Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen gets court injunction to play this season

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen has been granted a temporary injunction that will allow him to play this upcoming season.

Circuit court judge George Wright granted the injunction during a Tuesday hearing in Alachua County. Gators coach Todd Golden and several players attended the proceedings.

“We're pleased with today's ruling, and we're especially happy for Denzel,” Golden said in a statement.

Aberdeen’s attorney, Jesse Panuccio, filed a lawsuit against the NCAA earlier this month. His motion noted that more than 30 courts across the country have ruled that the NCAA’s “arbitrary decision” against student-athletes who began college careers during the 2022-23 season and completed four seasons of eligibility is “unlawful.”

“The NCAA’s refusal to honor its current eligibility framework breaches its contract with UF, which is intended to benefit student-athletes like Aberdeen,” the suit said.

The NCAA’s move to a five-year, age-based eligibility model has led to a series of court fights across the country.

Aberdeen played three seasons at Florida before transferring to Kentucky last year. He reenrolled at Florida earlier this year in hopes of finishing his undergraduate degree. He has worked out and practiced with the Gators all summer.

He initially planned to convince the NCAA that his freshman year in Gainesville should be considered a redshirt season. The 6-foot-5 Orlando native played only 12 games in 2022-23, scoring 19 points in 41 total minutes. He had hoped to get a waiver from the NCAA to secure another year of eligibility.

But the NCAA has since adopted the five-year eligibility model, which is scheduled to be fully implemented next fall, that will allow players to have five years of eligibility with the clock starting when athletes turn 19 or graduate from high school, whichever is earlier.

That change quickly led to lawsuits from four-year players in the high school class of 2022, like Aberdeen.

Aberdeen is expected to slide into a starting spot to replace Xaivian Lee.

The Gators already are the betting favorite — and likely to be ranked No. 1 in preseason polls — to win it all in 2027. Golden retained most of last year’s roster, most notably big men Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu.

Aberdeen started 35 games for Kentucky last season, averaging 13.5 points, 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds. He came off the bench the previous two years at Florida and averaged 7.7 points as a junior in 2024-25.

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