‘Like a pro league’ — Gators forward Thomas Haugh highlights why he returned for his senior season
The Florida Gators are returning a massive amount of their production for 2026-2027, and their biggest returner highlighted why.
When you look at the world of college sports, it’s significantly similar to that of the pro leagues. One of the benefits of that is seeing players develop before heading to the NBA and NFL.
Because of that, the Florida Gators basketball team is massively benefiting, with the return of nearly 90% of their production from last season. Thomas Haugh recently spoke to the Field of 68 about why that influenced his decision to return to Gainesville.
“I think it’s just the amount of money that these guys are getting, we’re getting, it’s kind of like a pro league,” said Haugh. “If you look at the pros, you get trades. It’s kind of like how the transfer portal works. It’s like everything the pros have, but dumbed down a little bit into college.”
Thomas Haugh is all-in on another national championship
The Gators were expecting to compete for a second consecutive national championship last season, but lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Round of 32 by a single point. He made the choice to return early on, and it set the stage for Rueben Chinyelu to also come back. He made it clear that winning another national championship is the goal.
“For me … it was how it ended, too. I don’t know. I felt like I didn’t give everything I could to this university yet. Like, I wanted to bring another championship and wanted to be that team that went back-to-back. That was just sitting in my head the whole time I was in L.A. working out. And then, also [Condon], [Chinyelu], all those guys started coming back, too. Talking to them, talking to Golden, I was like, I’m with it – I want to go do this thing again.”
There are zero guarantees about winning a national championship, as the Gators found out last season. However, the allure of potentially winning one with this talented of a roster is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted, something that Haugh seems to understand.
Keep an eye on the Gators all season, as it could lead to another national title.
