Florida Gulf Coast transfer Isaiah Malone commits to UCF
Florida Gulf Coast forward Isaiah Malone announced late Saturday night that he has committed to UCF, giving Johnny Dawkins and his staff their first addition of this transfer portal cycle.
Malone, a 6-foot-8 forward from LaGrange, Ind., spent the 2025-26 season at FGCU, where he emerged as one of the top defensive players in the ASUN. He played in all 34 games and made 27 starts, averaging 10.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 59.2 percent from the field, 44.0 percent from 3-point range and 78.2 percent from the free throw line.
His breakout junior season earned him ASUN Defensive Player of the Year honors after he posted a league-leading 60 blocks in the regular season. Malone finished with 64 total blocks, the second-most in a single season in FGCU history, and ranked among the national leaders in both total blocks and blocks per game.
UCF saw Malone in person this past season when the Knights hosted FGCU on Dec. 20. In that game, a 102-80 UCF victory, Malone came off the bench and played 12 minutes, finishing with two points and three rebounds. His production took off later in the season once ASUN play got underway.
He scored in double figures in 10 of 18 ASUN games and turned in all three of his 20-point performances against league opponents. He also recorded five double-doubles on the year and consistently protected the rim for an FGCU team that led the ASUN in opponent 2-point field goal percentage during conference play.
Among his top performances were a 24-point outing against Jacksonville on Feb. 18, a 23-point game at Lipscomb on Jan. 23 and an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double at Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 5.
Before making the jump to FGCU, Malone spent two seasons at NAIA Saint Francis (Ind.). As a sophomore in 2024-25, he averaged 16.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 67.3 percent from the field. He also showed intriguing offensive efficiency, shooting 52.5 percent from 3-point range on limited attempts and 73.6 percent from the foul line.
Malone comes from a basketball family. His older brother, Elijah Malone, played at Colorado and wrapped up his college career following the 2024-25 season.
