Judge grants Denzel Aberdeen injunction for fifth year at Florida
The Florida guard can play another season under an injunction after a five-month wait for eligibility clearance.
Circuit court judge George Wright has granted Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen an injunction allowing him a fifth year of college basketball eligibility. The decision follows about five months of waiting for clearance.
Aberdeen said he believed he should be eligible because he had played against athletes with additional college seasons. He described the ruling as fair and said waiting in court was more nerve-racking than the 2025 national championship game.
Aberdeen played three seasons at Florida before transferring to Kentucky and later returning to the Gators. He practised with Florida while his eligibility request was pending.
He sought a waiver on the grounds that his 12 games in the 2022–23 season should count as a redshirt year. He scored 19 points in 41 minutes that season; the NCAA initially denied his request.
The Associated Press report says the NCAA has since adopted a model allowing five years of eligibility, with the clock starting at age 19 or high-school graduation, whichever comes first. The scope of Wright’s injunction and whether the case will face further proceedings are not specified.
