Two more 2026-27 preseason rankings have Florida Gators at No. 1

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When the way-too-early rankings for 2026-27 came out earlier this month after the college basketball season ended, the Florida Gators were considered a preseason top-five team. With the news of Thomas Haugh returning last week, at least three publications now have UF listed at No. 1 for next year.

After ESPN ranked Florida in its top spot Monday, another media outlet followed suit on Tuesday: Sports Illustrated. SI’s Kevin Sweeney has the Gators atop his way-too-early top 25 rankings.

“You couldn’t have scripted a much better offseason for the Gators,” Sweeney writes. “The surprise return of projected lottery pick Thomas Haugh is a game-changer, one that vaults Florida into the top spot of our preseason rankings. Assuming that starting center Rueben Chinyelu withdraws from the draft, the Gators will return more than 80% of their scoring from a team that earned a No. 1 seed and won the SEC by three games a year ago. The frontcourt with Haugh, Chinyelu and another potential first-rounder in Alex Condon is the best in America. Plus, the roster could look even better by November if Denzel Aberdeen’s waiver for a fifth season of eligibility is approved by the NCAA, buoying a backcourt currently anchored by Boogie Fland and Urban Klavzar.”

Sweeney projects a starting lineup of Boogie Fland, Urban Klavzar, Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, who has declared for the 2026 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility.

However, Denzel Aberdeen is expected to start over Klavzar if he plays a fifth season, which the Gators are planning on either with the five-for-five rule, a waiver or an injunction against the NCAA.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports also now has Florida ahead of Michigan in his preseason rankings, swapping the teams from earlier this month, following the news of Haugh coming back for his senior year.

“With Thomas Haugh announcing that he will returning to school next season, Florida, as long as Rueben Chinyelu returns to school, in my opinion will be the prohibitive No. 1 team to start next season in college basketball,” Rothstein said. “Look, this is part of the greatness right now of name, image and likeness. Because kids can make a handsome salary coming back to school if they’re not going to be one of the top five, 10, 12, 14 picks in the NBA Draft, you create canvas where a kid can play, be showcased in college basketball, get paid at a high level and also take part in the opportunity to chase another national championship.

“Look right now what Florida is coming back, assuming Chinyelu comes back to school as he’s expected to do. You’ve got Boogie Fland, you’ve got Urban Klavzar, you have Haugh, Condon and Chinyelu back. And you are still obviously hoping that Denzel Aberdeen receives another year of eligibility. Aberdeen, a transfer from Kentucky, who was one of Florida’s core guards when the Gators won the national championship in 2025. He’s another person that, if the five-for-five rule goes through, would seamlessly become a player who would have eligibility. He would not have to deal with an appeal for a waiver.”