Thomas Haugh admits Florida's early NCAA Tournament exit impacted NBA Draft decision

Despite being a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Florida forward Thomas Haugh announced he’s returning for his senior season on Tuesday. While NIL undoubtedly played a role in Haugh’s decision, he claims Florida’s unexpected loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament was the largest factor in his return.

“I think that lit a fire underneath me,” Haugh told ESPN. “I [didn’t] want my last memory of Florida basketball to be that.”

Ahead of the NCAA Tournament, Florida had won 12 of its last 13 games. For the second consecutive season, the Gators were a 1-seed. And, by all accounts, they appeared poised to make another run at the national title.

Then, disaster struck for Florida. First-year head coach Ben McCollum led his Hawkeyes to an improbable 73-72 win over Florida.

In the loss, Haugh recorded 19 points, six rebounds and two assists, but shot just 3-11 from the field. After the game, Haugh made it clear he wasn’t happy with his performance.

“In the first half, I was just out of it. I just feel bad, I didn’t make any plays, didn’t do anything to help the team out to win the first half,” Haugh said. “But, yeah, second half I thought we started to get in it. But they’re a good team, and they just played way harder than us and hit more shots and just made more plays in the end.”

Now, Haugh will have an opportunity to help the Gators avenge themselves. Haugh averaged 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season, while shooting 46.6% from the field and 32.6% from beyond the arc.

For his efforts, he was named an All-SEC First-Team selection and a Third-Team All-American. He will enter the 2026-27 season as a frontrunner to win National Player of the Year.

In turn, he will reportedly be one of the highest-paid players in the country. According to ESPN, Haugh will earn “revenue share compensation similar to what mid-first-round picks are guaranteed, in addition to lucrative true NIL and endorsement deals.”

“The unique angle that we were able to drive home to Tommy’s family and Aaron Klevan, this dude has real bottom-line NIL value,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “That’s an area right now where elite college athletes have an advantage over mid-tier pros.

“Tommy Haugh’s legitimate NIL value at Florida is 10-20x what his NIL value would be on an NBA team next year. Because of the brand awareness at Florida, he will have been here for four years, all of those things along with him returning, our supporters really appreciate the loyalty.”

Along with Thomas Haugh, Florida starting forward Alex Condon is returning next season. Condon reeled in All-SEC honors as well this past season. To pile on, star center Rueben Chinyelu declared for the 2026 NBA Draft on Monday, but is maintaining his collegiate eligibility.