Todd Golden wanted Denzel Aberdeen back, but 'other things that were more important to him' led to Kentucky transfer

Coming off a national championship with the Gators, Denzel Aberdeen made it clear this offseason that he “really didn’t want to leave Florida,” but circumstances changed after meeting with Todd Golden.

“There were some things in the meeting that happened and were said that made me decide that I have to leave,” he told KSR+ after making the intraconference transfer to Kentucky. “I don’t want to get into it too much.”

His father, Ian, wasn’t willing to go into the details either, but added, “We really wanted to stay here at Florida, but negotiations went south a little bit.”

The sixth man of Golden’s title squad entered the transfer portal on April 18, and three days later, he was committed to Kentucky. Not only was Aberdeen leaving, but he was leaving for an SEC rival the Gators would have to face twice in the regular season, and then whatever happens in the postseason.

Quite the pivot for a player coming off career highs in points (7.7), rebounds (1.7), assists (1.4) and minutes (19.7) per game and a glaring need in the Florida backcourt, replacing Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard — the team’s three leading scorers.

What happened? Golden got testy at SEC Tipoff ’26 when asked about the breakup, insinuating it was a money-driven decision without explicitly calling it that.

In short, their priorities didn’t align and that was the end of it.

“We love Denzel,” Golden told KSR. “Incredibly grateful for the contributions he made to our program. He was a huge part of our national championship team. He was a guy that came with us right when we got the job. The reality is, we would have loved to have Denzel back, and there were other things that were more important to him than what we had to offer at this point.”

It aligns with his comments made back in August, saying Aberdeen “took advantage of the new world of college basketball and free agency” while adding that Kentucky “(gave) him an opportunity — both from a basketball standpoint and financially — that was probably a little too good for him to turn down.”

Golden isn’t blaming Aberdeen for doing what was best for him and his family — that’s his right as a student-athlete in 2025 — and knows exactly why a school like Kentucky would want to take him. He’s a proven winner at the highest level.

He just wants it to be made clear that the former Gator had other priorities beyond running it back as a senior, ending his four-year journey where it started as an in-state kid from Orlando.

“That’s the opportunity and the right that every student-athlete has, to be able to dictate and determine what’s important to them. He had played well enough to put him in a position where he was desired by a lot of programs,” Golden told KSR. “Every person — whether you’re a player or coach — has different things that are important to them when making decisions. Unfortunately, ours didn’t align. We would’ve loved to have him back.”

Now, he’s expecting a big year for Aberdeen in Lexington, just as he would’ve expected the same in Gainesville.

“I think he’s going to have a really good year for Mark (Pope),” he said. “I think he’s a great kid, comes from a really good family. And I expect him to help them become really successful this year.”

Pope is just fine with how things turned out ahead of his second year coaching the Wildcats.

“Denzel Aberdeen is — everybody at Florida knows this, too — beautiful, just a pure competitive spirit, which kind of our whole team feels like they’re embodying right now,” he said at SEC Tipoff ’26. “This love of competition, a fearlessness about the way he competes, that he’s willing to step on the floor. He’s not scared of taking an L, but he is going to fight you to the death to win everything. …

“Denzel is the embodiment of this joy and passion to compete. I think everywhere he’s gone in his career I think he’s left fans incredibly inspired. Certainly he’s going to do it at the University of Kentucky. It’s contagious with our guys. Certainly he’s going to be loved by BBN.”

Aberdeen returns to Gainesville to take on the Gators in the O’Dome on Valentine’s Day, followed by a return trip to Lexington to wrap up the regular season on March 7. It’s safe to say both top-10 programs have those matchups circled on the calendar.