After testing the NBA draft waters this spring, big man Rueben Chinyelu is returning to Florida for his senior season, the Gators announced today (Twitter link).
Chinyelu, who won a national championship as a sophomore in 2024/25, averaged a double-double as a junior, scoring 10.9 points and grabbing 11.2 rebounds in just 24.5 minutes per game. The Nigerian 6’10” center won the Naismith and NABC Defensive Player of the Year awards and earned a spot on the All-SEC second team.
As ESPN’s Jeff Borzello wrote last week, Chinyelu performed well at the draft combine in Chicago, racking up 14 points and 15 rebounds in his second scrimmage on Thursday and registering impressive wingspan measurements. However, he still wasn’t viewed as a probable first-round pick, coming in at No. 50 on ESPN’s big board at No. 48 in Jeremy Woo’s most recent mock draft.
Chinyelu is the latest notable prospect to announce that he’ll be returning to the Gators for the 2026/27 season, joining frontcourt teammates Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon. Florida will likely enter the fall as the top-ranked team in the nation, Borzello notes (via Twitter).
NCAA early entrants who are testing the draft waters have until the end of the day on May 27 (next Wednesday) to withdraw their names if they want to retain their college eligibility. The NBA’s own withdrawal deadline, which is the key date for international prospects, is June 13. The full list of early entrants can be found right here.