BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ & ADAM ZAGORIA
A projected lottery pick for the 2026 NBA Draft is heading back to college instead.
Florida forward Thomas Haugh will play for head coach Todd Golden for another season, the school announced Tuesday after it was first reported by ESPN.
“After that Iowa game [in the NCAA Tournament] it didn’t end the way I wanted it to, and I was definitely a little mad after that,” Haugh told Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter, referring to No. 1 seed Florida’s second-round loss. “And that wasn’t the way I wanted to go out wearing the orange and blue. I want to represent my school and I want to get back to that highest level like my sophomore year. So after that game, it definitely lit a fire under me to get back there and compete with my guys.”
In the world of NIL, Haugh can make as much or more money in college than he could have made as an NBA rookie. Via The Gainesville Sun: “An NBA rookie picked in the 11-15 range, where Haugh was projected by multiple outlets, has a first-year salary of $4,309,660.”
“That obviously played into it, but for me it’s not really about that,” Haugh said. “I’m not a money guy like that. I love wearing the orange and blue and I want to represent my school. I think a lot of times now in college basketball, you see people chasing a check and chasing that stuff, but for me honestly, it’s just pride. I love playing here and I want to give 100% to my coaches.”
Florida coach Todd Golden told ESPN: “The unique angle that we were able to drive home to Tommy’s family and [agent] Aaron Klevan, this dude has real bottom-line NIL value. That’s an area right now where elite college athletes have an advantage over mid-tier pros. Tommy Haugh’s legitimate NIL value at Florida is 10-20 times what his NIL value would be on an NBA team next year. Because of the brand awareness at Florida, he will have been here for four years, all of those things along with him returning, our supporters really appreciate the loyalty.”
The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assist per game in his junior season for the Gators.
He is the third Florida starter to announce his return to campus, along with Alex Condon and Boogie Fland. Sophomore big man Rueben Chinyelu, the National Defensive Player of the Year, also entered the NBA Draft while maintaining his eligibility.
Haugh becomes the fourth player in program history to return to the school after making an All-America team, an elite list that consists of Haugh, Joakim Noah, Udonis Haslem and Neal Walk.
His return to Florida is critical for a team looking to continue to make runs in March. Golden will now be able to build around the potential Player of the Year candidate next season.
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