47 of 59 first-place votes. A 20-year wait. One very crowded bench.
Florida is the No. 1 team in the preseason AP Top 25 for the 2026-27 season. It’s the first time since 2006 the Gators have opened a season on top. Duke (No. 2), Illinois (No. 3) and UConn (No. 4) round out the top four, but this wasn’t close. Florida took 47 of the 59 first-place votes.
The last time this happened, Florida was coming off its first national title with Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green coming back. That team finished the job and won a second straight championship. Florida and UConn are still the only programs to win back-to-back titles this century.
This year’s team has a real shot at its second title in three seasons, with the Final Four in Detroit in April.
Why Florida is the pick
Todd Golden kept the band together. Four starters are back from a team that won 27 games last season and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year:
- Thomas Haugh, senior forward from New Oxford, Pa.
- Alex Condon, senior forward from Perth, Australia
- Rueben Chinyelu, the frontcourt anchor who tested the NBA draft process and came back
- Boogie Fland, junior point guard from the Bronx
In the transfer portal era, keeping four starters is rare. That continuity is the main reason voters put Florida first.
The Gators beyond the starting five
The starters will get the headlines and most of the brand deals. The players below are the ones fans can make a real difference for. Each one has a story worth backing.
Denzel Aberdeen, guard (5th year, Orlando). He went to Dr. Phillips High, helped Florida win the 2025 title, spent a year at Kentucky and averaged 13.5 points there, then came home. A Florida circuit court granted him a temporary injunction on Sept. 29 so he could play a fifth season. A hometown kid who fought to come back.
Urban Klavzar, guard (senior, Slovenia). He came to Gainesville from Real Madrid’s program. A steady shooter who knows the system.
AJ Brown and Isaiah Brown, guards (Orlando). Two brothers from Central Florida. Isaiah grew into a dependable bench piece last season. AJ, a transfer from Ohio, is back healthy and expected to add three-point shooting.
Alex Lloyd and CJ Ingram, guards (sophomores). Lloyd is from Miami and Ingram is from Hawthorne, just outside Gainesville. Both showed they can play in the SEC as freshmen and both want bigger roles.
Alex Kovatchev, guard (senior, Perth). He transferred in from Sacramento State and shares a hometown with Alex Condon.
The international bigs. Domen Petrović (6-9, Slovenia) averaged 16.6 points and shot close to 40% from three in Slovenia’s top pro league. Artūras Butajevas (6-10, Lithuania) arrives from Unicaja Málaga’s youth program. Both add size behind Condon and Chinyelu.
Jones Lay, center (freshman). A 7-footer from Moravian Prep in North Carolina and Florida’s only high school signee from the U.S. in the 2026 class.
What this means for Gator NIL
A No. 1 ranking puts every player on the roster in front of more fans, more TV time and more sponsors. But most NIL money still flows to the names fans already know.
That’s the gap RallyFuel is built for. On RallyFuel, fans pledge support tied to milestones. Funds only release when the milestone is hit, and if it isn’t, fans get their money back. When a deal goes through, 90% goes to the athlete.
A few milestone ideas for this Gators team:
- Aberdeen’s first double-digit game back in orange and blue
- A three-point milestone for AJ Brown in his return from injury
- First career start for Lloyd or Ingram
- First SEC minutes for Petrović, Butajevas or Lay
First test: Monday in Tampa
Florida opens the season on Monday, Nov. 2 against No. 14 Miami at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2. If you’re in the Tampa Bay area, it’s the closest the No. 1 team in the country will be to you all season. Read our full preview of the Orion180 Tip-Off Classic.
Keep tracking the Gators on RallyFuel
- Predictions: make your pick for Florida vs. Miami before Monday’s tip.
- Transfer Tracker: follow roster moves in the SEC and across college basketball.
- NIL Index: see where Florida players rank.
Fuel your Gators on RallyFuel. Pick a player, set a milestone, and back them all season. Get the app.
