7-foot-9 Florida center Olivier Rioux plans to enter the transfer portal

The tallest man in the history of college basketball is hitting the open market.

On3’s Joe Tipton reported on Tuesday that Florida center Olivier Rioux, who is listed at 7-foot-9 and weighs 305 pounds, plans to enter his name in the transfer portal once the window officially opens on April 7. Rioux has spent the last two seasons with the Gators, redshirtting the program’s national championship season in 2024-25 before appearing in 11 games in 2025-26.

A native of Canada, Rioux averaged 0.6 points and 0.5 rebounds in 1.5 minutes per outing during his redshirt freshman season at UF. He’s the Guinness World Record holder for the tallest teenager, crossing the seven-foot mark before he entered the seventh grade. Now 20 years old, he’s looking for a new college home with three years of eligibility to use.

BREAKING: Florida 7'9 center Olivier Rioux plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, @JoeTipton reports.

Read: https://t.co/eHF3PrQz89 pic.twitter.com/SPdMp9MJZG

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) March 31, 2026

Rioux’s incredible height has struggled to translate at the college level. He’s been able to produce on the international stage for Team Canada in the past, including at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup and 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup. He even helped Canada win a bronze medal at the 2023 U18 FIBA AmeriCup while averaging 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He was labeled a three-star recruit during his senior season at IMG Academy (FL).

But making an impact in college has proven to be difficult so far. However, he did become the tallest basketball player (college or professional) to ever play in an official contest in 2025-26. Rioux scored in four games last season, including a two-point, two-rebound effort in Florida’s first-round NCAA Tournament matchup against Prairie View A&M. It created this viral moment, too.

Someone is going to take a chance on Rioux in the portal for his size alone.

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