The Florida basketball program got some great news on Monday with the announcement that its starting center from last season's championship run, Rueben Chinlyelu, has withdrawn from the NBA draft and will return to play for the Gators again next fall, according to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.

The 6-foot-10-inch, 260-pound center had participated in the 2025 NBA G League Elite Camp last week, exploring his professional potential before returning to Gainesville for his junior year. Chinyelu had transferred to UF ahead of the 2024-25 campaign from the Washington State Cougars to fill in for Micah Handlogten, who went down with a gruesome leg fracture in the SEC Tournament Finals last spring.

Fortuitously for Florida, he was a key member of the frontcourt, helping the corps earn one of the top ratings in the country. Additionally, Handlogten returned from his injury early and helped propel the Orange and Blue to its third-ever national title.

Rueben Chinyelu's career stats at Florida

During his only season in Gainesville with the Gators, the sophomore started all 40 games — from the opener to the national championship game — making him one of just five players in UF history to start 40 games in a season, along with teammate Will Richard, as well as fellow national champions Taurean Green, Lee Humphrey and Joakim Noah.

The native of Enugwu-Agidi, Nigeria, averaged 6.0 points and 6.6 rebounds with a .599 field goal percentage plus 34 blocked shots during the 2024-25 campaign. Chinyelu posted four double-doubles, leading the team in rebounds 12 times and scoring twice.

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