The defending NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament champion Florida Gators will look very different next season. Six of the 17 players on the 2024-25 roster will leave the program through the NBA Draft or the transfer portal.
Denzel Aberdeen will transfer to Kentucky, while Sam Alexis will play for Indiana next season. Kajus Kublicas is also on the Transfer Portal list, although he has yet to announce his next destination.
Walter Clayton Jr., Thomas Haugh, and Will Richard hope to be selected in the 2025 NBA Draft next June.
What the Transfer Portal Will Bring To Florida
There is no doubt that the Gators have a big void to fill, especially as they hope to defend their title successfully. Their moves during the transfer portal could be crucial to that goal.
So far, Florida has only signed two players from other NCAA programs: Xaivian Lee from Princeton and AJ Brown from Ohio.
Let’s take a closer look at them:
Xaivian Lee
Xaivian Lee is a 6’4”, 180-pound guard. He played all three of his previous college basketball seasons for the Princeton Tigers. In his freshman year, he played the role of a rotation player (he played in 32 games, always starting off the bench), but after that, he was an unquestioned starter for head coach Mitch Henderson.
In 91 games with the Tigers, he averaged 25.2 minutes, 12.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. He shot 43.5% on two-point shots, 33.4% on three-point shots, and 79.6% on free throws.
However, his most recent season was well above these averages. In 2024-25, he played in 30 games and averaged 17 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game.
AJ Brown
AJ Brown, who stands 6’4″ and weighs 210 pounds, also plays guard. He played the previous three seasons for the Ohio Bobcats, where his quality exploded to full capacity in 2024-25.
That season, he started 29 games and shot 47.1% on two-point shots, 38.8% on 3-point shots, and 82% on free throws. He averaged 13.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.
KEEP READING: Can Duke Men’s Transfer Portal Additions Lead Them to the 2025-26 National Championship?
Two More New Faces
Lee and Brown will be the new faces of the Gators, joining CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd, junior basketball stars who have already committed to Florida for the upcoming season. Both Ingram (6’6″ wing) and Lloyd (6’4″ guard) have had an outstanding junior career and were among the elite players recently invited to play in the Jordan Brand Classic.
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