Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen sues the NCAA in hopes of gaining a fifth year of eligibility

Gainesville, Fla. (AP) — Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, aiming to secure an additional year of eligibility. Aberdeen's attorney, Jesse Panuccio, submitted the legal action on Friday in Gainesville. The lawsuit highlights that over 30 courts across the nation have determined the NCAA's "arbitrary decision" against student-athletes, who entered college during the 2022-23 season and completed four seasons of eligibility, to be "unlawful."

Aberdeen's legal team asserts that the NCAA's refusal to adhere to its current eligibility framework infringes upon its contract with the University of Florida, which is supposed to benefit student-athletes like Aberdeen. The NCAA's shift to a five-year, age-based eligibility model has sparked numerous court battles nationwide. Aberdeen played three seasons at Florida before transferring to Kentucky last year before reenrolling at Florida earlier this year to complete his undergraduate degree.

Aberdeen has been working out and practicing with the Gators throughout the summer. He had initially contemplated presenting the NCAA with a case that his freshman year in Gainesville should be viewed as a redshirt season. Standing at 6-foot-5, Aberdeen only played 12 games last season, scoring 19 points in 41 minutes. Despite his efforts to obtain a waiver from the NCAA, the organization has recently implemented the five-year eligibility model, which is set to be fully enforced next fall.

This new rule permits players to possess five years of eligibility, with the clock commencing when athletes turn 19 or graduate from high school, whichever comes first. The NCAA has received 79 lawsuits involving 450 plaintiffs across all sports connected to the five-year rule, with 234 of those cases originating from men's basketball and 33 from women's basketball.

Of this group, 154 men's basketball players and 26 women's basketball players have received some form of relief from the courts, permitting them to play while the remaining cases remain ineligible. If granted a temporary restraining order, Aberdeen would step into a starting role to replace Xaivian Lee. The Gators are currently favored to win the championship in 2027 and are expected to be ranked No. 1 in preseason polls.

Coach Todd Golden maintained most of last year's roster, including big men Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, and Rueben Chinyelu. Prior to joining Kentucky, Aberdeen started 35 games for the Wildcats, averaging 13.5 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.5 rebounds. He served as a bench player during his previous two seasons at Florida, scoring an average of 7.7 points as a junior in 2024-25.