Denzel Aberdeen will get the chance to play a fifth season of college basketball after winning his case against the NCAA.
A temporary injunction granted Tuesday in the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court of Alachua County in Florida makes the former Kentucky guard eligible for the 2026-27 season. Aberdeen, who transferred back to Florida in the offseason after one year with the Wildcats, had filed a lawsuit earlier this month seeking an extra year of eligibility.
The 6-foot-5 guard spent three seasons with the Gators before his lone season in Lexington, and because he entered the transfer portal in the spring during the proper window, he is now set to be grandfathered into the NCAA’s new 5-for-5 rule.
Aberdeen’s lone year at Kentucky was a breakout one. He averaged 13.5 points and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 43.3 percent, and he is expected to be a starting piece for a Florida team many believe could open the season ranked No. 1 in the country.
He is one of hundreds of class of 2022 high school graduates pushing for another year of eligibility. Aberdeen and others have argued that it was unfair for the NCAA to deny last season’s seniors the same extra year that players before and after them may receive. The issue has become more complicated by the fact that college basketball has already seen plenty of fifth-, sixth- and even seventh-year players in recent seasons, including center Franck Kepnang on Kentucky’s roster.
Aberdeen’s situation also differs from Mark Mitchell’s in an important way. Mitchell, who was committed to Kentucky for less than two weeks before reversing course and returning to Missouri, entered his name into the portal through a court-ordered summer window rather than the NCAA-approved spring window.
He has played two seasons at Duke and two at Missouri. After that decision, the SEC was prepared to hand out significant penalties if a conference school played an intraconference transfer who had not entered during the spring window.
Kentucky will see Aberdeen again on March 6, when Florida closes the regular season in Gainesville.
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Still, Popes focus goes beyond just making shots. He has also pointed to cutting as a major part of the offense, which suggests Kentucky wants to create easier looks and keep defenses moving even on nights when the ball may not be flying in from deep. The shot-making will draw the headlines, but the way the Wildcats combine that shooting with disciplined movement could end up telling the bigger story of how effective this offense really becomes. [Read more 🡒]
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Kentuckys South Carolina Prep Suddenly Has A Receiver Concern
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The bigger concern on offense, though, is the receiver group, where the Wildcats now have to account for a potential absence that could affect how they plan the passing game. With a busy Kentucky sports weekend ahead and basketball-related events also on the calendar, the football staff will keep its focus on cleaning up the picture before kickoff and waiting for the next update on who will be available. [Read more 🡒]