

Aberdeen was a key piece on Florida's 2025 national championship run. Getting him back for another season would give the Gators continuity at guard alongside a roster that already includes returners and newcomers such as Rueben Chinyelu, who told reporters about a title repeat: "There's no if... We're winning it."

Basketball season is weeks away. Between Aberdeen's eligibility fight, Golden's confidence at media days, and a defending-champion target on Florida's back, the Gators' opener will be one of the most watched in the SEC. We'll keep updating as the court case and the depth chart develop.

*Sources: [The Big 1050 SEC media days coverage](https://www.thebig1050.com/2026/10/15/sec-media-days-denzel-aberdeen-bolsters-floridas-ncaa-title-hopes/?ref=gatorstandard.com); on-record comments from Todd Golden and Rueben Chinyelu.*