Florida basketball’s standout sixth man during its 2024-25 national championship-winning campaign has found a new home through the transfer portal with a fellow Southeastern Conference school.
Backup point guard Denzel Aberdeen, who was a key component in the Gators’ success off the bench last season, has reportedly accepted a spot on Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats, according to 247Sports. The move follows an interesting trend noted recently by USA TODAY Sports in how the UK program is moving away from the John Calipari model and toward the Todd Golden paradigm.
According to CBS Sports senior writer Matt Norlander, Aberdeen was seeking $2 million in NIL compensation to return to Florida despite a near assurance that he would be among the starting rotation next season. There has been no indication as of yet how much money was involved in the junior’s decision.
Aberdeen remains in the SEC after leaving his projected starting spot at Florida. Was told his decision to leave UF came w/ an asking price of $2 million for next season. Regardless of whether or not UK matched that request, the Cats aren’t hurting for cash in this year’s cycle. https://t.co/zRV79GEhr7
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 21, 2025
Aberdeen’s junior campaign at Florida
The junior out of Dr. Phillips in Orlando, Florida, was stuck on the bench behind Florida’s triumvirate of veteran starting guards, led by Walter Clayton Jr. plus Alijah Martin and Will Richard. Nonetheless, he found ways to contribute to the Gators’ title run as the team’s sixth man as well as a fill-in starter for when Clayton and Martin suffered injuries.
This past season, Aberdeen appeared in all 40 games and started five, averaging 13.5 minutes per. He made the most of his backup role, averaging 7.6 points on 41.7% shooting overall and a 35.0% clip from beyond the arc, though his 71.2% mark from the charity stripe left something to be desired. The 6-foot-5-inch guard also dished out 55 assists while snagging 18 steals against 40 turnovers in 2024-25.
Florida’s outlook at guard
The Gators recently signed Xaivian Lee, one of the top-rated guards in the NCAA transfer portal, to help fill in the void left by the departure of the program’s three starting guards. On the surface, there appeared to be plenty of room for Lee, Aberdeen and Urban Klavžar to coexist on the roster, but it looks like Denzel has other plans.
Florida also has its eyes on Ohio Bobcats guard AJ Brown, who is scheduled for an official visit in Gainesville on Tuesday. Golden still has rising sophomore Isaiah Brown on his bench as well as four-star incoming freshman Alex Lloyd as his main options in the backcourt.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Transfer Portal: Former Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen to Kentucky
Florida basketball’s standout sixth man during its 2024-25 national championship-winning campaign has found a new home through the transfer portal with a fellow Southeastern Conference school.
Backup point guard Denzel Aberdeen, who was a key component in the Gators’ success off the bench last season, has reportedly accepted a spot on Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats, according to 247Sports. The move follows an interesting trend noted recently by USA TODAY Sports in how the UK program is moving away from the John Calipari model and toward the Todd Golden paradigm.
According to CBS Sports senior writer Matt Norlander, Aberdeen was seeking $2 million in NIL compensation to return to Florida despite a near assurance that he would be among the starting rotation next season. There has been no indication as of yet how much money was involved in the junior’s decision.
Aberdeen remains in the SEC after leaving his projected starting spot at Florida. Was told his decision to leave UF came w/ an asking price of $2 million for next season. Regardless of whether or not UK matched that request, the Cats aren’t hurting for cash in this year’s cycle. https://t.co/zRV79GEhr7
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 21, 2025
Aberdeen’s junior campaign at Florida
The junior out of Dr. Phillips in Orlando, Florida, was stuck on the bench behind Florida’s triumvirate of veteran starting guards, led by Walter Clayton Jr. plus Alijah Martin and Will Richard. Nonetheless, he found ways to contribute to the Gators’ title run as the team’s sixth man as well as a fill-in starter for when Clayton and Martin suffered injuries.
This past season, Aberdeen appeared in all 40 games and started five, averaging 13.5 minutes per. He made the most of his backup role, averaging 7.6 points on 41.7% shooting overall and a 35.0% clip from beyond the arc, though his 71.2% mark from the charity stripe left something to be desired. The 6-foot-5-inch guard also dished out 55 assists while snagging 18 steals against 40 turnovers in 2024-25.
Florida’s outlook at guard
The Gators recently signed Xaivian Lee, one of the top-rated guards in the NCAA transfer portal, to help fill in the void left by the departure of the program’s three starting guards. On the surface, there appeared to be plenty of room for Lee, Aberdeen and Urban Klavžar to coexist on the roster, but it looks like Denzel has other plans.
Florida also has its eyes on Ohio Bobcats guard AJ Brown, who is scheduled for an official visit in Gainesville on Tuesday. Golden still has rising sophomore Isaiah Brown on his bench as well as four-star incoming freshman Alex Lloyd as his main options in the backcourt.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Transfer Portal: Former Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen to Kentucky
